# Name That Blank! (Caution: lengthy, lots of pics)



## JDPens (Apr 1, 2007)

I have had a box of unidentified blanks that has been sitting around for the past two months and decided to take care of it.
Numerically listed below are pictures of the different blank(s). If you know or have an idea as to what the blanks are, please post your answers with the corresponding number(s)
Thanks, and have fun!

1.






2.





3.





4.





5.









6.





7.





8.





9.





10.





11.





12.





Thank you very much for your help. Sorry about such big pictures for those of you with slower machines, but I wanted to ensure enough detail for the accurate representation of the blanks. Thanks again!


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## Dario (Apr 1, 2007)

3. Afzelia
5. cocobolo?
8. Ash?
10. Mesquite?
11. cocobolo
12. Ebony?


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## wudnhed (Apr 1, 2007)

The color on 5 looks like Bubinga to me Dario, could be my monitor tho.  I think your right on with the others.  Is 2 spalted oak or spalted maple?


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## JimGo (Apr 1, 2007)

I agree with Dario on most, except #'s 5 and 8.  On #5, I agree with Becca.  #'s 2 and 7 look to me like spalted Maple, and #8 looks like curly maple, possibly from near a burl.  Though I agree that #12 is likely to be Ebony, it may also be a very nice example of African Blackwood.


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## scrapwood (Apr 1, 2007)

My votes:
#2  spalted maple
#6  cherry
#7  spalted maple
#10 mesquite
#11 cocobolo
#12 african blackwood


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## alamocdc (Apr 2, 2007)

Here's my best shot:
#1 Zebrawood (I have some that looks just like it)
#2 looks exactly like some of my spalted Beech
#3 is Mesquite (curly at that)
#4 could be spalted Boxelder
#5 looks like a rosewood (Kingwood in particular... especially in the first photo. The glare in the second makes it hard to tell)
#6 Not sure[?]
#7 spalted Maple
#8 curly Maple
#9 Cherry crotch
#10 Mesquite
#11 Cocobolo
#12 The browns in it make it look more like African Blackwood than Ebony to me. And like Jim said, if it is AB, that's a mighty fine piece. None of mine has been that dark.


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## cd18524 (Apr 2, 2007)

1. marblewood
2. spalted beech
3. mesquite
4. mango
6. maple
10. mesquite
11. cocobolo
12. ebony


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## jaywood1207 (Apr 2, 2007)

#6 is cherry.


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## leehljp (Apr 2, 2007)

I agree with Dario on # 3 - Afzalia. With the curley grain going across the top and down the side - that is very characteristic of Afzalia Xlay.


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## ilikewood (Apr 2, 2007)

#3- Afzelia...have alot just like it.


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## saltwein (Apr 2, 2007)

7,8 & 9 look lilke cherry to me. No. 1 marble? No. 4 spalted maple or beech?

Regards, Steve


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## bobskio2003 (Apr 2, 2007)

1.  I doubt it's marblewood or zebrawood as the black streaking appears to have an open grain but I'm not sure what it could be.  It's possible to be cherry as the color of the wood is right and here in the northeast we get a fair amount of cherry with those black lines running through it.
2.  Could be either spalted maple or beech or any number of other spalted woods.
3.  I, too, believe it's afzelia
4.  Don't know
5.  Rosewood of some sort.  It appears too red for either cocobolo or bubinga.  It's hard to tell from the photo but if you've had it for a while and you weren't collecting expensive woods back then, then I'd guess East Indian Rosewood
6-9.  I think they are all cherry (although 8 maybe curly Maple but it's hard to tell from the photo)
10. Another can't guess
11. Cocobolo
12. Ebony

Too bad you don't know the answers as this could have been a good contest.  Bob I.


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## woodbutcher (Apr 2, 2007)

The three in picture 7 look a lot like BOW.


