Wood identification help requested.

Steelhog

Steelhog

Joined
Jul 2, 2009
Messages
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Hey I could use your help identifying this wood. This is marked and sold as Lignum Vatae but after working it for a second I'm not sure.

It has that really great perfume smell when I work it, but it's quite soft (perhaps around the hardness and oilyness of bocote wood). It's not nearly as hard as the Osage I just worked and from my understanding Lignum Vatae should be much, much harder. Any ideas.....

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Is that one board?

I only have one knife with what I believe to be lignum..... It's Very spicy smelling.
But mine is kinda boring with grain. Nothing like Yours.

Did you sand off the color?
Mine was green pretty quickly

Mine almost looks like a tighter grained, green oak.
 
Crag the Brewer said:
Is that one board?

I only have one knife with what I believe to be lignum..... It's Very spicy smelling.
But mine is kinda boring with grain. Nothing like Yours.

Did you sand off the color?
Mine was green pretty quickly

Mine almost looks like a tighter grained, green oak.
Click to expand...
Yeah that's just one cut off piece. It has that great smell but it's just really soft....
 
If it's not hard, Idk what to tell you?

Mine feels approx as hard as osage, leopard wood, and ebony.
I think those are my hardest woods in front of me.I


*edit, it's pretty, though
 
Mine looked super dull, and boring compared to Your species....?
Although the slabs were Green before shaping and sanding.... Best smelling wood I've smelt, so far... Seriously fell in love with that

 
It varies in color and grain. Some is rather plain, but still an attractive wood. I find that the good stuff gets left as boards and the less patterned wood gets cut into hobby pieces and turning stock.
I love the boards with the herringbone look.
It is not as hard as true Lignum Vitae, but it works much easier and looks great on knives. Color may darken a bit with time.
I have had it stabilized and it really "POPS" with sanding to 1000 grit and polishing/buffing.

A few years ago, Woodcraft had a stack of boards in the wood racks that had a wonderful herringbone look just like your sample. The boards were 3-5" wide by 1" thick by 5-6 feet long. Some were crooked (curved sideways) a fair bit and would need re-sawing. Some had small splits in the ends. I negotiated a better price based on the "damage" and bought the whole stack. I cut the best pieces into approx. 2" slats, ran them through my friend's sander, and built a park-bench style seat on my deck, using a pair of antique park bench cast iron ends. I used all the extra boards and cut off pieces for knife handles and some other wood projects. Sometimes I wish I had used it all for knives. I watch for when they may get another batch. If they do, I will buy it all and send it to be stabilized.
 
It gets mixed reviews for Cracking.
I really doubt I'd ever use it on a customer order.

That just means, more for Me..... Haha
 
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