I have an 1891 row house in Brooklyn. One of my newel post finials is
missing. But neighbors with identical houses still have theirs. So a friend
of mine that is adept with a lathe has offered to make me a new one. We
have photographed and measured it. But what is the wood? A fellow that I
once was going to hire to make it said white oak. Then my friend thought it
was Douglas fir. But a friend of his that comes from Eastern Canada says it
is definitely yellow pine, and pointed out several features that are
inconsistent with Douglas fir. Now the only pine in my house is the floors.
And the wainscoting near the finial is oak. My friend says oak is easier to
turn. What do you guys think it is? [Warning, this was not reduced in size,
so it is 441MB.]

http://donwiss.com/finial.jpg

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

"Don Wiss" wrote in message
...
I have an 1891 row house in Brooklyn. One of my newel post finials is
missing. But neighbors with identical houses still have theirs. So a
friend
of mine that is adept with a lathe has offered to make me a new one. We
have photographed and measured it. But what is the wood?

I vote for oak, but I'm not 100% sure. You may want to post this on
rec.woodworking for more information.

post this on alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking. IF you can get a close up of
a spot that is chipped or has the stain removed that would help.



"Don Wiss" wrote in message
...
I have an 1891 row house in Brooklyn. One of my newel post finials is
missing. But neighbors with identical houses still have theirs. So a
friend
of mine that is adept with a lathe has offered to make me a new one. We
have photographed and measured it. But what is the wood? A fellow that I
once was going to hire to make it said white oak. Then my friend thought
it
was Douglas fir. But a friend of his that comes from Eastern Canada says
it
is definitely yellow pine, and pointed out several features that are
inconsistent with Douglas fir. Now the only pine in my house is the
floors.
And the wainscoting near the finial is oak. My friend says oak is easier
to
turn. What do you guys think it is? [Warning, this was not reduced in
size,
so it is 441MB.]

http://donwiss.com/finial.jpg

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

Another hint you can give us is to tell us how hard the wood is. Take a ball
point pen and apply some light pressure and let us know if it leaves a mark.
The pine and fir will be soft.



"HotRod" wrote in message
...
post this on alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking. IF you can get a close up
of a spot that is chipped or has the stain removed that would help.



"Don Wiss" wrote in message
...
I have an 1891 row house in Brooklyn. One of my newel post finials is
missing. But neighbors with identical houses still have theirs. So a
friend
of mine that is adept with a lathe has offered to make me a new one. We
have photographed and measured it. But what is the wood? A fellow that I
once was going to hire to make it said white oak. Then my friend thought
it
was Douglas fir. But a friend of his that comes from Eastern Canada says
it
is definitely yellow pine, and pointed out several features that are
inconsistent with Douglas fir. Now the only pine in my house is the
floors.
And the wainscoting near the finial is oak. My friend says oak is easier
to
turn. What do you guys think it is? [Warning, this was not reduced in
size,
so it is 441MB.]

http://donwiss.com/finial.jpg

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

On Wed, 14 Feb 2007 15:02:39 -0500, Don Wiss
wrote:

I have an 1891 row house in Brooklyn. One of my newel post finials is
missing. But neighbors with identical houses still have theirs. So a friend
of mine that is adept with a lathe has offered to make me a new one. We
have photographed and measured it. But what is the wood? A fellow that I
once was going to hire to make it said white oak. Then my friend thought it
was Douglas fir. But a friend of his that comes from Eastern Canada says it
is definitely yellow pine, and pointed out several features that are
inconsistent with Douglas fir. Now the only pine in my house is the floors.
And the wainscoting near the finial is oak. My friend says oak is easier to
turn. What do you guys think it is? [Warning, this was not reduced in size,
so it is 441MB.]

http://donwiss.com/finial.jpg

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).


just the finial, not the whole post?
The finial is PROBABLY the same wood as the rest
of the post. Drill into that, in a spot
where the new finial will cover it.
You should be able to decide if it's
pine/fir by smelling the sawdust.
Actually, if you can find a spot
that's not finished, you might be
able to heat it with a blowdrier enough
to smell.

