Antique Log Desk - What wood is this?

[jbasen]

Hi
I purchased this antique log desk.  Unfortunately, there is one, very visible, spot that needs some restoration.  On one of the logs  a section of the out layer of wood/bark has broken away.  I'd like to repair this by creating a custom fit piece of veneer to glue in place.  But, to do this properly I need to know what species of wood this is.  

I would guess it is hickory but since I live in Idaho and hickory isn't native to this area I wanted to ask people who know much more about identifying wood species than I do.  Sorry that the picture seems to be showing sideways in the post.



 

Thanks in advance for the help

[DonW]

Im familiar with the furniture style from my summers spent in an Idaho cabin. It is most likely a regional production ruling out any notion of hickory you can be sure. Your piece is certainly rectilinear but often odd forms from branches and bent stems were a incorporated. I'd say Lodgepole'd be a good bet.

[jbasen]

Thanks so much @DonW !

We certainly have plenty of lodgepole pine around here and the secondary wood making up the desk is definitely pine.  Also, the logs used in the desk could be pine that has some, but not all, of the bark sanded off.  However, the drawer fronts and top (sorry I didn't include a picture of the top but it looks just like the drawer fronts) have very straight grain that doesn't look like pine at all; at least to me.  The wood also feels much harder than pine to me.  The top for example doesn't show any bumps and dings that you would associate with an old pine desk.  

Thanks again for your help

[jbasen]

After studying the wood in the desk much more closely I think @DonW is right.  I believe that the desk is pine with the exception of the top.  After closely examining the door fronts I realized they were not the same wood as the top of the desk.  I'm going to get some pine logs, sand the bark, and see if I can recreate the look of the log portions of the desk.  Then I can create some veneer to replace the section that needs repair.

Thanks again for the help

[DonW]

It looks like a pretty neat piece anyway. The heavy lacquer finish can make identifying the wood harder. Did you try looking at the inside of the drawer or under side of the desk top?

[jbasen]

Thanks @DonW .  That was what lead me to decide it was pine.  On the left side of the desk is a file folder drawer and I was able to use that to get a good look at the inside of the wood used on the drawer front.  Once I saw that was pine I started looking much more carefully at other pieces and could start making out the grain.  What threw me was that the desk top definitely isn't pine; possibly hickory.  

Fortunately, I just need to identify the logs so I can do the needed restoration of one section.

Thanks again