Ironwood Question

colu41

colu41

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Dec 24, 2014
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So in the area I live im told there is a lot of iron wood. The pieces I have been showed looks nothing like the iron wood I see in the knives here. It has a light tan, pine looking color to it. Where as all the knives I see here with iron wood are very dark and figured. Any clue on why? Or is the wood I've been looking at not iron wood?
Whatever it is Its hard to cut.
 
If I'm not mistaken the wood you see in knife handles is desert iron wood. We have what your finding here in NC. It's good for making shovel handles and what not. I used a piece to make a walking stick. When it drys out it gets even harder. I'm sure someone more knowledgeable will chime in soon but that's what I know.
 
Yes, the iron wood you are referring to is either Horn beam or Hop Horn beam, it was named after the cattle yokes the used to make out it.It's a very hard and heavy tough wood but much different than Desert iron wood.
 
There are about 150-200 species referred to as ironwood. Woods including around 15 types of Eucalyptus, Ipe, Black Locust, Cocobolo, several ironbark species, and plenty of other tropical species. Everyone wants to call their local really hard, really heavy wood ironwood. Given where you are im going to guess you have hornbeam.
There are two woods that are universally known as ironwood, that would be

desert ironwood, which most knife makers are familiar with. its a very hard tree that grows in the California and arizona deserts, down into Baha and northern mexico.

There is also black ironwood, which is commonly known as the heaviest wood on earth, but its not very pretty and doesnt come to market much so its less known.
 
Very different from desert ironwood- D.I. is a legume that grows in the arid Southwest, Michigan hornbeam is closely related to the birches, and its wood is similar, though much more dense.
 
That explains it. Just curious as I have family here with a ton of land. Was going to do some looking for something different to use locally. Sad thing is Its mostly all pine. A little bit further north I'm pretty sure holds a lot of maple.

My brother found this on my aunt's property. Any idea what it is?
4uatjc.jpg
 
Another legitimate type of ironwood that I discovered when I lived in Hawaii, is the Casuarina ironwood tree. Also not typically a very flashy wood, but (you guessed it) extremely hard.
 
I've no idea what type of wood that stump is, but it "looks" like it has many interesting swirls in the grain. Can you cut a slice off to get a better look inside that's not weathered so much? Is it really solid, no big cracks? By cutting a slice off you can get a feel for how dense it is. Even if light it might be a good wood for stabilizing. All those swirls sure look interesting.

Ken H>
 
In the area around Cancun, they make dock pilings out of what they call "ironwood" and it supposedly lasts a LONG time in the marine environment. I have no idea what ti is but it would not be desert ironwood. I am not sure that even bother totally peelng the bark off of the wood they are using because the pilings are pretty gnarled.
 
Ken H> said:
I've no idea what type of wood that stump is, but it "looks" like it has many interesting swirls in the grain. Can you cut a slice off to get a better look inside that's not weathered so much? Is it really solid, no big cracks? By cutting a slice off you can get a feel for how dense it is. Even if light it might be a good wood for stabilizing. All those swirls sure look interesting.

Ken H>
Click to expand...

I could take this thing home if I wanted. Just need to find the time to get out there. I'm definitely interested in seeing whats inside of this....
 
jdm61 said:
In the area around Cancun, they make dock pilings out of what they call "ironwood" and it supposedly lasts a LONG time in the marine environment. I have no idea what ti is but it would not be desert ironwood. I am not sure that even bother totally peelng the bark off of the wood they are using because the pilings are pretty gnarled.
Click to expand...

JM, what you mention might be Ipe. Usually boring but hard and heavy. Gets used to make decks sometimes.
 
Scott Hanson said:
Yes, the iron wood you are referring to is either Horn beam or Hop Horn beam, it was named after the cattle yokes the used to make out it.It's a very hard and heavy tough wood but much different than Desert iron wood.
Click to expand...

Correct. I am in northern Minnesota and Hop Horn Beam is what folks here call ironwood.
It truly is as hard as iron.
 
Hornbeam but a lot of olks call it ironwood around here..Its pronounced "ARNwood" by us Appalachians..:thumbup:
 
Mark, they just take like 6-8 inch thick gnarly logs and pile drive them into the bottom and tie off their boats to them. :D
Burl Source said:
JM, what you mention might be Ipe. Usually boring but hard and heavy. Gets used to make decks sometimes.
Click to expand...
 
I've always been told that a wood is an ironwood if it doesn't float (it's densety is higher as water)
 
Kentucky said:
Hornbeam but a lot of olks call it ironwood around here..Its pronounced "ARNwood" by us Appalachians..:thumbup:
Click to expand...

Well, isn't that what everybody calls it? I do know some folks tend to miss the spelling a bit by using "ironwood", but everybody knows it's really "arnwood", just like you use strang to tie up a package :) (I'm from the foothills of appalachians in north Alabama, but am now living in South Alabama because I don't like cold weather!)
 
Ken H> said:
Well, isn't that what everybody calls it? I do know some folks tend to miss the spelling a bit by using "ironwood", but everybody knows it's really "arnwood", just like you use strang to tie up a package :) (I'm from the foothills of appalachians in north Alabama, but am now living in South Alabama because I don't like cold weather!)
Click to expand...
Mobile is a fur piece from the hills. :p
 
Yea it is a LONG way "home" - about 300 road miles. My working career wound up working 99% of time South of I-10 and I got accustomed to the warm weather. One year we did live in Aberdeen, MS with boat docked on TenTom waterway - during the winter my 9 yr old daughter decided she wanted a swim party for her April 1st birthday party - she had a hard time understanding the water wasn't warm enough by April 1st for swimming - "But we've always swam in water at my birthday" she says. Yea, I wound up retiring South of I-10.... only about 10 mile South, but it's still South :)

Ken H.
 
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