On Feb 14, 2:24 pm, "Edwin Pawlowski" wrote:
"Don Wiss" wrote in message

...

.....

We have photographed and measured it. But what is the wood?

I vote for oak, but I'm not 100% sure. ...

I vote for oak, too. Specifically, it's white oak, and I'm virtually
100% sure
The visible grain is conclusive imo.

Don Wiss wrote:
I have an 1891 row house in Brooklyn. One of my newel post finials is
missing. But neighbors with identical houses still have theirs. So a friend
of mine that is adept with a lathe has offered to make me a new one. We
have photographed and measured it. But what is the wood? A fellow that I
once was going to hire to make it said white oak. Then my friend thought it
was Douglas fir. But a friend of his that comes from Eastern Canada says it
is definitely yellow pine, and pointed out several features that are
inconsistent with Douglas fir. Now the only pine in my house is the floors.
And the wainscoting near the finial is oak. My friend says oak is easier to
turn. What do you guys think it is? [Warning, this was not reduced in size,
so it is 441MB.]

http://donwiss.com/finial.jpg

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

The wood certainly looks like oak. If I had to guess, without the
photo, I would have guessed yellow pine. Yellow pine was harder in the
old days and wood moldings often faux painted. I have no clue how
machining oak would go, but that is a beauty. That black gunk is
probably old wax mixed with dirt and might come off with mineral
spirits, which can dull the wood.

In article .com, "dpb" wrote:
On Feb 14, 2:24 pm, "Edwin Pawlowski" wrote:
"Don Wiss" wrote in message

...

.....

We have photographed and measured it. But what is the wood?

I vote for oak, but I'm not 100% sure. ...

I vote for oak, too. Specifically, it's white oak, and I'm virtually
100% sure

You're virtually 100% mistaken, too. That absolutely is not oak of any sort,
especially not white oak. The photograph shows vertical grain, which in any
oak, would show significant ray flakes -- which are particularly prominent in
white oak, and utterly absent in the photograph.

The visible grain is conclusive imo.

You're right, the visible grain *is* conclusive -- it conclusively shows it's
*not* oak.

It's white *ash*.

Ash is frequently mistaken for oak, particularly when stained. You're not the
first person to make that error, and you won't be the last, either. The two
are very, very similar in grain -- except for the prominent rays that are
unmistakeable in oak, and non-existent in ash.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

In article , Don Wiss wrote:
I have an 1891 row house in Brooklyn. One of my newel post finials is
missing. But neighbors with identical houses still have theirs. So a friend
of mine that is adept with a lathe has offered to make me a new one. We
have photographed and measured it. But what is the wood? A fellow that I
once was going to hire to make it said white oak. Then my friend thought it
was Douglas fir. But a friend of his that comes from Eastern Canada says it
is definitely yellow pine, and pointed out several features that are
inconsistent with Douglas fir. Now the only pine in my house is the floors.
And the wainscoting near the finial is oak. My friend says oak is easier to
turn. What do you guys think it is? [Warning, this was not reduced in size,
so it is 441MB.]

http://donwiss.com/finial.jpg

They're all wrong. It's ash.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

With that porous grain, it certainly is NOT any pine nor fir. I cannot see
any rays so I would have to agree that it probably is ash. Today's wood will
not have that tight grain seen in the photo, must have been some virgin
forest that it was cut from in 1891, weren't they all virgin forests back
then? .

