what do I have here ??? (a lesson in identifying a hardwood.)**Solved-Hickory**

[SwampDonkey]

I don't think its sweetgum.

Sweetgum isn't ring porous, but diffuse with non visible pores of uniform size across the ring like hard maple and dogwood.

[WDH]

Sweetgum is definitely warpy  .

[SwampDonkey]

American elm is to, I blame it on the interlock grain. I've never seen one elm board lay flat. That being said, my living room is elm paneling.

[WDH]

I have about had it with interlocked grain wood  >:(.  I have sawn hackberry, sweetgum, and sycamore that looked gorgeous off the saw but ended up with major losses due to warp and twist.  That is too much work for such poor results.  Like was posted earlier, that stuff can warp up in a circle  .  I made a project out of sycamore and two out of sweetgum.  All three ended up with warp and twist that ruined the pieces.  That stuff just hates to be glued to another board.  I guess they are like identical poles on a magnet, they just repell each other.  That stuff must be perfectly dry, or it will move once you plane it.

Now, I have used hackberry and sycamore successfully as drawer sides where you were only using a single board.  But, my experience has been very poor with any type of glued up panel.  However, I would give it a try as paneling in a room where each board is free to move of its own accord.

There is a reason that interlocked grain domestic wood is mainly used for pallets.

[SwampDonkey]

:D :D I'm hearing ya.

This paneling I'm talking about is veneered like plywood.

[woodtrader]

good posts,
thx for sharing