Hello, and How Do I Identify Wood?

[seiler]

Hi, everyone. I've whittled hiking sticks for a while, and even sold them professionally. (I admit, I have mostly not carved sticks. When I came south as far as Kentucky, I learned the distinction.)

I pride myself in identifying the type of wood for each stick. I'm fairly good at identifying hickory, oak, maple, beech, birch, pine, rosewood, and willow - once I've peeled the stick. I'd like to be better. And I still find some woods that stump me.

I've tried some references. But they seem to assume either (1) the tree is still living so I can look at its leaves, or (2) the tree has been made into furniture and I have a microscope.

Can you recommend a good reference of wood identification for stick carvers?

[Claude]

Hi, Seiler, and welcome to the forums.

Here are several references:

Dendrology at Virginia Tech
What Tree Is It? HOME
History of Forestry - The American Woods: exhibited by actual specimens and with copious explanatory text by Romeyn B. Hough
Wood Types
Welcome to the PLANTS Database | USDA PLANTS

Claude

[seiler]

Thanks, Claude. I've got a lot of homework to do - but that's exactly what I asked for.

8{D>

(that would be *my* smiley)

[Riverman]

Hi Scott, welcome to the group!
Bob

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

welcome to the forum.

Dave

[Ron T]

Hello and welcome, Scott. It's nice to have you here with us. I'm a stick carver and boy am I glad you asked the question.

Claude, thanks for the answer.

[Jim50KY]

Stick carver my self, consider "creap myrtle" 4th or fith year growth will yield 1.5-2" dia staff. Stand on end to dry produces a staff that is flexable under heavy pressure.

[seiler]

Of these references I found "Dendrology at Virginia Tech" the most helpful. However, its ID tool asks me lots of questions about the leaves and practically none about the branches or bark.

[Howard Lobb]

Hello Scott. Welcome. This may sound off the wall but here goes... I have had the same issue finding the species can take a lot of effort mostly time... So I just let it go. I keep carving and in the back of my head the question remains then low and behold I find another piece and remember the first one this time if I'm lucky I have some bark or leaves to go by eventually I find the answer. Right now I have a piece that is very hard and white wood and it is heavy, that has a bark that is grey and black and has a diamond pattern simular to maple. yet it is much harder wood then the western red maple and we don't have eastern rock maple or sugar maple her but it has some of the features of a maple. I cut it out of a burn pile left by the forestry. they had stacked up maple, alder, cottonwood, red cedar, fir, balsam, and spruce. when they left. The log was long and the end I got was about 8'' diameter at the top. I took a crotch piece about 4ft long. It was a hot day and the piece started splitting almost as soon as it hit the ground, by the time I got it home it had split end to end within a couple of hours, snappin crackling and popping like rice krispies. one wide crack end to end. I split it through with the froe. It settled down and I carved a cracker tray out of one half. Still have no idea what wood it is. So I'm taking the other half up to the forestry office and ask them.... H

[Donsexton]

Good question, I have a chunk of wood I am carving now. Some of my men tell me its teak and some say no its a word in hindi I cant pronounce. It does smell a little like sandal wood.