Help identifying this wood cut in Virginia

[torn0016]

Hi,
I am new to this forum and I am in need of some help identifying some wood I cut in Richmond. The tree was half dead when I cut it and it appears to be spalted or have some sort of rot (which has given it some nice color). I was carved a bowl out some of the wood but I was wondering if it was safe to woodwork with this wood? (I don't plan on using it for food). Also, that is the natural color of the bowl, with mineral oil, no stain. Any advice is much appreciated!

  

  

  

  

 

[Magicman]

Welcome to the Forestry Forum, torn0016.  Nice bowl.  8)

Adding your location to your profile will help with future questions, etc.

[WDH]

I think that it is sweetgum. 

[mayor]

Dead standing sassafrass!.   I've got lots of it here.....the bark should be kinda soft and brown.....will scratch off easily.   once dead and water spalted, the worms usually bore holes thru it also!.  It will be fairly light and will put off fine dust in the air with a pleasant smell sorta like perfume.  The solid portion of the wood should cut quite nicely with little splintering.....also, it will sand well if dry.    I'm not 100% sure but I'm 80%.

[curdog]

I was kinda leaning towards sassafras when I looked at the pictures of the bark. I'm not very good at identifying bare wood, but I'm going with sassafras on this one as well.

[WDH]

This wood looks diffuse porous.   Sassafras is ring porous with a very pronounced grain that jumps out at you.  This grain looks very subdued. 

[clww]

Looks like some sweetgum. I'm burning some pieces right now in the fireplace here at The Beach.

[torn0016]

Thanks for the replies! I have compared pictures of sassafras and sweet gum and I think these two are excellent choices. Once the wood is spalted, these two look very similar. I agree with mayor on the post about worm holes and the bark, as these characteristics appear on the wood I have. Therefore I am leaning towards Sassafras, but not 100%. Thanks for narrowing it down to these two, your advice is much appreciated 8) :new_year:

[WDH]

Not to sound like a broken record, but sassafras is ring porous.  The wood in your pic looks to be diffuse porous.  So sassafras is very unlikely  . 

[ADJR]

I agree with WDH . Sassafras has a coarse grain and in my opinion it resembles chestnut in grain and color. Sweet gum is very possible.

[torn0016]

Thanks! I guess that eliminates sassafras haha leaning towards sweetgum now (going to research chestnut and try to compare it also).

[clww]

I don't think you'll see any American native chestnut that big around here.

[WDH]

Chestnut is also ring porous, so it is ruled out.