It's not Ash

[Normand Therrien]

Hi
I've just turned a nice piece, but I still wonder what wood it is, usually I'm not bad in wood, I that it was Ash, but friend who give it to me thought it was cherry, but I was still sure it was ash, it's still a hard wood like ash.
But after tuning my peace, and I'm in work on another with the same wood, but the wood is really to dark for the colour, but the end grain looks like ash, but too brown and colourful for that. You'll see without any finish and for the turned one, only shellac.
I'm including photos for my big piece, it's 15 in wide, with brass insertions.

Thanks for your help

Normand

 

[Lou Jacobs]

The end grain looks like locust to me.

Added: a couple of years ago we took a beautiful bike ride on Le P’tit Train du Nord. Through your neck of the woods, I believe. You live in a gorgeous area!

 

[Tim Connell]

Black locust was my first though as well. Do you have a UV light? If locust, (black and honey) it will glow a nice yellow green.

 

[robo hippy]

Black locust for me too. It starts out greenish, and goes amber as it gets air and sun light. Like Tim said, UV light will make it glow. It is very hard!

robo hippy

 

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Yes Black Locust is my thought of it, not Honey Locust, they are not related and Honey Locust is an open grain wood.

 

[Normand Therrien]

I think it's Ash, I remember that I've kept in my pound since day one and the colour change that way.
Not sure we got Black Locust in my region, I'm from Quebec (Montreal)

 

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Here is where Black Locust is known to grow.

I'm not going by the color, but by the grain and look of the wood, Black Locust does also change color when it is out in the light and air (more red).

Anyway it still looks like Black Locust to me

 

[Normand Therrien]

Here is where Black Locust is known to grow.
View attachment 62620
I'm not going by the color, but by the grain and look of the wood, Black Locust does also change color when it is out in the light and air (more red).

Anyway it still looks like Black Locust to me

Thanks, I'll ask my friend where he got it again, I'm not used with this colour on Ash
And thanks for the link

 

[JeffSmith]

Try fuming a piece with ammonia - black locust will react by turning a very dark black/green color for rye spring wood and leaving the other unaffected- it can be a striking look. I’ve never seen it on anything but black locust.

 

[Normand Therrien]

Try fuming a piece with ammonia - black locust will react by turning a very dark black/green color for rye spring wood and leaving the other unaffected- it can be a striking look. I’ve never seen it on anything but black locust.

We can't have ammonia here in Canada, it's ban from here, more in my province.

 

[Brian McCutchon]

Be careful of the cracks in your end grain photo; that looks like ring shake.

 

[Russell Nugent]

We can't have ammonia here in Canada, it's ban from here, more in my province.

Pretty sure you can buy 10% ammonia from many cleaning supply places in canada. Maybe quebec is different though.

 

[Kent Reisdorph]

That end grain looks like elm or hackberry. They have that end grain pattern. I'm not sure what other woods do (no domestic hardwoods that I know of).

Also, it doesn't look like any locust I have around here.

 

[Normand Therrien]

Pretty sure you can buy 10% ammonia from many cleaning supply places in canada. Maybe quebec is different though.

I've tried to find some, what they sell with the name Ammonia is a yellow stuff and even if you try to smell it, you won't fall down, look like a fake smell, and I've bought it to try to give a better colour on Oak, even after a week in a close chamber, the wood never changes colour, not even a little bit.
We are loosing a lot of nice products today.

 

[Alan Weinberg]

I’m in California and had no issue buying 30% anmmonia online from a chemical manufacturer.

 

[Michael Anderson]

If you can’t find ammonia, just use a steel wool and vinegar solution to garner the same type of reaction. All about the tannins.

I don’t believe it is ash though. It has the feather-like grain-pattern I’ve seen most commonly in Black Locust. That’s my guess alongside others.

 

[John A Landis]

If you want to know for sure, and have some extra, you can send a chunk to the USDA Forest Products Lab, and one of their experts will analyze it and give you a written report. Free to US citizens three times per year

Wood Identification | US Forest Service Research and Development

Wood submissions are ONLY accepted from private US citizens, with an annual limit of three (3) specimens per household.SpecimensSize: 1x3x6 inchesSmaller specimens may limit our ability to provide an identification.Type: Specimens must be wood. We will NOT identify charcoal specimens or...

www.fs.usda.gov

 

[Lou Jacobs]

The OP is in Canada. I wonder, (if he’s not American) if the Canadian government has a similar service. As an alternative, send a sample to Leo Van Der Loo. He’s usually spot on!

Edited to add: By the way, the Forest Products Lab only identifies as far as genus, not species.

 

[Bob Uhle]

Grain does not look like ash to me. The interlocking grain looks a lot like elm, but overallbdoea not look like either red elm or cedar elm I have turned. Attached pics are cedar elm

 

[John A Landis]

The OP is in Canada. I wonder, (if he’s not American) if the Canadian government has a similar service. As an alternative, send a sample to Leo Van Der Loo. He’s usually spot on!

Edited to add: By the way, the Forest Products Lab only identifies as far as genus, not species.

That's true, Lou, but often that's enough. I recently used the service and here is the report. Note the quick turnaround:

 

[Lou Jacobs]

John, I’ve also had experience sending them a couple of samples. One was a South American tropical wood and I was thrilled to get an answer that I never would have figured out on my own.

 

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I did find a picture of a smaller dish/plate I turned in 2004 from some Black Locust.
The color of the wood is bit darker, as it has PTO on it, and probably sat for a few days/weeks before I made the picture.

You can compare the piece with what the OP has posted .