# Blanks from Unknown Wood



## Troutlet (Jun 14, 2016)

Can anyone identify this wood?  My wife found it at the dump the other day.  It has an odor that is not really pleasant but not awful.  We live in the Southwest in a community called Las Cruces in southern New Mexico.

Thanks for any help.

Kirby Benson


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## Krash (Jun 14, 2016)

Hey Kirby,

I live in Albuquerque. I have a chitalpa, a cross between a catalpa and a desert willow,  in my front yard and that looks a lot like what I trim off. It is very fast growing which is why the grain/rings are so wide. It can have some purple and yellow streaks in it also. I have some at home that I cut up to try making a pen out of. 

Have fun wit da stinky wood!


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## Troutlet (Jun 14, 2016)

Kelly...Thanks.  I take it that you have not actually tried it yet.  The blanks are pretty fresh so I will have to wait awhile to try it out.  I don't know why it won't work.  It looks close to Holly.

Kirby


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## robutacion (Jun 14, 2016)

Yeah, I was going for some sort of Willow, fresh cut wood markings and bark match some of the Willow I have.  

As for the colour after dry, it will darken slightly, sometimes considerably when starts spalting but in general is a light weight wood with great strength capabilities one of the reasons some of the most famous violin makers used it for the instrument frame construction...!

It will dry fast, also...!

Cheers
George


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## 79spitfire (Jun 16, 2016)

Looks like a Texas Willow/Desert Willow branch. I have one of those in the front yard


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