I need help identifying some wood I recently found. I posted a picture on the photo page. This stuff is very heavy, dense, and tight grained, making it a little difficult to work with. It produced an acrid yellow smoke when I bored out a small piece, nearly choking me to the point that I couldn't breathe. I know better so I immediately donned my respirator. I had my safety glasses on but the tiniest bit of this yellow smoke really bothered my eyes. This stuff must be extremely poisonous because I typically don't react to any other exotic woods that some people report problems with. After turning down a small piece I hit it with some paper finishing with 600 grit and the wood really took a nice shine. It has an oily feel like cocobolo but the grain is tighter than anything I'm used to seeing.

Any ideas?

Looks like lignam vitae to me...
Used to be used for blocks and eyes on sailing ships.
Really tough stuff!

Jeff Fultz wrote:

> I need help identifying some wood I recently found. I posted a
> picture on the photo page. This stuff is very heavy, dense, and
> tight grained, making it a little difficult to work with.

I'm no expert by any means but it certainly looks like Sonoran Desert Ironwood and when you cut it it gives off the toxic fumes as you describe. matter of fact the best way I found to cut it was with a hacksaw with slow strokes letting the weight of the saw cut through
it.

From looking at the pic, looks like some wood I used for a handle, Hawiian Koa.

Jeff:
I think it is Cocobolo. It is nasty stuff, but comes out beautiful.

Bob

It definitely isn't cocobolo, I have a lot of experience with cocobolo, and you are quit right Bob, it is nasty stuff also.

I think Ron wins the prize with his educated guess of Ironwood. It's funny, an old friend of mine made the same guess just based on the difficulty it presented in working it and the acrid smoke produced when boring it.

Ron sent me a photo of a pen turned out of Ironwood and the color, grain, and general appearance match the wood I have perfectly.

Thanks for everyones help!

Sorry, gotta' say that stuff is cocobolo, perhaps kingwood, though the orange tint of the recently cut block is more typical of cocobolo. I use quite a bit of cocobolo that looks exactly like your picture. Obviously, it could be something else, but the purple/orange hues make me think it's cocobolo.

Third vote for Cocobolo.

Mark

The main reason I don't believe it's cocobolo is that the grain is much tighter than any cocobolo that I have ever had.

One other consideration is that the local wood store where I purchased this unmarked wood sells cocobolo (with not as tight a grain pattern) for about fives times the cost of this wood. Nobody at the store knew what it was either.

I have used various exotic dark woods that have softer lighter wood within them. It makes it difficult to work but the contrast turns out really nice.

It's Ipe.
It's a member of the rosewood family which is why people are confusing it with Cocobolo (also part of the rosewood family). It is the densest wood available (it sinks in water). It is also very hard and difficult to machine and requires sharp tools.

It's often used for decks and fences because of it's strength and rot resistance.

Christian

It sure looks like rosewood to me. I have a big hunk and it's tough to work, smokes and stings when centerboring and is very heavy and dense. Tough to work with but very pretty wood.

Hi Jeff:
Last winter I made a bunch of pens from cocobolo that looked exactly like that stuff you showed and it was narsty stuff.
But, who is to say that what I bought was actually cocobolo? I have no idea, just know that is what they called it. It was dirt cheap at Rockler. Maybe 50 cents a blank tops.

Bob

Bob -

It may have been Cocobolo, but I find Cocobolo very easy to mill and turn (other than the dust and smell). Where Ipe is very difficult to work with and can look almost identical to Cocobolo because they are both members of the rosewood family.

Because of Jeff's description of dense, heavy, and difficult to work - My guess would be Ipe.

The stuff you bought most likely is Cocobolo.

BTW I missed the Desert Ironwood comment. Ipe is sometimes referred to as Desert Ironwood.

Christian

Jeff-

One easy way to tell is Ipe will sink (specific gravity of 1.1) where Cocobolo should float (specific gravity of .9).

Christian

Looks like cocobolo

Christian,

Your right man, my mystery wood sinks like a rock. I also threw a piece of cocobolo in the bucket and sure enough it floated. I feel somehow vindicated...I just knew this stuff wasn't cocobolo...but then again, if it looks like a duck....walks like a duck...and smells like a duck....but alas...it doesn't float like a duck!!!

The only thing confusing me is that Ipe has an open grain. I have a piece of turned Ipe in my hand and I can feel the grain with my fingernail. It doesn't look like the grain is open in the picture. I've also seen cocobolo listed with a specific gravity as high as 1.10.

Can you feel the grain with your fingernail?

Personally, I've purchased cocobolo that varied quite a bit in weight. One blank to another has been quite different. Some harder to turn than others, and varied grain characteristics. It's possible that my vendor is unknowingly selling some Ipe as Cocobolo... anything is possible I guess. Now I have to throw some scraps into water and test for myself.

I'd say call it "Ipebolo" and charge a premium for the rare exotic wood ;-)

Mark

OK, learned a little more about this mystery wood. Cocobolo and Ipe are both tropical rosewoods and Ipe is sometimes called Ironwood. Desert Ironwood is actually in the Pea family and it is found only in the Sonora Desert of the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. Desert Ironwood is the hardest wood I have ever come across. One cubic foot can actually weigh up to 66 pounds. I found some sources that use this wood for bearings that wear as well as case hardened steel. The stuff I have is definitely Desert Ironwood. I compared numerous sources (carvings, photos, etc.) and I have no doubt of what it is.

Andy Dear, have you ever come across burl Ironwood? I'll send you a link to some photos if you have never seen it. If by the rare chance you actually have some, let me know so I can buy some.

What a fascinating discussion, especially the part about specific gravity. The end result for me is that I definitely need to get some Ipe and desert Ironwood.

Thansk for all the great info. guys!