Help Identifying "Elephant Wood"

K

Knifemaker.ca

Dealer - Purveyor
Hoping the dogs can help me identify a piece of wood I scored last week. A very old label appears to read "Elephant Tree Hardwood from Mexico - Only serious offer". The only reference I can find to Elephant Tree is a North American tree that doesn't resemble this at all.

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This picture just shows how dark it is sittiing on top of a piece of yellow cedar burl.

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This picture is taken in a brilliant sunbeam. The wood is actually much darker than this, but the bright light hints at the incredible figure within.

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Any guidance on what I have here would be appreciated.

Rob!
 
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Mr.Svinarich said:
Does that label really say Africa? Its really hard to distinguish that, from the photos.
Click to expand...

Good catch - a little work with a magnifying glass and I'm thinking more likely "Mexico". I'll adjust the original post.

Thanks

(.... although a Mexican elephant doesn't get any easier. ) :)
 
looking through my wood book, here are some dark woods that grow in Africa: Rhodesian teak, ovangkol, African mahogany and teak.

ha posted just after you said mexico!
 
I have seen cocobolo this dark after long exposure to UV light - and I guess it will be telling to cut into it. I have never seen this kind of figure in cocobolo though - and I have seen a lot of it. It is very heavy. As for rosewood, there are so many kinds, that.................

The little bit of Ipe I've seen has been lighter in colour and did not darken when exposed to UV.

There is a Sonora desert wood sometimes referred to as Elephant tree but it is supposed to be pretty lightweight. I haven't tried, but I'm pretty sure this would sink in water.

Thanks much for the help. Enjoying the journey.

Rob!
 
Took a small slice off a protrusion. Again this is in bright sunlight. Colour is still actually more like dark chocolate. This little sample is only about 2.5" wide. Deep chattoyance! Could this be ironwood?

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Sinks like a rock in water
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rosewood rosewood rosewood
I mean, I think it is rosewood.
If it had a spicy smell it is rosewood.
If it smelled like old socks then it is ironwood.

If it not have a distinct smell the other possibility would be manzanita burl.
 
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That was my next question, The smell when ground??

I became sensitized to Rosewood so I'm glad I'm not smelling it! Had my chest tighten up and my eyes start watering bad last time I got a whiff of Rosewood. I can still use Ironwood no problem.
 
Thanks Mark, for jumping in. Rosewood is a pretty broad word isn't it? Cocobolo? Indian Rosewood? Brazillian? Bolivian? African Blackwood? That little slice was cut off the bigger block which is about 6 x 6. It wasn't really enough to generate much smell. The first big slice should tell some tales - by smell - and by whether this super dark colour persists deep down. It was the chattoyance that got me thinking maybe ironwood - the dark brown that pops out deep, figured and colourful in a bright sunbeam.

Whatever this piece is, I'm lovin' it so far. :) I'll keep the post going as I dig into it.

Thanks to all. :)
 
When I am thinking Rosewood I meant like Honduras Rosewood.
I have had some darker like this that was from Belize and they just called it rosewood.
If it is any variety of rosewood the smell will be obvious even cutting a small piece.

With all that said if it is from Mexico it is very likely to be ironwood or manzanita.
The end grain photo looks a lot like some of the manzanita burl that we cut here.
Manzanita can range from pink to a dark burgundy brown and will have very good chatoyance.

The rosewood burl from Belize looked like this.
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