# Wood Identification Challenge



## wunderaa (May 15, 2012)

I took this tree down from my brother's north Houston yard after it died. It was a fairly young tree, being about 8" dia. at the trunk. I'm interested in making something sentimental for him from the wood and I'm curious what I've got here.

You can see the heart wood is dark with light sapwood. The sapwood has rays that veer in different directions and the heartwood seems fairly straight-grained. There were quite a few worms going to work inside. While cutting it, it smelled a bit like maple. It is quite hard, but cut easily on the bandsaw while milling.

IDEAS???


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## Dal300 (Aug 4, 2011)

Bur oak.


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## DaddyZ (Jan 28, 2010)

Persimmon

http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/persimmon.htm


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## wunderaa (May 15, 2012)

after cleaning up one of these pieces with a handplane, I'm leaning toward some sort of oak, due to the quarter-sawn appearance of the sapwood. But the dark wood in the center? I'm not familiar with that…


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## Mip (Sep 16, 2012)

I agree with DaddyZ after looking at the website he posted in his comment, looks like persimmon to me. It could be a new sycamore-ebony hybrid I've been reading about, yeah, right. Anyway, that lumber will make some stunning projects.


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## DaddyZ (Jan 28, 2010)

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f26/permission-persimmon-7886/

More Pics, Google Persimmon Lumber Pics

also could be Blackjack Oak with the ray flecks, around the base of the tree were there Nuts or Fruits ?

Bark Looks about the same


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## wunderaa (May 15, 2012)

DaddyZ, that last link is interesting for sure. I cannot recall seeing any nuts/fruits around the tree. Sure would've been nice to have taken a couple of pictures of the dead leaves…darn!


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## richardwootton (Jan 17, 2013)

I'm thinking it's live oak judging from the grain and bark. Persimmon's bark looks different than what I'm seeing in these pictures. Also live oak is very abundant in the area where the tree was cut.


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

It is one of the red oaks. It died from hypoxylon canker.

http://texasforestservice.tamu.edu/main/article.aspx?id=16442


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## gfadvm (Jan 13, 2011)

Dallas- That looks fairly similar to the live oak you sent me???


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## Grandpa (Jan 28, 2011)

Water oak is in that area also. I am not saying this is water oak because I have only seen it with leaves on it. I am saying it grows in the area. Blackjack that we grow in oklahoma is red when you cut into it like that. More than red oak.


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## shampeon (Jun 3, 2012)

If it were persimmon, that wood would be HARD. Persimmon is an ebony.


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

Hypoxlyon canker is murder on drought stricken red oaks.


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## wunderaa (May 15, 2012)

wow, HUD8212A managed to nail the mode of death it appears. reading the link leaves little doubt about that.


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

The pattern on the bark is distinctive. Who is HUD8212A ?


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## wunderaa (May 15, 2012)

that's very odd. HUD8212A appears when I copy and paste your name, WDHLT15. 
Crazy phone…


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