What wood is this

[Forrest747]

I know i am asking the impossible here and I really dont have much to go on other than this photo but does anyone have an idea of what wood species of the frame is? I have been asked to do another larger one and its going into a house about 4 hours away and they didnt know what it was make out of

[Mojave Bob]

Can't see the grain very well in the photo, but it looks like it may be maple.

[Fenlason]

My first guess would be pine.

[wagondude]

I'll go out on a limb( ) and guess most likely pine, but maybe poplar.

[S. Heisley]

Looking as closely as I can, and, having worked with the three above named woods, my first guess is poplar because there seems to be little heavily-defined grain and only a couple small knot-like areas. With poplar, you can get pre-cut wood at either the orange or the blue box stores and can pick your pieces so that you have little to no knots. You can use the scraps left from cutting the wood to experiment with stains and finishes to be certain that you can match the coloring of the original item before to work on the new one. Of course, it's really hard to be certain because not only am I a layman but also the picture is small. It could be some sort of foreign wood, as well. If you can find a "made in" label or stamp on the back, that may be telling. Others may chime in as the guessing game is fun.

[Tom Kurth]

Are there cups bored on the backside for hinges? If so, show the bare wood in the cup or if stained in the cup try to remove some of the stain to find the natural color of the wood. If you have bare wood scratch it and smell to determine if it is some kind of conifer. To me the color and the knot look like a stained alder but the grain is unuasually straight. Pine is a possibility because of the appearance of the knot, but this wood has taken the stain much more evenly than typical of pine unless it has been sealed prior to staining. Birch and maple also take stain in blotches (unless pre-treated) and likewise the grain seems straighter than either of those. Gel stain may have accounted for that, but I have no experience with gel stains. Also, the knot is atypical of either birch or maple.

Just on the basis of appearance, I can tell you with some certainty that it is not oak, hickory, beech or walnut and probably not cherry.

Good luck,
Tom

[Tom Kurth]

Oops, forgot about poplar--grain is awfully straight for poplar but I can envision poplar taking a stain like that.

Tom

[Fenlason]

It is my "understanding" that trying to stain poplar will result in a blotchy finish also. I did just read that the poplar wood that is sold at the box stores is actually tulip wood, which I know nothing about.

[Fenlason]

hmm what we call poplar here.. is quaking aspen.

Populus tremuloides vs Liriodendron tulipifera

[dustboy]

My first guess is Maple, but you could use Maple, Poplar or Birch as long as you match the stain color. Without the door in front of you, you will never get a perfect match.

Maple doesn't take stain well, but it's the hardest and machines the best of the bunch. Birch stains okay with a stain controller applied before the stain. Poplar is most typically used for paint-grade work.

[Tom Kurth]

Glenn, the wood commonly used as a secondary wood in the cabinet industry (at least out here in the Midwest) is indeed from the 'tulip' tree, also known as 'tulip poplar.' I think the quaking aspen is often referred to as poplar or 'popple' in a band across the northern US and extending south in the mountain states. Further south 'poplar' is usually the tulip tree, I believe. Lots of local names and frequent variations in the lumber industry. I think its even worse amongst the tropical hardwoods. And yes, (tulip) poplar does tend to blotch when stained. While there are great variations of color in poplar (red, pink, brown, black, white, cream, green and probably others I haven't seen), most of it is a very light green to cream color that when stained with some brown stains ends up a color very close to the sample before us.

Best,
Tom

[Fenlason]

Glenn, the wood commonly used as a secondary wood in the cabinet industry (at least out here in the Midwest) is indeed from the 'tulip' tree, also known as 'tulip poplar.' I think the quaking aspen is often referred to as poplar or 'popple' in a band across the northern US and extending south in the mountain states. Further south 'poplar' is usually the tulip tree, I believe. Lots of local names and frequent variations in the lumber industry. I think its even worse amongst the tropical hardwoods. And yes, (tulip) poplar does tend to blotch when stained. While there are great variations of color in poplar (red, pink, brown, black, white, cream, green and probably others I haven't seen), most of it is a very light green to cream color that when stained with some brown stains ends up a color very close to the sample before us.

Best,
Tom

[halfdome, Danny]

My guess would be Alder for the frame and Birch for the panel.
We made a ton of cabinets in the 70's with that combination.
Alder is too expensive in a veneer panel.
Danny

[Catherine+twins]

Maple was my Grandpa's favorite wood until he used alder to build my loom for me. (The treadles are maple, though, for longevity.) After that, he used alder in most of his projects. (OMG, that's 25 years ago!)

OTOH, I'm looking at the loom right now, and it shows a lot more grain than that frame. Just saying.

BTW, here in the mountain states, Aspen is often labeled as Aspen in the lumber yards. HD has wood bins for both aspen and poplar in nearby towns.

Catherine

[Forrest747]

well i went with pine to make its larger cousin and it turned out great. just a giant magnetic board with a 1x3 frame. Rabbet a slot for the 5mm plywood and steel and then put everything together. It was for a mothers day gift and i am told they are very happy with it and in fact i will have a few more orders im sure. 3 feet by 6 feet.