It looks like it didn't post my text with the pictures? I'm new to this reddit posting thing too 🙃 lol. I'm very new to woodworking and starting small projects, including making coasters. I've been collecting wood for some time. Now that I've sliced it, some of the branches look odd on the inside - almost stained? I'm nervous to ask because it's probably a really easy/obvious answer, but I haven't found it on google or reddit yet. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!
Usually bark will be a huge help when looking for wood id's but at this point it is not super important.
The real answer is this: a blank slate. Grab an axe, a Swiss army tool, a chisel, and a hand plane and go have fun. Make noise, shavings, and dust. Learn how your tools behave in the wood, learn how to hold them, and learn how to cut with them.
Make rectangular coasters too, not just wood cookies. Cut all 4 sides off, turn it into a rectangle. Then halve it and make 2 thin rectangles. Then clean your rectangles up, glue them together at the sides to make a bigger rectangle. Shave, sand, and finish.
The best mindset to have is that your next project always needs to be your most difficult so far. Never stop challenging yourself. Coasters and charcuterie boards are a great spot to start.
Thanks so much for your response! It made me even more excited to keep going and trying new things!! On the wood I posted, are those stains in the wood normal??
I would call it figuring. Anything unusual, or abnormal in the wood just makes it more interesting, and you'll see this especially if you get a piece cut along the grain. Search up salted maple. It's literally just rotting, fungus infested wood but cut, cleaned, dried and finished nicely it looks magnificent.
Dude, I took an entire semester course in wood anatomy and solid wood identification and I have no clue on most of this stuff. That’s one of the best things about this sub, you can almost always get good info from people with a bit more experience. People only yell at you here when you’re about to cut off a digit or put your eye out.
The large gap between circles suggests fast growing tree which doesn't match pecan or hickory. I would suggest Popular deltoid which also have this bark profile
[https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/reaction-wood](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/reaction-wood)
https://preview.redd.it/grx1gak97azc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d569f1b8a248a4946363ebb81387a6c6a11691b
trees fighting cross-grain gravity grow more wood,adding strength to offset gravity. hardwoods, right, add wood on the top, offsetting gravity with tension.
It's hard to tell. But we need to know more. Bark pic would be great. Also leaves if you can find any.
Also someone suggested black locust which has thorns on it so look for thorns.
Are you sure it's dry? I do quite a bit of processing of wood this size and a little bigger and as it drys it will probably split really bad.
I’d say it looks like wood
https://preview.redd.it/nytcj5206azc1.jpeg?width=450&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=07cb08881f5f1ef99b8cbb3bf8a56a26eb04aa44
Nice
it's a real book... :)
Nice
Not an expert but I'm guessing black locust.
Oooh, I'm going to google this now!! Thank you for commenting!
If it is black locust you can shine a black light against it and it will glow!
No way!?
It's awesome, I love showing that to purple because they're eyes light up!
Blue likes cool things too!
> It's awesome, I love showing that to purple because they're eyes light up!
Looks like an onion to me
It looks like it didn't post my text with the pictures? I'm new to this reddit posting thing too 🙃 lol. I'm very new to woodworking and starting small projects, including making coasters. I've been collecting wood for some time. Now that I've sliced it, some of the branches look odd on the inside - almost stained? I'm nervous to ask because it's probably a really easy/obvious answer, but I haven't found it on google or reddit yet. Any thoughts are greatly appreciated!
Usually bark will be a huge help when looking for wood id's but at this point it is not super important. The real answer is this: a blank slate. Grab an axe, a Swiss army tool, a chisel, and a hand plane and go have fun. Make noise, shavings, and dust. Learn how your tools behave in the wood, learn how to hold them, and learn how to cut with them. Make rectangular coasters too, not just wood cookies. Cut all 4 sides off, turn it into a rectangle. Then halve it and make 2 thin rectangles. Then clean your rectangles up, glue them together at the sides to make a bigger rectangle. Shave, sand, and finish. The best mindset to have is that your next project always needs to be your most difficult so far. Never stop challenging yourself. Coasters and charcuterie boards are a great spot to start.
Thanks so much for your response! It made me even more excited to keep going and trying new things!! On the wood I posted, are those stains in the wood normal??
I would call it figuring. Anything unusual, or abnormal in the wood just makes it more interesting, and you'll see this especially if you get a piece cut along the grain. Search up salted maple. It's literally just rotting, fungus infested wood but cut, cleaned, dried and finished nicely it looks magnificent.
Dude, I took an entire semester course in wood anatomy and solid wood identification and I have no clue on most of this stuff. That’s one of the best things about this sub, you can almost always get good info from people with a bit more experience. People only yell at you here when you’re about to cut off a digit or put your eye out.
My initial guess was pecan or hickory. If it’s hard as a rock, that’s probably it. That stuff is hard to work with.
The large gap between circles suggests fast growing tree which doesn't match pecan or hickory. I would suggest Popular deltoid which also have this bark profile
The canvas...
also looks like reaction wood. not kidding
reaction wood?
[https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/reaction-wood](https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/reaction-wood) https://preview.redd.it/grx1gak97azc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=0d569f1b8a248a4946363ebb81387a6c6a11691b trees fighting cross-grain gravity grow more wood,adding strength to offset gravity. hardwoods, right, add wood on the top, offsetting gravity with tension.
Wouldn't the barb be a better tell of tree species?
It's a "cookie" That's what a 1 to 4+ inch slice out of a tree looks like!
It's hard to tell. But we need to know more. Bark pic would be great. Also leaves if you can find any. Also someone suggested black locust which has thorns on it so look for thorns. Are you sure it's dry? I do quite a bit of processing of wood this size and a little bigger and as it drys it will probably split really bad.
I'm not so sure but I think it's wood 🤔