Toward the end of the set of 73 bowl blanks that I have been working my through, I came across two unknown woods that had lost their labels over time. Both bowls turned out quite nicely even if I don’t know exactly what the woods are.
The first unknown I thought might be Hormigo but once I started to turn the piece I knew it couldn’t be due to the smell of the wood which was unpleasantly reminiscent of vinegar, but bad vinegar. Thankfully, the wood is lovely with lots of dark streaks in a reddish background and note the very small areas of sapwood on the rim, both sides, which is also spalted. For what it is worth, the wood cut quite cleanly and required very little sanding effort. I am reasonably certain that the wood is Latin American in origin. I would welcome any opinions or ideas about what the wood might be.
Unknown #1
The second unknown to my eye most closely resembles Dalmata but I can’t be certain in that identification. This wood had a pleasant odor when turned but not a strong one nor did it smell like Hormigo at all. Again, the wood cut easily and cleanly and I didn’t have to expend a lot of time and energy in sanding. It is a lovely reddish brown with dark brown streaks and it is those streaks that make me think of Dalmata, but it cut so easily and cleanly that it defies my experience of Dalmata. Again, ideas and suggestions about possible identities are very welcome.
Unknown #2
All cuts were made using the Easy Wood Tool system on my Robust American Beauty lathe. Forward chucking was in a Nova Chuck, while reverse chucking was done using a Nova Chuck with Cole Jaws. Sanding was with Gold and Green Wave sanding discs and Abranet from Packard Woodworks. Final finish is Shellawax.
As always, I wish all my readers a great experience in whatever your wood working interests happen to be and to those who like working with lathes especially, do a good turn today!