# Need help identifying species of this slab



## GravyBones (Apr 20, 2015)

Hey all, I have a really neat slab of wood that is 5 feet by 2 feet and is 7/4

I sanded just a bit and rubbed some 100% Chinese tung oil in it to see the grain. You can tell the spot from the pics where it is darker. I would like to know what species of wood you think it is.

Any help is much appreciated. Also how would you describe this particular slab as to what part of a tree it came from, e.g., a hip where a branch started to shoot out. It is going to be a really nice coffee table once I figure out how and what to make the legs out of. There is a crack in the center that I think you can see in the pics. I am not sure there is any call to do anything about it though. Maybe just leave it.

I will likely not use any non-organic product on this piece to finish it, most likely just tung oil. I don't particularly like the typical polyurethane coating all over the wood that I see a lot of.

Any help will be appreciated, thanks.


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## ric53 (Mar 29, 2014)

It looks like some sort of walnut. It would help what part of the states it came from


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## chrisstef (Mar 3, 2010)

Leaning towards walnut here as well.


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## Kazooman (Jan 20, 2013)

I agree some type of walnut. You can see the grain by sanding a bit and wiping with mineral spirits. The solvent will evaporate completely. I wouldn't wipe an area down with tung oil like that even if that was going to be the final finish. The oil can penetrate pores in the wood and cure (like it is meant to). Then when you go to sand the entire piece that area might act differently leaving a blotch. Hopefully you won't have any problems with that very nice piece of wood.


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## GravyBones (Apr 20, 2015)

I got it in southwest Ohio. Also the part with tung oil is the bottom, out of view. Also there will be no toxins on this like mineral spirits. Thnx for help so far. This will likely take several weeks of tung oil rubs to get it just right. Then the curing phase.


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

It is pecan.

Pecan is a hickory, and hickory is in the walnut family. You will find it very hard.


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## Yonak (Mar 27, 2014)

> It is pecan.
> 
> - WDHLT15


Danny, it doesn't look like any pecan I've seen. How can you tell ?


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## GravyBones (Apr 20, 2015)

It is 5 feet long by 2 feet wide and is 7/4. I paid $20 for it at a garage sale. Do you think it is worth it?

I noticed where the tung oil is that the grain has depth to it and changes reflection when you move around and look at it. It acts like mahogany does..it isn't mahogany, I'm just saying the depth of parts of the grain act like mahogany when you look at certain parts. The reflections change like you can look deep into it.

Great replies so far.


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

Yonak,

Mainly from the color and texture of the heartwood. Pecan heartwood from old trees has a very brown color, sometimes lighter, sometimes much darker. Here are a couple of pieces with the color.


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## MSRiverdog (Mar 3, 2008)

English Walnut.


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

No Sir. Sorry. It is pecan. Although pecan is in the walnut family.


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## Yonak (Mar 27, 2014)




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## Mahdeew (Jul 24, 2013)

Yep. Pecan.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

I can't say it isn't pecan, I've never seen pecan in person but it doesn't look anything like pictures of pecan. It does look like walnut sapwood where they've slabbed it off the outside of the tree.


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

Yeah, whatever! You got one beautiful piece. I am so very jealous.


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## WDHLT15 (Aug 15, 2011)

Thought that I would post this pic of some very nice heart pecan. This one screams to be a little hall table.










I recent sawed some really nice older pecan with a good bit of heartwood. These boards are 9/4 (sawn at 2 3/8" rough). They should plane out to a full 2" once dry.


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## Pono (Mar 10, 2012)

monkeypod here has the same exact look that looks nothing like pecan. That's a crotch section you can see the heart in 2 places where the branches came out


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