What IS this wood?

[jimsjinx]

I am re-glueing a rocking chair that is made in Hell I'm sure! It is beautiful, kinda like crotchwood mahogany in appearance, but very brittle. Also, all the holes drilled for the legs,braces and arms are crooked. I noticed the parts were finished BEFORE assy., and the glue won't stick to it. I did my usual cleaning and re-gluing, but this thing is as lopsided! All the parts are in the correct place, as I label every part, every time. I would bet this is that stuff I have heard about called "Monkey Wood". It is about as unstable as a nuthouse. Anyone run into this new addition to our imports to this country? The worst piece I have ever done! jimsjinx

[pennview]

Do you have a picture?

[robinson46176]

Newish chair? Old chair? Very old chair? Factory made? Itinerant made?
Sycamore can look like that and behave like that.
Sometimes around here the itinerant woodworkers that went from home to home making furniture just used what ever the customer had on hand or could steal as dry wood out of the barn. The customer could always replace the barn wood with green stuff that would not make furniture.
My g-grandfather owned a grist mill and a sawmill starting in the 1880's and he made a lot of coffins. There was no such thing as a pine box here, no pine to speak of then. The coffins were made of "wood" As I understand it one coffin might be made of several kinds of wood depending on what was close at hand.

[jimsjinx]

This one is not that old. It looks like some of that Phillipine junk goin around. I used to do repairs for an importer, that got this crap from Bali. It would go crazy in the ships hold, on the way to Long Beach California. He called it "Monkey Pod" or Monkey wood. I got it all together, but with all the joints sucked up tight, it is not square. The manufacturer would pull the short dowels out enough to allow squaring it up, and just let the glue hold in in place. Lousy technique! I'll get a picture up tonight. jimsjinx

[robinson46176]

Quoted:

"Where do all the "unguided" bombs go?"



Down


.

[jimsjinx]

Here's that chair. jimsjinx

[jimsjinx]

Note the left front leg! Oh well, as long as it holds till the check clears? LOL jimsjinx

[JPG]

Note the left front leg! Oh well, as long as it holds till the check clears? LOL jimsjinx

Must be a liberal Democrat chair! (Sorry Francis! I could not help myself!):D

[jimsjinx]

jimsjinx

[dlbristol]

Note the left front leg! Oh well, as long as it holds till the check clears? LOL jimsjinx

My wife's family has several chairs just exactly like this in design at least. The wood looks different. I have re-glued them several times and they always came apart. Finally I sanded the tenons down and reamed the mortise, then used a wedge to tighten them up where possible. They have not done any of the warping seen in your photo. I'll bet there is a bit of a sway in the rocking motion!