# Need your help identifying this lumber--WOW



## doubleDD (Oct 21, 2012)

I picked up a few of these logs late last fall last year and came across them yesterday going through the pile. I , for the love of me have no idea what they are. I sliced one on the bandsaw and was amazed at what was going on in there. I then took a piece and rounded it off on the lathe and again the color and grain is amazing.
It seems to be a softer wood but very solid. No cracks where visible in the pieces from last year. When I put some anchor seal on the ends, it started to turn the orange-ish color to a red. The bark has a reddish color and the bark seems to be peeling somewhat.
Any help on this will be well appreciated.

Thanks Dave


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Box Elder maybe?


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## doubleDD (Oct 21, 2012)

Waho6o9, I can at least eliminate box elder since I had one of those cut down on my property last year. That had a lot of white in it. This one has a orange/red color in the wood.


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## waho6o9 (May 6, 2011)

Interesting

Sure is nice looking grain.


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

My 1st thought was some kind of walnut… but, ???

COOL wood for sure!


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## DocSavage45 (Aug 14, 2010)

Dave,

I don't think it's walnut. I also think the color is due to spalting or possible disease? have you checked the data base. No I don't remember how to get there, but You could Google it?

Possibly a fruitwood?


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## doubleDD (Oct 21, 2012)

Wrong kind of bark for walnut Joe. Rule that one out. Besides, I have a few walnut logs. No comparison.

Tom I see some black lines around the grain, that may be some spalting starting. But the color is predominantly orange-ish/red with the sapwood. Never seen anything like it. I have been looking all day on and off and can't find anything close.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

If you were on the west coast (Vancouver Island anyway) I would bet money it was Pacific Yew but I don't think it grows in your area.
The white sapwood, orange heartwood, staining red, peeling bark are all characteristics of Pacific Yew and it just looks like Yew to me. (Please no puns, I've heard them all. )

...... but ….. I would never call it a "softer wood". Fully dried you can't drive a nail into it without drilling first. The nail will bend. Perhaps it is some softer relative?

Out of curiosity, if you wet the heartwood and leave it on a lighter piece will I it stain the lighter piece red?


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## Bob Collins (Apr 25, 2008)

Have no idea Dave, but sent some down under if you like.


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## TopamaxSurvivor (May 2, 2008)

How about NonPacific Yew? ;-) Seriously, Looks like Madrona to me, does it grow there? r


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## UncleStumpy (Jan 26, 2012)

Where did you pick them up last fall?

Some kind of fruit wood?


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## MLWilson (Jun 28, 2015)

The first couple photos, I was all, Carob. But, when I got to the bark and the crosscut, I was all, Haven't a clue.
Tell you what, Dave. Send me a plank, about eight feet long, say, three to four inches thick, and couple feet feet wide. I'll run a test on it, and send it back. Okay? Okay.


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## davegutz (Oct 16, 2012)

Looks to me like the cedar / juniper that is found along the upper Missouri / Yellowstone river. Not much aroma.


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## MontanaBob (Jan 19, 2011)

I have to agree with Dave G.. That piece with the bark looks like Juniper to me..


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## fuigb (Apr 21, 2010)

+1 for cedar or juniper. The odor, when cut, will confirm.


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

Definitely a softwood, not a hardwood. I agree that it is a type of juniper or something closely related.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

I'd say Pacific yew as well, but you're in Illinois. Perhaps it was an ornamental tree?


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## WirelessWoodworker (Dec 17, 2014)

First thought for me was cedar, the sap/heartwood contrast and bark look like that, but that would have been pretty obvious with a whiff of the first cut? The bark also looks a bit like some of the metasequoia trees we have around here, but I don't think the wood from those is like this?


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## Parabola (Dec 31, 2015)

The bark reminds me of eucalyptus. The color clearly seems to be very unique due to spalting/disease/etc…


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## hoss12992 (Mar 20, 2013)

It's cedar. There are different types of cedar. That one looks to have grown in the midst of taller trees and that is why it's not terrible knotty toward the base. Def not juniper. Juniper bark looks a lot like cedar bit the wood will be light in color. I'm gonna guess your log was harvested in the winter months when the sap was down hence with time it has a orangish hue to it. But add moister and it turns red. Hope this helps buddy


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## doubleDD (Oct 21, 2012)

Thanks everyone for the help. I believe I'm on the right track now. Pauls answer to the pacific yew fits it the closest, but it doesn't grow in this area. Unless as bondo said it may be some kind of ornamental yew growing in this area. The juniper makes the most sense as they do grow here ,but pictures and information I looking at again lean toward the yew. After running some errands I'm going to do a little more research. I'll get back soon with what I find out. This is such beautiful lumber that I would like to share it if anyone else ever comes across pieces like this.


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## JoeinGa (Nov 26, 2012)

I dont care what you wanna call it … I call it gorgeous !

*JUST SEND ME A HUNK OF IT !! *


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## ralbuck (Mar 12, 2012)

The ROCKLER people are very good at identity crisis! Ask them-Take a small sample with you!


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## AZWoody (Jan 18, 2015)

Looks a lot like eucalyptus to me.


