# Can you name this wood ??



## plantman (May 24, 2014)

Pen blank is from a common wood and is naturaly a bright yellow. No dyes, just a clear finish.   Jim  S


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## Woodkiller (May 24, 2014)

I would think Osage orange or yellow heart.


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## Band Saw Box (May 24, 2014)

I'm going to say Osage orange.


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## bruce119 (May 24, 2014)

yea I was going to say Osage Orange also... 

With a little help of color enhancement the gold has a little too much yellow...


Nice looking pen...
.


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## mikespenturningz (May 24, 2014)

Osage or yellow heart?


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## BayouPenturner (May 24, 2014)

Osage Orange


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## SDB777 (May 24, 2014)

Where did you get that 'Yellowheart'?


I've only seen the 'lighter' white-ish colored stuff.







Scott (little too much processing) B


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## SteveJ (May 24, 2014)

I think I would name it Cassandra in honor of my grand daughter born two days ago...

But you might not have been looking for a new name for the wood...


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## plantman (May 24, 2014)

bruce119 said:


> yea I was going to say Osage Orange also...
> 
> With a little help of color enhancement the gold has a little too much yellow...
> 
> ...


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## tseger (May 24, 2014)

could be sap wood from a chinaberry tree, i dont know the scientific name for the species, all the the folks around here call it is chinaberry.


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## plantman (May 24, 2014)

tseger said:


> could be sap wood from a chinaberry tree, i dont know the scientific name for the species, all the the folks around here call it is chinaberry.



Tim; you are close. It is not sapwood and the vibrant yellow starts just under the bark and runs all the way through the wood. It originaly comes from Japan, but is found all over the world and has several names.   Jim  S


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## tseger (May 24, 2014)

plantman said:


> tseger said:
> 
> 
> > could be sap wood from a chinaberry tree, i dont know the scientific name for the species, all the the folks around here call it is chinaberry.
> ...



From my experience, you better enjoy it now, cause it wont hold that bright yellow color very long


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## alankulwicki7 (May 24, 2014)

Chinese Elm?


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## sbwertz (May 24, 2014)

Not Chinese elm.  I turn that all the time and the wood isn't yellow.


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## jj9ball (May 24, 2014)

I'm going with Mulberry


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## sbwertz (May 24, 2014)

Is it_ Cladrastis kentukea, also called a Kentucky Yellowwood Tree?_


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## Edgar (May 24, 2014)

Mulberry was my guess too


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## plantman (May 24, 2014)

One more hint. In the United States it is mostly trimmed down and used for landscape plantings, it's leaves are dark cherry red in summer and turns to gold in fall. In other parts of the world it is used for hedge rows.   Jim  S


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## 1080Wayne (May 24, 2014)

I would have said caragana , but for the leaf colour .


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## walshjp17 (May 24, 2014)

Boxwood?


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## rhall_8 (May 24, 2014)

Smoke tree?


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## Holz Mechaniker (May 24, 2014)

Brazilian Satin Wood,
AKA Yellow Heart.


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## Holz Mechaniker (May 24, 2014)

plantman said:


> One more hint. In the United States it is mostly trimmed down and used for landscape plantings, it's leaves are dark cherry red in summer and turns to gold in fall. In other parts of the world it is used for hedge rows.   Jim  S


Sumac!! or Hedge Apple aka Osage orange but I never seen one with red leaves so I am thinking sumac.... I am ever so sensitive to that I hate so see how I would react to the Poisonous variety.


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## Cmiles1985 (May 24, 2014)

Hibiscus? That doesn't really fit the leaf description though


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## plantman (May 24, 2014)

sbwertz said:


> Is it_ Cladrastis kentukea, also called a Kentucky Yellowwood Tree?_



No Sharon it is not. Nor is it a Boxwood, but it does retain red berrys in the Winter..   Jim  S


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## plantman (May 24, 2014)

I don't know if this will help, but, a tree is considered any plant with a permanently woody trunk and branches. A shrub is a woody plant smaller than a tree usualy having permanent stems. Now to confuse you a little more, a Bonsai, that may only be 8 inches tall, is classified as a tree or shrub that has been dwarfed by pruning. It's not a Bonsai.   Jim  S


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## 1080Wayne (May 25, 2014)

Photinia


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## Ogg (May 25, 2014)

Could it possibly be Elaeagnus umbellata?