"Doug Miller" wrote in message
. net...
In article , Don Wiss
wrote:
I have an 1891 row house in Brooklyn. One of my newel post finials is
missing. But neighbors with identical houses still have theirs. So a
friend
of mine that is adept with a lathe has offered to make me a new one. We
have photographed and measured it. But what is the wood? A fellow that I
once was going to hire to make it said white oak. Then my friend thought
it
was Douglas fir. But a friend of his that comes from Eastern Canada says
it
is definitely yellow pine, and pointed out several features that are
inconsistent with Douglas fir. Now the only pine in my house is the
floors.
And the wainscoting near the finial is oak. My friend says oak is easier
to
turn. What do you guys think it is? [Warning, this was not reduced in
size,
so it is 441MB.]

http://donwiss.com/finial.jpg

They're all wrong. It's ash.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

On Wed, 14 Feb 2007 15:39:53 -0500, "HotRod" wrote:

Another hint you can give us is to tell us how hard the wood is. Take a ball
point pen and apply some light pressure and let us know if it leaves a mark.
The pine and fir will be soft.

The problem is the pictured finial is not in my house. It would be an
imposition on my neighbors to go over yet again to check the hardness.

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

On Wed, 14 Feb 2007 20:24:28 GMT, Edwin Pawlowski wrote:

I vote for oak, but I'm not 100% sure. You may want to post this on
rec.woodworking for more information.

Thanks. I wasn't aware such a group existed. Probably because I do no
woodworking myself and would not have thought to look for it.

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

On Wed, 14 Feb 2007 23:07:37 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:

In article , Don Wiss wrote:
I have an 1891 row house in Brooklyn. One of my newel post finials is
missing. But neighbors with identical houses still have theirs. So a friend
of mine that is adept with a lathe has offered to make me a new one. We
have photographed and measured it. But what is the wood? A fellow that I
once was going to hire to make it said white oak. Then my friend thought it
was Douglas fir. But a friend of his that comes from Eastern Canada says it
is definitely yellow pine, and pointed out several features that are
inconsistent with Douglas fir. Now the only pine in my house is the floors.
And the wainscoting near the finial is oak. My friend says oak is easier to
turn. What do you guys think it is? [Warning, this was not reduced in size,
so it is 441MB.]

http://donwiss.com/finial.jpg

They're all wrong. It's ash.

Ash is in the realm of most likely, but theirs no definative answer
without a sample in hand. Even an old growth softwood can be rock hard
over the years and present similar grain patterns. Having said that
turn an ash, hemlock or white oak and match the stain. A furniture
restoring place can proffesionally age it too, to match.

Regards
Dale

HotRod wrote:
Another hint you can give us is to tell us how hard the wood is. Take a ball
point pen and apply some light pressure and let us know if it leaves a mark.
The pine and fir will be soft.



That's a new one .. how many pounds of pressure to dent oak as compared
to pine and fir? The photo is definitely oak, not pine. Makes me want
to go antiqes shopping )

EXT wrote:

With that porous grain, it certainly is NOT any pine nor fir. I cannot see
any rays so I would have to agree that it probably is ash. Today's wood will
not have that tight grain seen in the photo, must have been some virgin
forest that it was cut from in 1891, weren't they all virgin forests back
then? .

Not much left then, but there was some. Virgin forests went before coal
was mined large scale.

In article . net, Norminn wrote:
HotRod wrote:
Another hint you can give us is to tell us how hard the wood is. Take a ball
point pen and apply some light pressure and let us know if it leaves a mark.
The pine and fir will be soft.

That's a new one .. how many pounds of pressure to dent oak as compared
to pine and fir? The photo is definitely oak, not pine. Makes me want
to go antiqes shopping )

It certainly isn't pine or fir, but it also absolutely _is_not_ oak. Oak has
very prominent, unmistakeable rays that are clearly visible in vertical
(quartersawn) grain -- and completely absent in that photograph.