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## PlaneMaker (Apr 6, 2016)

How about Cherry? Red no cedar smell. Has bark that is dark and peels easily and the light outer wood with darker wood inside.


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## pastahill (Apr 2, 2011)

Here in Germany the common yew look like your wood. from the bark to the color its the same.


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## 7Footer (Jan 24, 2013)

^yeah maybe you got some european yew, that looks spot on….

Like Paul said, it looks a lot like Yew. But yew is hard as a friggin rock even though its considered a softwood… If it is some relative of yew, make sure you check it out on wood database, yew is considered one of the most toxic woods out there… probably why it can be used as fenceposts and will last as long as steel posts. For me, yew was super hard to work with, but I've heard it turns really really well. Try a plane on it and see how stringy it is, the yew I had actually laughed at 3 different planes I tried on it, although back then I hand't learned to properly sharpen yet, they didn't stand a chance.

Looks a lot like Cedar to me, even whats left of the bark, but yea the smell would prove that right away.


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## Forza (Sep 9, 2015)

Also looks like Mesquite, but that would be out of your neck of the woods.


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

*AZWoody...
*
I agree… that bark looks like eucalyptus…


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## doubleDD (Oct 21, 2012)

The picture pastahill posted is a perfect image of what I have.
Playing around with it a bit more I found out it's not as soft as I thought. I tried pounding a finishing nail in it 3 times and while getting it in about half way, the nail bent.

hoss12992 told me in a pm that if it was cut in the late fall it would have less sap in it and the cedar smell would be gone. The only problem is I never seen any type of cedar growing around here. Still keeping an open mind, but cedar is a lot softer than this stuff.

Paul ,(shipwright) told me to take some of the shavings and wet them to see if the color would bleed into the sapwood, and it did within a few hours. Started to give it a brownish hue.

I starting to believe with the help of all the information you guys are giving me that it is some type of yew. I will have to search more to find out if there are some species that will grow in my area. I found these in Putnam county, Il.
The shavings and end grain will turn red when you wet them, but no noticeable change on the face side.


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

The bark is little similar to Birch, but, I have no clue what it might be.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

The picture of the turned piece looks exactly like Pacific Yew. I've used it quite a bit. 
There is always the chance that someone brought some to your area for ornamental or some other purpose and it went native. Stranger things ….. 
Now that you are bending nails in it and dyeing lighter wood with the shavings I'm thinking of upping my bet. .....
..... maybe not Pacific, but Yew of some kind.
The European Yew in pastahill's photo looks much cleaner than our local Pacific Yew. The bark and outer surface on most of ours is very convoluted and turned in on itself in folds. It is difficult to get large clear pieces without bark inclusion.


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## Grumpy (Nov 9, 2007)

Whatever it is it has much potential.


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## Jim Jakosh (Nov 24, 2009)

I remember that bark and I saw it on a cedar tree before it was cut to boards. Does it have the cedar aroma when you cut into it? Usually the cedar I get is not that orange but it depends on what the tree was feeding on I guess..
That would make it softer , too.

Cheers, Jim


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## bearkatwood (Aug 19, 2015)

I am tossed between eucalyptus and juniper. The bark says eucalyptus, but the knots and color say juniper. Smaell will tell you what you need to know.


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## doubleDD (Oct 21, 2012)

After extensive research and thought, looking at pictures, seeing if it is possible to grow in this area I have decided it is in the yew family. A lot of help from LJ's and shipwrights knowledge and working with yew was considered.
I may have given some more thought about it being cedar or juniper but the complete lack of cedar smell and its hardness changed that.
Thanks everyone for your help. I will call it yew. (at least for now)


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

I wood call it Yew wood, wood Yew?
Somebody had to say it…....sorry.


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## doubleDD (Oct 21, 2012)

Now that's a pun, Paul. And you said no puns.


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## shipwright (Sep 27, 2010)

Sorry …... couldn't resist.


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## TannerTurnings (Jun 29, 2014)

I can tell you with almost NO doubt, That is ENGLISH YEW. It's one of my favorite woods to turn, though it is highly toxic, so please take all the precautions for dust, and I wouldn't advise using it for anything that will come in contact with Food or Drink. ENJOY IT…IT'S AMAZING WOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!


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## simmo (Nov 23, 2008)

Just seen this it is yew,taxus taxus,used for longbows ,lots of it growing here in Kent UK, have used limb wood for pepper mills, berries are toxic as is the greenery, classified as a softwood as it is an evergreen,normal precaution for woodworking with it ,needs sharp tools and fine abrasives ,takes an excellent finish,hth
Chris


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## BigYin (Oct 14, 2011)

Can you get Yew trees in the US ??


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Can you get Yew trees in the US ??

Yes, Pacific yew is native in the Pacific North West, US and BC, Canada.


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

I thought we could only get* "Our"* trees in the U.S.! LOL   (kidding!)


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## doubleDD (Oct 21, 2012)

Joe, is it yew tree or our tree. Neither, it's mine. ha ha. Plant it and it will grow. Sounds like that is what somebody did.


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## JoeLyddon (Apr 22, 2007)

*R O F A L M A O *


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## bearkatwood (Aug 19, 2015)

I am glad yew figured it out.


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