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## chigdon (Apr 2, 2007)

Here is my try:

1-
2-Spalted Maple
3-Afzelia Xlay
4-Spalted Pecan? - maybe beech (the lighter color on the top blank) -- maybe even Tamarind?
5-maybe Walnut
6-Cherry
7-Maple Burl
8-Curly Pynma?
9-Cherry
10-Mesquite
11-Cocobolo
12-Blackwood or Ebony (glare is hard to see)


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## mrcook4570 (Apr 2, 2007)

1.  Zebrawood (but not real sure)
2.  Beautiful
3.  Afzelia
4.  Mesquite
5.  Burmese Rosewood
6.  Cherry
7.  BOW
8.  Curly Maple
9.  Cherry ?
10. Mesquite
11. Cocobolo
12. African Blackwood


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## GaryMGg (Apr 2, 2007)

For your consideration:

2. could be spalted sweetgum or maple
3. curly mesquite
5. looks like rosewood
6. cherry
7. could be olivewood (if it's smells great you'll know) or it could be a spalted wood like 2; can't tell from pics if that's spalting or not. If not, probably olivewood.
9. curly cherry near a burl or even quartersawn magnolia (hard to tell the color on my laptop is kinda washed out).
10. mesquite
11. cocobolo

Nice selection for pen-making. Enjoy,

Gary


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## workinforwood (Apr 3, 2007)

My thoughts on this...

1 zebrawood
2 spalted maple
3 afzelia
4 tough one...looks like a spalted pecan or spalted hickory, maybe it could also just be more spalted cherry...looks like it was under a pile of firewood in the dirt

5 a rosewood knockoff 
6 cherry, no doubt
7 spalted cherry
8 curly maple
9 curly cherry ...you have lots of cherry
10 mesquite
11 cocobolo...or small chance could be kingwood
12 blackwood or ebony, but not pure black gaboon ebony


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## GaryMGg (Apr 3, 2007)

#4 looks like the Screwbean mesquite shown here 
http://www.thepenshop.net/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=5460&PN=1
Gary


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## low_48 (Apr 3, 2007)

Well, some of those came from me. Here are the ones I sold you, I think these are the only ones I sent of the batch;
1. ash-  This stuff had a spalt or stain in the early growth.
2. hard maple- This was from an area of lightning strike and was spalted
4. spalted elm
6. cherry
7. soft maple? This one I'm not sure about.


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## ChrisinOR (Apr 5, 2007)

Being the lumber guy at Rockler, I'm "supposed" to know these things. Well I don't know about that, but here's my guesses and why..

1. Zebra or Poplar with mineral deposits. Dificult to tell without it having it in my hand.
2. Spalted maple
3. Afzelia or curly bubinga. The lighting is making it difficult to tell.
4. Spalted beech or spalted Sappelle Mahogany. I'm leaning more towards Sappelle Mahogany.
5. This looks like Paduak that has lost it's color. Notice how open cell the grain is. Signature paduak...
6. Cherry
7. Cherry with heavy mineral deposites, possibly in a croth piece.
8. Curly Anigre. 
9. Cherry
10. Mesquite or maybe even a species of African Mahogany. When AF mahogany is cut into pen blanks it quite often will have a fuzzy texture.
11. Cocobolo
12. African Blackwood. It looks really oily. Too oily and black to be ebony.

Those are my guesses...

Chris Nilluka


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## Dario (Apr 5, 2007)

Josh,

You are probably more confused now than before you posted [)][}] LOL


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## oldtoolsniper (Apr 6, 2007)

Each was once a living tree. []Hope that helps! [^]


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## huntersilver (Apr 6, 2007)

1. Spalted Tamarin
2.Spalted Maple
3. Afzelia
5.Walnut
11. Bicote
12. Ebony

those are my guesses


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## JDPens (Apr 7, 2007)

Alright y'all, let's see what of this information can be compiled and decided upon.

