Mystery solved

Everyone seems to have a piece of wood in their shop they cannot identify. this one was mine.

I found it in the ditch beside my house, obviously dunnage used to sticker some more expensive wares for transport from some other country. extremely heavy and dense, quite waxy, open grained, green when first cut and oxidizes to black. it also has a unique odor when first cut or planed.

I did a bit of research and thought it was heartwood asian ebony, or maybe cabbagebark.

I made a few mallets out of it, and have a three foot piece leftover.

today i finally identified it as south American partridgewood. a woodworker i know who has been using exotics for 35+ years had a piece to compare it to (the smell was the determining factor)

I had never heard of it before, but from how nice it is to work with hand tools. i can see why it is rare.

the mallets i made from it have held up well to everyday use , and the heft makes it a perfect choice for this.

now i will have to keep my eyes open for another mystery piece.

...oh yeah, the handle is a piece of soft maple, shaped with spokeshave only, attached with through mortise and wedge(no glue).

-- Junior -Quality is never an accident-it is the reward for the effort involved.