What Kind of Wood is This?

[quicksandfarmer]

Cypress.

 

[ponytug]

Cypress.

Would that be common with beetle or worm holes? (No idea personally, just asking. I hear lots of great things about cypress, but it isn't easy to find out this way...)

All the best,

Peter

 

[Jstpssng]

Doesn't cypress have a distinctive smell, like cedar?

 

[old and tired]

"worm holes" could be powder post beetles...

Agree with the others to show the end grain...

 

[Jstpssng]

"worm holes" could be powder post beetles...

Agree with the others to show the end grain...

He did, hence my previous comment about color of the growth rings. Darned if it hasn't disappeared though.

 

[stuckmotor]

Ash has a course grain structure that’s comparable to oak and it’s also heavy which the op said this isn’t. My bet goes on definitely not ash. That wood is too light in color to make cherry a likely candidate. You could leave it in the sun for a day and see if it rapidly turns more red to help confirm it’s not cherry. Cherry also has a tight smooth grain where this appears to be flakey. I’d say it’s not maple or poplar either because those are also tight smooth grain and not flakey. I guess the sample could be partially rotten that would contribute to it being flakey and make that not a good identifier.

The gray shade made me think the wood might be beginning to rot, also.
My uncle used to talk about "shot borer" holes. I think he meant holes left by powder post beetle larvae.

 

[jyoutz]

How about a soft hardwood species like birch?

 

[dstig1]

I don't see any end grain photos... If you want to take good end grain photos, get a fresh single edge razor blade and use that to peel off a slice of the end grain. You may want to use a saw to get a "decent" surface to start with before the razor blade. If it is too jaggy, the razor won't work well. The hard part will be getting a phone camera to focus that close-up...