Any woodworkers here?

[4570Man]

I hope the decoy ducks are not the floating variety as Lignum Vitae has similar buoyancy characteristics as cast iron, for woodworkers it makes great guide blocks in the bandsaw, I have them in mine and they have been in for the past 20 years or so without any problems, if the blade flexes a bit it cuts the timber rather than take off the kerf on the blade.

Not only does it float like a rock it’s expensive. I’ve never seen a piece big enough to carve a duck.

 

[Tractor Seabee]

I my younger day I worked next door to a pattern shop for a large machinery manufacturer/ship repair company in Portland OR. They made the lignum vitae blocks for the ship shaft bearings. They had it in 8' long logs and cut it up in narrow pieces shaped to fit the shaft and the pillow block they set in. Wish I still had a piece of it (to many moves since). The saw cut ends indicate it is wood.
Any body know if LN is still used for ship/boat shaft bearings? I do know the Battle Ships used it. It was also used many years ago for all types of industrial machinery and other shaft ueses before the days of metallic products such as bronze, iron, and steel.


The heaviest woods are measured as #/CF:
Lignum Vitae- 80
Ebony- 50-65
Blue Gum- 50
Hickory- 50
Persimmon- 55
Rosewood- 55
Satinwood-67
Your piece is probably one of those. Like previous posts LV is easy to spot due to its oily resin content.
Get a copy of Beautiful Woods by Frank Paxton Lumber 303 399 6810
I am sure you can get a lot of info on each species on the web.
Today's trivia lesson

Ron

 

[bunyip]

I am surprised that redgum and iron bark are not up there, a lot of the 'boxes' are also dense and hard.
I thought one of the main reasons LV was used was because of its natural oiliness as well as its hardness.
The old Australian paddle steamers that cruised the rivers were made of redgum, when sunk it preserved the timber.

 

[jymbee]

FWIW...hard dense rounds of wood have long been used as pounding blocks...it's likely that at least some of the "stamping" is just a layoff from raised lettering etc. of whatever was being pounded on...

Pounding blocks? Yes, that makes perfect sense given what appears to be just random marks otherwise. I'm not a woodworker by any means but I would think that the overall roughness of this chunk of wood would not lend itself being utilized in some manner for that purpose but as a pounding block it would work well.

 

[jymbee]

Not only does it float like a rock it痴 expensive. I致e never seen a piece big enough to carve a duck.

Heyyyyy... c'mon guys! Next thing you know you'll be telling me all these decoys I'm making from concrete molds won't work either!

 

[Redlands Okie]

I am having a very difficult time resisting the temptation to say it’s obviously a petrified rock, with some cave man drawings on it

 

[jymbee]

I'd like to see some of the inside without the dark patina...
Ebony is probably a good guess...if it is a little browner inside it could be Lignum vitae...
...a lot of experts would go by the smell of a fresh cut for a positive ID...

Any idea how to find such an expert?

I'm at a loss for what to do with this block. Wonder if-- assuming I find out for sure what it is-- whether anyone would be able to find a use for it? Guess that person would have to be local as shipping would cost a ton!

 

[/pine]

Any idea how to find such an expert?

I'm at a loss for what to do with this block. Wonder if-- assuming I find out for sure what it is-- whether anyone would be able to find a use for it? Guess that person would have to be local as shipping would cost a ton!

Anyone that works with exotic woods should know if they have specific experience with the species...smell is a deep rooted (NPI) memory trigger...

one thing that can be done is a specific gravity test...but then you also have to know the moisture content etc...

If there is a knife maker near you they are known for using rare and exotic woods for handles and may offer some knowledge...

Another thing you could do is actually buy some small chunks of suspect woods and compare them (after exposing with a knife, chisel or saw etc...) and do the smell test...

here are a couple of links

Lignum Vitae (Genuine) Exotic Wood & Lignum Vitae (Genuine) Lumber | Bell Forest Products

Specific Gravity of Exotic Wood and Domestic Wood | Bell Forest Products

Good luck...it's an interesting thread...keep us posted...

 

[Tractor Seabee]

I am surprised that redgum and iron bark are not up there, a lot of the 'boxes' are also dense and hard.
I thought one of the main reasons LV was used was because of its natural oiliness as well as its hardness.
The old Australian paddle steamers that cruised the rivers were made of redgum, when sunk it preserved the timber.

Redgum is at 35. Iron Bark is not I the list I was quoting from. That may be a local tree name or something not well known out of your area. No boxes in the the list either. My reference is: Thomas Glovers Pocket Reference. All hardware stores have it. A lot of info in a small book. For me it has been a "must have" item in my tool box.

Ron

 

[PILOON]

Heyyyyy... c'mon guys! Next thing you know you'll be telling me all these decoys I'm making from concrete molds won't work either!

Concrete decoys, LOL.

When I hunted I tired of carving decoy bodies* and resorted to doing the bodies with hi density foam blocks and retained wooden heads.
Boy those foam bodies liked to swim about in the slightest breeze.
I'd shove a chunk of steel in the tail end to retain an even float.

LOL, it is a lot easier to carve foam than wood!

* besides I did not own a bandsaw so axe, knife and sander was real slow.