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275587 Frank Filippone <bmwred735i@g...> 2022‑05‑16 Re: Wood ID help needed
There are a bunch of clues..... especially given the provenance and pictures.  I
believe the piece is NOT veneered.  Solid wood.

At first glance I thought Chechen.... a wood more used in veneering, but rarely
used as a solid wood.

It is Italian, maybe, but probably European..... indicates European wood.
Slightly to lots different than American lumber.

The pix shows a medium, light brown to gray wood.

The wood is quarter sawn.

The wood is open pore.

The object is 80 100 years old.  Built in the period of 1920-1940 maybe.

There is a knot showing..... really important

The object does not show signs of being waxed nor oiled reasonably often, if at
all.  WYSIWYG

I can not tell, but I am going to assume this is not a piece of fine museum
quality furniture.  This is household furniture for a middle class family?

What I can get from this:

At first it might appear to be Beech..... but the grain type is wrong. Beech
does age to this type of bland grey color.... if it is dirty.

I thought of Mahogany, but it just does not look like Mahogany... and there is
no red component to the piece....

Italians used a lot of walnut in their furniture.  European walnut which is
lighter in color than the dark black walnut we are more familiar with.

Walnut LIGHTENS with exposure to light, air, and disuse.  The environment
bleaches out the color.

Walnut is an open pore wood.

The KNOT looks like it is walnut.  Dark swirly patterning.  Those swirls hide
the original color within them....

I am betting on European Walnut..... French or Italian Walnut Lumber is
available time to time.  It may be a good match.....

See: https://www.gilmerwood.com/ He does not list any today, but a email may
elicit a response......

or Hearne Hardwoods has some at least for color and grain comparison....

https://store.hearnehardwoods.com/?filter_species=walnut-european

Frank Filippone
BMWRed735i@G...

Recent Bios FAQ