What wood is this?

SteveRobinson

I have this piece of wood. It's very dense, about 1 tonne per m³ and has a nice bright tone when tapped. It came in a crate from Indonesia with some garden ornaments.

The piece is 103x7x6cm (or 7x7 excluding this channel) so would make a good number of fingerboards. I've sanded one area and applied some colourless wax to highlight the grain.

Any ideas?

ICBM

Looks like Iroko, probably - it's on the dark/maroon side but the grain figure looks right.

If it is be careful with it, it's one of the woods which can cause an allergic reaction. I once made a bass body out of a piece - it weighed a ton too, but the main problem was that it gave me a rash on my right arm if I played it without a long sleeve on.

SteveRobinson

Yes I think you're right @ICBM ;, probably not what you want as a fret board then!

elstoof

Could also be Teak

Kittyfrisk

I saw the photo & the description & thought 'Iroko'. Came across it in the woodwork & model making departments where I used to work.
Splinters like hell if worked against the grain too but can be CNC'd with care (might still have a piece somewhere).

WezV

There are quite a few things it could be from that pic.  The real question is which of those is likely to be used as packing material in indonesia

ICBM said:

Looks like Iroko, probably - it's on the dark/maroon side but the grain figure looks right.

If it is be careful with it, it's one of the woods which can cause an allergic reaction. I once made a bass body out of a piece - it weighed a ton too, but the main problem was that it gave me a rash on my right arm if I played it without a long sleeve on.

It's the evil spirits

https://www.thorogood.co.uk/the-irokos-indomitable-role-in-african-culture/#:~:text=There are spirits of all,is trapped in the wood.

"Anyone who stands face-to-face with the Iroko-man becomes insane and speedily dies, which is why the tree is so feared. Anyone who tries to cut down the Iroko tree will have terrible misfortune unless they say a prayer afterwards to protect themselves."

SteveRobinson

Would you like it @WezV ? If I keep it it will end up on the wood burner. 

I'll exorcise any remaining spirits first of course.

Sporky

That sounds perfect for making a box for someone you don't like. 

WezV

SteveRobinson said:

Would you like it @WezV ? If I keep it it will end up on the wood burner. 

I'll exorcise any remaining spirits first of course.

Than you.   If it is Iroko, the wood burner may be the best place for it.  I have built a few things with it, but it's rarely a pleasant experience.

I'm not sure it is though, as it is much darker.   My first thought was something like Merbau, which can be darker and comes from the right part of the world.

Sporky said:

That sounds perfect for making a box for someone you don't like. 

I first learned this when asked to make an alter for my gothy wife.   I had a few big planks of Iroko I was trying to ignore, but when she started to look into the spiritual meaning of each species I offered up, it ended up being her choice.

I don't go in for that stuff as much as her, but I do find it interesting to think about how those myths may have developed from the symptoms the woodworks had when using it

SteveRobinson

It does look very much like it
https://www.wood-database.com/merbau/

Kalimna

It also looks very similar to both purpleheart (though that is not often as dark) or partridgewood (though that seems rather unlikely for rarity/cost reasons).
Does it have a particular smell if sanded?

DartmoorHedgehog

So the suggestions are "it might be poisonous" and "snort some of the dust and tell us what happens"  

SteveRobinson

Kalimna said:

Does it have a particular smell if sanded?

Unfortunately not.

Sporky

What's the end grain look like?

I can get my Big Book Of Wood out. 

SteveRobinson

Kalimna

SteveRobinson said:

Kalimna said:

Does it have a particular smell if sanded?

Unfortunately not.

Well I think that makes purpleheart even less likely, as I think it smells strongly of sugary candy floss when sanded. Iroko, apparently has minimal odour - so another vote for that?

Sporky

And another from the end grain. 

ICBM

It does look very like the ends of the bass body I made. If it’s not iroko, I think it must be a closely related species from south-east Asia. (Iroko is African.)