It's ash.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

European Beech Northern Red Oak Silver Maple Rock Maple White Oak
Bend Strength 16245 psi 14050 psi 8900 psi 15800 psi 15200 psi

Max. Crushing Strength 3850 psi 3665 psi 2490 psi 4020 psi 3560 psi

Impact Strength 45 inches 50 inches 25 inches 39 inches 37 inches

Stiffness 1958 1000 psi 1755 1000 psi 1140 1000 psi 1830 1000 psi 1780
1000 psi

Work to Max Load 17inch-lbs/in3 15inch-lbs/in3 8inch-lbs/in3
16inch-lbs/in3 15inch-lbs/in3

Hrdness 1400 lbs 1290 lbs 700 lbs 1450 lbs 1360 lbs

Shearing Strength 2024 psi 1780 psi 1480 psi 2330 psi 2000 psi

In article , "HotRod" wrote:
European Beech Northern Red Oak Silver Maple Rock Maple White Oak
Bend Strength 16245 psi 14050 psi 8900 psi 15800 psi 15200 psi

And this is relevant exactly how?

The sample under discussion is unquestionably not *any* of those woods.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Don Wiss wrote:

From the variety of answers it would seem that it doesn't matter what kind
of wood it is inasmuch as no one can definitively tell.

In article , "HeyBub" wrote:
Don Wiss wrote:

From the variety of answers it would seem that it doesn't matter what kind
of wood it is inasmuch as no one can definitively tell.

Speak for yourself. I can. It's ash.

Ash is frequently mistaken for oak, as this thread clearly illustrates. But
oak has unmistakable ray flakes plainly visible in quartersawn grain. The
absence of this figure is absolute proof that the wood in Don's photograph is
unquestionably *not* oak.

It's ash.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Doug Miller wrote:
In article .com,
"dpb" wrote:
On Feb 14, 2:24 pm, "Edwin Pawlowski" wrote:
"Don Wiss" wrote in message

...

.....

We have photographed and measured it. But what is the wood?

I vote for oak, but I'm not 100% sure. ...

I vote for oak, too. Specifically, it's white oak, and I'm
virtually 100% sure

You're virtually 100% mistaken, too. That absolutely is not oak of
any sort,
especially not white oak. The photograph shows vertical grain,
which in any
oak, would show significant ray flakes ...
snip

Except, of course in rift sawn oak. Which is (IMO) what this
is...rift sawn white oak.

--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

Doug Miller wrote:
In article , "HeyBub"
wrote:
Don Wiss wrote:

From the variety of answers it would seem that it doesn't matter
what kind of wood it is inasmuch as no one can definitively tell.

Speak for yourself. I can. It's ash.

Ash is frequently mistaken for oak, as this thread clearly
illustrates. But
oak has unmistakable ray flakes plainly visible in quartersawn
grain. The
absence of this figure is absolute proof that the wood in Don's
photograph is unquestionably *not* oak.

No, it is not proof of any such thing. See previous reply above.



--

dadiOH
____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06...
....a help file of info about MP3s, recording from
LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that.
Get it at http://mysite.verizon.net/xico

In article X96Bh.5122$TG6.1540@trnddc06, "dadiOH" wrote:
Doug Miller wrote:
In article .com,
"dpb" wrote:
On Feb 14, 2:24 pm, "Edwin Pawlowski" wrote:
"Don Wiss" wrote in message

...

.....

We have photographed and measured it. But what is the wood?

I vote for oak, but I'm not 100% sure. ...

I vote for oak, too. Specifically, it's white oak, and I'm
virtually 100% sure

You're virtually 100% mistaken, too. That absolutely is not oak of
any sort,
especially not white oak. The photograph shows vertical grain,
which in any
oak, would show significant ray flakes ...
snip

Except, of course in rift sawn oak. Which is (IMO) what this
is...rift sawn white oak.

Hellooooo.... it's a *round* object, which exposes *all* aspects of the grain.
Rift-sawn grain is visible at the left of the photo -- but look at the right
side of the photo, where the grain is perfectly vertical, perfectly
quartersawn. If it were white oak, or any other kind of oak, there would be
rays visible there.

There aren't. Therefore, that is *not* oak.

