Is this ironwood??

Dave38

Dave38

theemperorhasnoclotheson
Silver Member
Hello everyone, This is my first post, so please be patient with me. I am a very beginner at cue building and have done repairs for a few years. I have been building a selection of wood over the last year and have just purchased a piece of what is supposed to be desert ironwood burl. I am alittle dubious about it and was wondering if anyone could give an opinion. The reasons for doubts are it is sealed in wax and has a moisture content of 22% I thought dead ironwood had to be 100yrs old for harvest due to diminishing amounts. If that's so...how can it have 22%MC? Also it is a wood that doesn't float, but when I tested (in the good old bathtub) it didn't sink to the bottom, it was about 3/8" below the surface. The dims are 12" x3"x3" and weighs 3lbs 10oz. Please see the attached photos. I tried to show exact color. Any opin. is greatly appreciated.
Dave
diw3b.jpgdiw4.jpg
diw2.jpg
 
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I had trouble attaching pics, but just stumbled into it
 
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I have a piece of Ironwood but its more brown than that. That looks to have an orange color in the pictures. It actually reminds me of a piece of amboyna that I have.

Dave
 
What you have may be some form of Amboyna burl.

Here is a shot of Desert Ironwood.

desertironwood.jpg


Hope this helps.

John
 
Heres a couple ironwood inlay slabs I have. It doesn't look like ironwood to me but then again if its supposed to be burl who knows? Sometimes burl woods look very different.....Hope this helps...........Dave
ironwood.jpg
 
Dave38 said:
Hello everyone, This is my first post, so please be patient with me. I am a very beginner at cue building and have done repairs for a few years. I have been building a selection of wood over the last year and have just purchased a piece of what is supposed to be desert ironwood burl. I am alittle dubious about it and was wondering if anyone could give an opinion. The reasons for doubts are it is sealed in wax and has a moisture content of 22% I thought dead ironwood had to be 100yrs old for harvest due to diminishing amounts. If that's so...how can it have 22%MC? Also it is a wood that doesn't float, but when I tested (in the good old bathtub) it didn't sink to the bottom, it was about 3/8" below the surface. The dims are 12" x3"x3" and weighs 3lbs 10oz. Please see the attached photos. I tried to show exact color. Any opin. is greatly appreciated.
Dave
View attachment 43466View attachment 43468
View attachment 43467
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Hello Dave, that is certainly not anything like the Ironwood I have seen. I also have never heard of Iron wood Burl either. However, I would agree with the poster, it certainly is a burl but what type is hard to say.

Dave, one thing I can tell is that I am not surprised that the piece of wood has a 22% MC. Was this before or after you placed it in water? If it was after I am certain that the MC will most likely be even higher. Dave if I were you I would reconsider place your wood in a sink full of water.

Here are some pictures of Amboyna Burl that I currently have!!!

Burl 1.jpg

burl 2.jpg

Burl 3.jpg

Have a good day!!!
 
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Don't know about burl (?) but I have built a cue or two with desert ironwood harvested in Arizona. It is a warm brown with darker grain with a some slight golden shimmer to it. Its fairly heavy (and would definately be at the bottom of the bath tub) and harder than heck to cut. Your pictures don't look like the wood I have, but that doesn't mean its not a desert ironwood. Did you get the wood from a dealer you know or ?? A good wood supplier is like gold for a cuemaker.
 
I thank you all for the replies. I measured the MC before I put in the bathtub, Also being sealed with wax, I felt it would be okay for a couple of minutes. I got it(ugh) on Ebay,:( so I guess you get what you pay for. He got me with shipping $60. His feedback was very good, but that's not always the truth. I guess it could be worst. It is a nice looking piece. Again I thank you for your assistance. BTW I have always wondered how does wood dry if it's sealed in wax??
Dave B
 
That's definately not DI. It looks real similar to some box elder burl I have. The easiest way to distinguish DI is the smell. If you scrape off the wax on a small area, and then scrape the wood, if it's DI it will have a very strong and unmistakeable odor which some describe as being similar to rotting meat. And the 100 year thing doesn't mean much, it is illegal to havest both here and in Mexico, but that doesn't stop it from being harvested.
 
Wood

A guy I know had some squares of what he called Ironwood. I hit them together and it actually sounded like metal.
 
Well, I tried the scrape and sniff, and no rotted meat smell. I have also had someone else check this and they thought it may ba Mesquite. I have checked the guy's feedback and he has sold quite a bit of this stuff, and everyone seems happy. I have also googled for it and found a few knife companys that had sample pics and they looked close. I guess I'll have to see if CSI Las Vegas can help me. For the future, my motto will be "don't buy if I can't touch"
Thanks for all the help guys
Dave38
 
You have to watch alot of wood peddlers on ebay...$60.00 for s & h is a ripoff...turn it to round to get the wax off...
 
Nice looking piece of wood whatever it is.
You need to get the moisture down before making it into a cue.
Turn it into a round leaving the wax on the ends to help prevent checking.
Toss it on your shelf and check it next year.

Dont rush it ... you have got a nice cue somewhere in that piece of wood.
 
WilleeCue said:
Nice looking piece of wood whatever it is.
You need to get the moisture down before making it into a cue.
Turn it into a round leaving the wax on the ends to help prevent checking.
Toss it on your shelf and check it next year.

Dont rush it ... you have got a nice cue somewhere in that piece of wood.
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I have to agree fully with you on that. I have scraped the mid-section of wax off and was debating quartering it and resealing the ends and put it aside. I shaved an edge off and it is some very hard wood, what ever it is. I am also in the planning process of a small dehumidifier kiln (with assitance of Chris Hightower's book) for small amounts of turning wood. I am expecting delivery of some really nice Maple burl that is green as st patty's day, but I don't want to wait 2-3 years for it to air dry. I thank ya'll again for all the input and ideas.:)
Dave38
 
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