Mahogany CNC machine pallet wood???

[GearDrive]

My work bought a CNC machine that came from China. It came on a wood pallet that I took home. The timbers are about 6x8 x 28 feet long. I built a wood shed with some of them so I could get a 27' foot opening for storing/drying timbers for a post and beam cabin. the wood is not soft and a little hard to nail. It has a reddish brown color, and I don't know what it is. The closest search came up with mahogany. Seams odd to me. 

 

 

  

[nativewolf]

@longtime lurker @teakwood @tule peak timber @Stuart Caruk 

Thought I'd bring this to some tropical woods guys attention.  

[olcowhand]

Could be Jelutong, but it looks a little dark......
Did it have HT Stamps on it? All wood Packaging these days are required to meet the ISPM 15 spec. If it has a stamp, you may be able to determine the origin....
Steve

[DelawhereJoe]

According to "The wood data base" Jeluton is softer then tulip poplar so putting a nail in it wouldn't be a problem whatsoever. Just about as hard as eastern white pine.

[DelawhereJoe]

Balau.....?

[Don P]

The genus shorea contains a number of mahogany like trees, balau is one but there are over a hundred. We used to get hardware from china on some nice looking pallets. One of the guys built a nice basement bar from the wood.

[longtime lurker]

Chinese buy logs everywhere so it could be a lot of things.

How heavy, compared with white oak?

If it's a lot heavier, I'd be saying Spotted Gum. Colours right and from what I can see of the end grain its got the right look to it. Any gum vein anywhere would be another indicator.

If its about the same as white oak probably Kwila/Merabu out if PNG or Indonesia.

But my gut says Spotty. If it is it'll be there after your house beams rot away.

[longtime lurker]

If its Spotty it should go about 570lb, based on those dimensions at 12% MC.

As mentioned a gum vein would be a tell, also a possible citrusy smell... There's a few species grouped under Spotted Gum but around here the one we get is Lemon Scented Gum - Corymbia citriodora - and it looks just like it. It's the major commercial timber species in this state (/Queensland)