You're not the first person to mistake ash for oak, and you won't be the last,
either -- but mistake it you did.


--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

In article wd6Bh.5138$TG6.4629@trnddc06, "dadiOH" wrote:
Doug Miller wrote:
In article , "HeyBub"
wrote:
Don Wiss wrote:

From the variety of answers it would seem that it doesn't matter
what kind of wood it is inasmuch as no one can definitively tell.

Speak for yourself. I can. It's ash.

Ash is frequently mistaken for oak, as this thread clearly
illustrates. But
oak has unmistakable ray flakes plainly visible in quartersawn
grain. The
absence of this figure is absolute proof that the wood in Don's
photograph is unquestionably *not* oak.

No, it is not proof of any such thing. See previous reply above.

It absolutely is. There is perfectly vertical quartersawn grain visible at the
right of the photo -- grain which would plainly display ray flake if it were
oak. It doesn't. That isn't oak.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

"Doug Miller" wrote in message

I vote for oak, but I'm not 100% sure. ...

There aren't. Therefore, that is *not* oak.


After a review and careful consideration, I'm changing my mind. Ash seems
to be very likely.

On Wed, 14 Feb 2007 15:02:39 -0500, Don Wiss
wrote:
I have an 1891 row house in Brooklyn. One of my newel post finials is
missing. But neighbors with identical houses still have theirs. So a friend
of mine that is adept with a lathe has offered to make me a new one. We
have photographed and measured it. But what is the wood?

Hey, fellow Brooklyn row house owner!

It looks like white oak to me, which is pretty ubiquitous in Brooklyn
row houses built around this time. My house was built between 1901
and 1906, depending on what reference source you use, and the two
lumber types used here were white oak and poplar.

White oak isn't easy to come by in the yards around here but
Rosenzweig in the Bronx has it. Because this wood was typically
stained dark you could probably use red oak without anyone being the
wiser.

---
Steve Manes
http://www.brooklynrowhouse.com

On Feb 14, 3:02 pm, Don Wiss wrote:
I have an 1891 row house in Brooklyn. One of my newel post finials is
missing. But neighbors with identical houses still have theirs. So a friend
of mine that is adept with a lathe has offered to make me a new one. We
have photographed and measured it. But what is the wood? A fellow that I
once was going to hire to make it said white oak. Then my friend thought it
was Douglas fir. But a friend of his that comes from Eastern Canada says it
is definitely yellow pine, and pointed out several features that are
inconsistent with Douglas fir. Now the only pine in my house is the floors.
And the wainscoting near the finial is oak. My friend says oak is easier to
turn. What do you guys think it is? [Warning, this was not reduced in size,
so it is 441MB.]

http://donwiss.com/finial.jpg

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).

Here is a wood grain site with photos........it may help you out a
bit. It takes a bit for all the wood images to appear....but all
eventually will. cheers.

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/dendrology/woodgrain.cfm

Dean

On Fri, 16 Feb 2007 02:28:58 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:
It absolutely is. There is perfectly vertical quartersawn grain visible at the
right of the photo -- grain which would plainly display ray flake if it were
oak. It doesn't. That isn't oak.

You could be right. From my research, most of the trim work for the
old Brooklyn row houses built during this period was either cut on
site or in a large mill located in Sunset Park (as the lore goes).
The newel cap might have been an outsource.

But it's hard to tell with this old woodwork. Once you strip this
stuff and get rid of a century's worth of varnish, dye, dings and
discolorations it often looks like a completely different piece of
wood. The best way for me to tell is also destructive. When you cut
or plane it, old white oak has a very distinctive, slightly vomit-like
smell to it.

--------------------------------------------------
Steve Manes, Brooklyn, NY
http://www.brooklynrowhouse.com

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/dendrology/woodgrain.cfm

Dean


From looking at this site..I am leaning towards the Douglas Fir. But I
am by no means no expert here.