<b>Consensus:</b>

1.  ASH
2.  SPALTED MAPLE
3.  AFZELIA
4.  ?
5.  ROSEWOOD
6.  CHERRY
7.  ?
8.  ?
9.  CHERRY [Curly, Crotch, Burl, or combination of the 3]
10. MESQUITE
11. COCOBOLO
12. EBONY

<b>Now to focus on the three left:</b>

4. 
<b>Image Insert:</b><br />

<br /> 

   Spalted Pecan = 2 votes
   Spalted Beech = 2 votes
   Spalted Boxelder
   Spalted Hickory
   Spalted Cherry
   Spalted Elm
   Spalted Sappelle Mahogany
   Mango
   Tamarind
   Mesquite
   Screwbean Mesquite

7. 
<b>Image Insert:</b><br />

<br /> 

   Spalted Maple = 5 votes
  <s> Bethlehem OW  = 2 votes </s>
   Spalted Beech
   Maple Burl
   Cherry with mineral deposits (crotch?)

8. 
<b>Image Insert:</b><br />

<br /> 

   Curly Maple (burl?) = 4 votes
   Cherry              = 2 votes
   Ash (?)
   Curly Pynma
   Curly Anigre

_____________________________________________________________________
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If everyone could try to agree on what the three woods above are, that would be great. Otherwise, the majority vote rules.

Thank you for everyone's help.


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## mrcook4570 (Apr 7, 2007)

Here's a quick way to either confirm or eliminate one of the choices from #7 - scratch & sniff - olivewood has a very distinct odor.


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## alamocdc (Apr 7, 2007)

Josh, #4 looks nothing like my spalted Beech except for the mottling. All of the spalt lines are soild, not broken. I'm not saying it couldn't be Beech, it just doesn't look anything like what I have or have seen. But all of my Beech experience come from one 2' diameter tree. Some of my spalted Pecan and some of my spalted Boxelder has broekn spalt lines like that, but Pecan is much harder (even when spalted). Numbers 7 & 8 look exactly like much of my spalted and curly hard Maple. FWIW


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## ChrisinOR (Apr 7, 2007)

Hm...

#4 ... Pecan and Hickory are nearly identical. Infact a lot of lumber yards will sell Pecan as Hickory and visa-versa. I'm still sticking with Spalted Sappelle Mahogany. Last year at the store we had some for sale and it looked identical. (that ought to start an argument...)

#7 ... I'm stickin' with Cherry crotch.

#8 ... I'm sticking with Curly Anigre. Angire looks similar to maple except it's a little softer and the color has a little bit of a more amber tone to it. If it is the lighting that is making the wood this color then I would say Figured Maple.


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## jaywood1207 (Apr 7, 2007)

I say cherry for 7 and 8.  You can tell cherry by the smell as well if you know what cherry smells like.[)]


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## low_48 (Apr 8, 2007)

> _Originally posted by low_48_
> <br />Well, some of those came from me. Here are the ones I sold you, I think these are the only ones I sent of the batch;
> 1. ash-  This stuff had a spalt or stain in the early growth.
> 2. hard maple- This was from an area of lightning strike and was spalted
> ...



I guess you guys didn't believe me? Not much more that I can say[]


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## workinforwood (Apr 8, 2007)

I have pecan that looks alot like that #4, although mine isn't all moldy and dirty.  I'd definitely go with the pecan/hickory on that.
I'm sticking with Cherry on #7.  I'd almost bet my John Deere on that!
The last one has so many possibilities it's rediculous...I have several woods in the shop that look just like it...Curly sycamore being another possibility.


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## denoto (Apr 8, 2007)

#4 not sure.
#7 looks like some spalted maple I had.
#8 differently looks like curly maple to me. I use that wood alot.


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## terrymiller (Apr 9, 2007)

Did any of these come from the freedom pen gathering at woodcraft .  If so I can answer what they probably are since some of the stuff came from my stock.


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## JDPens (Apr 11, 2007)

Sorry to bump the post, but I wanted to answer the last several posts.
To all of you who helped with the identification of the various blanks, thanks!

<b>With the final input, we are going to go with the following:</b>

4. Spalted Elm
7. either Spalted Maple or Spalted Cherry
8. Curly Maple

Thanks again for all y'all's help!! []

BTW, Mr. Miller, none of these are from the FPP. We were able to identify all of those.
thanks just the same.


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