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## wood4fun (May 25, 2014)

juniper sap wood?


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## walshjp17 (May 25, 2014)

Some form of _ilex_?


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## rholiday (May 25, 2014)

Barberry.


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## skiprat (May 25, 2014)

Wow, that certainly is bright. I know nothing about wood, but it reminds me of a blank/pen Curtis posted ages ago....could it have been some sort of cactus or locust wood?

I think Curtis used Algarita....?


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## plantman (May 25, 2014)

rholiday said:


> Barberry.



BINGO!!!!! Berberis thumbergi 'atropurpureum or Japanese Red Barberry also known as Thuberg's Barberry or Red Barberry. Last week I was pulling out a hedgerow of these that had gotten about 6 feet tall and were out of control. I noticed as I removed them that anywhere the chain rubbed off the bark there was a very bright yellow underneath. I removed anything that was large nough to make a pen blank with and put them in the shop to dry. The color goes all the way through the blank. I know someone raised the question as to if the bright color would stay or faid. I turned the blank to size about 3 weeks ago, let it dry for two days, and Finished it with thick CA. My wife has been using it since it left the shop. I looked it over again today, and it is still as bright as ever. Time will tell. Thanks for all the guesses, I know it was a tough one, in all my years of woodworking and collecting wood, I have never seen such a vibrant yellow naturly in a wood. Boxwood would be the closest I have seen. Again thanks for your answers.  Jim  S


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## fantasticalwoodworks (May 26, 2014)

is it grape fruit wood ?


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## harveysoriginals (May 26, 2014)

I was first exposed to Osage Orange a few weeks ago at a freedom pen turn a thon and that does look like that wood!  I have a hunk of yellowheart here in my shop and think it looks like that too!  Shavings and saw dust are canary yellow from both!  Beautiful wood and even better work!


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## plantman (Jul 11, 2014)

tseger said:


> plantman said:
> 
> 
> > tseger said:
> ...



Tim; My wife has carried and used the pen for almost 2 months now with no change in color as of yet. Hope it stays that way.    Jim  S


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## SDB777 (Jul 12, 2014)

Since the photo is over processed(too much saturation), it could be a piece of Lollobby Pine.....and since you already know what it is, why bother?  It's not even fun.



Scott (show an un-touched up photo) B


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## plantman (Jul 12, 2014)

SDB777 said:


> Since the photo is over processed(too much saturation), it could be a piece of Lollobby Pine.....and since you already know what it is, why bother?  It's not even fun.
> 
> 
> 
> Scott (show an un-touched up photo) B



Scott; Thank you for your consern. I am not a photo expert by any means. I try to match my background color as close as I can. Next I hold my pen up to the PC in order to match the true color. In this case I couldn't get the stunning yellow of the wood to match without washing it out. ( saturation). How many threads have you read where the poster isn't sure what the wood is. Without touching, seeing, cutting, or smelling it, the rest of us are only guessing also. The object of the thread was twofold. To show people what lies just outside your door step that you would never think of making a pen out of. Also the unexpected amazing yellow color of the Red Barberry. Second reason was to get members involved in the site. The pen had 1,273 looks and 36 replys. Only one person guessed what the wood was, but now quite a few know what it is and that it can be used to make a beautiful pen. It's main purpose was not to be fun, although I enjoyed the people's guesses, it was ment to inlighten and educate people about their surroundings and what can be used to make a stunning looking pen. I highly respect your work, comments, and conserns !!! Be Well !  Jim  S


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