In article .com, "avid_hiker" wrote:



http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/dendrology/woodgrain.cfm

Dean


From looking at this site..I am leaning towards the Douglas Fir. But I
am by no means no expert here.

Definitely not Douglas fir, or any other softwood.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

In article , Steve Manes wrote:
On Wed, 14 Feb 2007 15:02:39 -0500, Don Wiss
wrote:
I have an 1891 row house in Brooklyn. One of my newel post finials is
missing. But neighbors with identical houses still have theirs. So a friend
of mine that is adept with a lathe has offered to make me a new one. We
have photographed and measured it. But what is the wood?

Hey, fellow Brooklyn row house owner!

It looks like white oak to me, which is pretty ubiquitous in Brooklyn
row houses built around this time.

Absolutely not. Oak has a distinctive ray-flake figure visible in its
quartersawn surfaces. This figure is completely absent in the photograph. The
wood in the photograph is ash, not oak.

My house was built between 1901
and 1906, depending on what reference source you use, and the two
lumber types used here were white oak and poplar.

Pardon me if I'm a bit skeptical, after seeing you mis-identify the photo as
white oak. Mistaking ash for oak is easy to do; ash was often used as a
substitute for oak in medium-priced furniture because (a) it's cheaper, and
(b) most people can't tell the difference, especially after it's stained.

White oak isn't easy to come by in the yards around here but
Rosenzweig in the Bronx has it. Because this wood was typically
stained dark you could probably use red oak without anyone being the
wiser.

And if he uses ash, he'll have an exact match -- because that's what it is.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

In article , Steve Manes wrote:
On Fri, 16 Feb 2007 02:28:58 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:
It absolutely is. There is perfectly vertical quartersawn grain visible at the
right of the photo -- grain which would plainly display ray flake if it were
oak. It doesn't. That isn't oak.

You could be right. From my research, most of the trim work for the
old Brooklyn row houses built during this period was either cut on
site or in a large mill located in Sunset Park (as the lore goes).
The newel cap might have been an outsource.

But it's hard to tell with this old woodwork. Once you strip this
stuff and get rid of a century's worth of varnish, dye, dings and
discolorations it often looks like a completely different piece of
wood.

Not different enough to obscure the difference between ash and oak. The
ray-flake figure in quartersawn oak is made even *more* distinctive by
staining, because the flakes don't absorb stain well at all. If this piece
were oak, the ray-flakes would be very obvious. They aren't visible at all;
ergo, the piece is not oak. It's ash.

The best way for me to tell is also destructive. When you cut
or plane it, old white oak has a very distinctive, slightly vomit-like
smell to it.

Again, pardon me if I question your wood identification. *Red* oak has a
faintly vomit- or urine-like odor to it. *White* oak smells like toast and
vanilla.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Western Red Cedar possibly if not the Douglas Fir? What ya think?

On Fri, 16 Feb 2007 16:35:32 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:
Again, pardon me if I question your wood identification. *Red* oak has a
faintly vomit- or urine-like odor to it. *White* oak smells like toast and
vanilla.

I've cut, planed and milled probably a thousand board feet of red oak
just in this house renovation. I've recycled a couple of hundred feet
of the original white oak as well. I know what red oak smells like
and I know what white oak smells like.

--------------------------------------------------
Steve Manes, Brooklyn, NY
http://www.brooklynrowhouse.com

avid_hiker wrote:
On Feb 14, 3:02 pm, Don Wiss wrote:

I have an 1891 row house in Brooklyn. One of my newel post finials is
missing. But neighbors with identical houses still have theirs. So a friend
of mine that is adept with a lathe has offered to make me a new one. We
have photographed and measured it. But what is the wood? A fellow that I
once was going to hire to make it said white oak. Then my friend thought it
was Douglas fir. But a friend of his that comes from Eastern Canada says it
is definitely yellow pine, and pointed out several features that are
inconsistent with Douglas fir. Now the only pine in my house is the floors.
And the wainscoting near the finial is oak. My friend says oak is easier to
turn. What do you guys think it is? [Warning, this was not reduced in size,
so it is 441MB.]

http://donwiss.com/finial.jpg

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).


