What Kind of Wood Is This?
- Thread starter DEGAMO88
- Start date
It does not look like Wenge to me. It is not black enough if the color is accurate, and the vessels are not large enough for it to be Wenge.
There is a wood species or two that has been used as a substitute for Wenge when Wenge was difficult to acquire. Maybe it is one of those.
Identifying a wood species in a cue from a pic in my opinion is tough. It could really be a lot of different woods, but to me it looks like a wood called Massaranduba, or maybe Sapodilla, or maybe Brazilian Cherry.
I will go out to the shop later to compare the pic to those 3.
Kelly
There is a wood species or two that has been used as a substitute for Wenge when Wenge was difficult to acquire. Maybe it is one of those.
Identifying a wood species in a cue from a pic in my opinion is tough. It could really be a lot of different woods, but to me it looks like a wood called Massaranduba, or maybe Sapodilla, or maybe Brazilian Cherry.
I will go out to the shop later to compare the pic to those 3.
Kelly
Howdy,
I think Kelly hit on it when he said Brazilian Cherry, also known as Jatoba. It's a heavy, dense wood that is very stable. Not real flashy as I've yet to see a piece with any figure. Very straight grain.
I have used it from time to time under the wrap of maple cues to put some wght. in the area of your hand rather than load the butt-end with steel. It machines nicely. KJ
I think Kelly hit on it when he said Brazilian Cherry, also known as Jatoba. It's a heavy, dense wood that is very stable. Not real flashy as I've yet to see a piece with any figure. Very straight grain.
I have used it from time to time under the wrap of maple cues to put some wght. in the area of your hand rather than load the butt-end with steel. It machines nicely. KJ
KJ Cues said:
I have some curly brazilian cherry point stock size. It looks slightly different than my rounds, so it could possibly be a lesser seen species of it. Can send you a pic if you want.
The massaranduba I mentioned I know has been used in house cues in the past. Rather cheap wood for cue stock. I heave heard of it used for decking, no need to pressure treat it. It is also called Brazilian redwood.
I agree with you that Brazilian cherry is probably the culprit, but all 3 I mentioned are very close in appearance and in taxonomy I believe, and come from the same area.
Kelly
I'm curious to know also, because I have a dowel of what's supposed to be Brazilian cherry in My hand, and although It looks close in color, the grain pattern looks a little different. I agree that It's hard to tell from a picture, due to the difference in lighting and such. I have taken pictures of woods and the colors were different, and in some cases the pictures even changed the grain characteristics. I have another dowel here in hand with grain patterns almost identical to the above picture, but the color is a little different, and a hair darker grain, without the golden coloring. Still don't have a positive ID on that species. It's grain is close to Wenge, not as dark, but not as light as the cue above either. Black palm also has a pattern close, but the grain is way, way, darker.
Greg
Greg
woods...
This is not Jatoba for sure !
It looks a lot like Red Palm...
Best regards,
Tom Penrose
This is not Jatoba for sure !
It looks a lot like Red Palm...
Best regards,
Tom Penrose
After taking the laptop out to the shop and comparing it to the stock I have, I must confess it does not look very close to Brazilian Cherry. I compared the pic to stock from 3 different sources.
I would also scratch the other 2 species I mentioned.
The color striping in terms of contrast and pattern is very much like Wenge that I have. I mentioned the vessels were not large enough. They may not show up in the picture because of the finish that is applied. I do not have any finished Wenge to see if the large vessels are less noticeable after being finished. I also mentioned there is not enough black in the pic. That could just be lighting.
Panga-panga is sold as a substitue (and is in the same genus I believe) to Wenge, and from pics is a little more brown than black.
My best guess now is:
1. It is panga-panga. Not quite exactly wenge, but so close it is often sold as Wenge.
2. It is Wenge, and the pic makes the wood look a little lighter than I would have thought, with the large vessels of Wenge not showing in the pic.
I respectfully disagree with Tom, it does not look very much like palmwood to me, though I can see how one would think that.
Kelly
I would also scratch the other 2 species I mentioned.
The color striping in terms of contrast and pattern is very much like Wenge that I have. I mentioned the vessels were not large enough. They may not show up in the picture because of the finish that is applied. I do not have any finished Wenge to see if the large vessels are less noticeable after being finished. I also mentioned there is not enough black in the pic. That could just be lighting.
Panga-panga is sold as a substitue (and is in the same genus I believe) to Wenge, and from pics is a little more brown than black.
My best guess now is:
1. It is panga-panga. Not quite exactly wenge, but so close it is often sold as Wenge.
2. It is Wenge, and the pic makes the wood look a little lighter than I would have thought, with the large vessels of Wenge not showing in the pic.
I respectfully disagree with Tom, it does not look very much like palmwood to me, though I can see how one would think that.
Kelly
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rhncue said:
Look very closely at red palm. The background color of red palm is lighter than the grain striping and flecks. In this pic, it is the opposite, the background color of the wood is darker than the grain striping. Also, in red palm, in between the lining, there are individual little dots/specks. They are not there in this pic. The density of off color lining in this pic is much higher than in red palm. There are larger gaps between the lines in red palm where those individual specks reside.
Kelly
I'm leaning towards red palm myself...
J&J loves their red and black palm...I wouldn't say it's overly cheap though...bell said:
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Since all of you are in agreement, can someone post a pic of red palm from a reputable wood source that has lighter graining/vessels on a darker background? I have not seen one, and genuinely would like to see.
Bell Forest, Exotic Wood Group, and Gilmer have pictures of red palm, and they all exhibit darker graining/vessels on a lighter background, the exact opposite of the picture of the sleeve in question.
It "looks" like palm, but the devil is in the details.
Kelly
Bell Forest, Exotic Wood Group, and Gilmer have pictures of red palm, and they all exhibit darker graining/vessels on a lighter background, the exact opposite of the picture of the sleeve in question.
It "looks" like palm, but the devil is in the details.
Kelly
Kelly_Guy said:
Kelly,
Your better at IDing woods then I for sure, altough the grain looks like a palm wood to me also, but the key point I agggree with you on, the grain does look lighter in color in that picture, so I really don't know. There are quite a few different woods with simular features, and who knows how much a picture could change those features anyhow. I could'nt say for sure one way or the other what It is.
Alot of help We all are Here huh? Probably just confusing the poor guy even more. 
Greg
Cue Crazy said:Kelly,
Alot of help We all are Here huh? Probably just confusing the poor guy even more.
Greg
To the point someone has posted a Zyler Wenge sneaky for sale on here, and someone has questioned him whether it is palmwood. Maybe a coincidence?
Kelly
Kelly_Guy said:
Do You remember that piece I had that looks like wenge. Well I know it was another type, cause I actually had some wenge in that same batch back when I got them in a lot together, altough they were close, the wenge btw was closer in color to the one in this thread then the other piece I speak of. The only ID I had on that piece was a piece of masking tape wrapped around It that said Guata in marker, but something had been added in pencil that can no longer be read well, cause It has faded. The grain does look the same on that piece, but It does not have that honey color or the light grain like the piece pictured. The color in the piece pictured looks like the B Cherry to me, but the grain pattern is throwing me off, and away from that, and I see more of a palm or wenge type pattern. I know the grain pattern is alittle wider on one then the other, but then the picture is magnified also, so I really don't have a clue what It is LOL.
BTW that Piece I mentioned Is one of those pics We discussed, and the pattern looks totally different in the picture from what It does in person.