Here is a wood grain site with photos........it may help you out a
bit. It takes a bit for all the wood images to appear....but all
eventually will. cheers.

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/dendrology/woodgrain.cfm

Dean



Just for the sake of argument, I don't believe either oak or ash would
ALWAYS appear completely distinctively. I'm familiar with the look of
oak, but not the terminology. Rays or flakes? I dunno. Oak is more
open grained, as I understand, and the photo makes the wood look open
grained. Grain is so close together, I don't see how it would be
determined other figures should or should not appear? All the old homes
I've seen that had "oak" woodwork may well have had ash (or something
else), but never seen one with wood identified as ash ) Ash used more
in furniture?

In article .com, "avid_hiker" wrote:
Western Red Cedar possibly if not the Douglas Fir? What ya think?

The OP's photo doesn't even resemble any type of cedar or fir. It is
*unquestionably* a hardwood, and it's almost certainly ash specifically.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

In article , Steve Manes wrote:
On Fri, 16 Feb 2007 16:35:32 GMT, (Doug Miller)
wrote:
Again, pardon me if I question your wood identification. *Red* oak has a
faintly vomit- or urine-like odor to it. *White* oak smells like toast and
vanilla.

I've cut, planed and milled probably a thousand board feet of red oak
just in this house renovation. I've recycled a couple of hundred feet
of the original white oak as well. I know what red oak smells like
and I know what white oak smells like.

Obviously we perceive smells very differently.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

clipped

And if he uses ash, he'll have an exact match -- because that's what it is.

Not so. Age, patina, and the old finish will be hard to match.

On Fri, 16 Feb 2007 18:23:28 GMT, Norminn
wrote:

avid_hiker wrote:
On Feb 14, 3:02 pm, Don Wiss wrote:

I have an 1891 row house in Brooklyn. One of my newel post finials is
missing. But neighbors with identical houses still have theirs. So a friend
of mine that is adept with a lathe has offered to make me a new one. We
have photographed and measured it. But what is the wood? A fellow that I
once was going to hire to make it said white oak. Then my friend thought it
was Douglas fir. But a friend of his that comes from Eastern Canada says it
is definitely yellow pine, and pointed out several features that are
inconsistent with Douglas fir. Now the only pine in my house is the floors.
And the wainscoting near the finial is oak. My friend says oak is easier to
turn. What do you guys think it is? [Warning, this was not reduced in size,
so it is 441MB.]

http://donwiss.com/finial.jpg

Don www.donwiss.com (e-mail link at home page bottom).


Here is a wood grain site with photos........it may help you out a
bit. It takes a bit for all the wood images to appear....but all
eventually will. cheers.

http://www.cnr.vt.edu/DENDRO/dendrology/woodgrain.cfm

Dean



Just for the sake of argument, I don't believe either oak or ash would
ALWAYS appear completely distinctively. I'm familiar with the look of
oak, but not the terminology. Rays or flakes? I dunno. Oak is more
open grained, as I understand, and the photo makes the wood look open
grained. Grain is so close together, I don't see how it would be
determined other figures should or should not appear? All the old homes
I've seen that had "oak" woodwork may well have had ash (or something
else), but never seen one with wood identified as ash ) Ash used more
in furniture?



I'm still trying to figure out why OP is trying to make the
finial match the finial in his neighbor's house,
instead of making it match the post, the railing,
or the finial at the other end (if there is one).

clipped

Again, pardon me if I question your wood identification. *Red* oak has a
faintly vomit- or urine-like odor to it. *White* oak smells like toast and
vanilla.

This is getting funny. I don't know what red oak smells like, but the
other two are very, very familiar and not at all alike! Jeesh!