Help identifying this timber, please.

[Les Symonds]

Amongst the lot of timber that I bought recently, is an 8ft long branch, about 3" to 4" diameter. I cut this piece off one end just to see how it turned, and was surprised that it seemed to turn very easily, certainly easy to get a finish on. I have a suspicion that it's elm, but it's got to be 30 years since I last worked any and I've never worked small branches. As I was turning, there was a distinct smell, and it immediately reminded me of the smell of elm when I last put a piece through the planer.

I turned this just so that I could see what effect the grain gave when cut into concave/convex curves....it's not meant to be anything!





There's a bit of spalting which takes the effect of a dark smudged line running around the junction between the heartwood and sapwood, and this seems to run the whole 8ft length.



Am I right?
Les

[bodrighywood]

Laburnum I'd say, the black line is a delineation line you get in laburnum, not spalting. Be careful with it as it is poisonous. A lovely hard wood that can be really well polished.

Pete

[Les Symonds]

Excellent....I've just done a search on laburnum and I do believe that you're right....looks like I've got quite a bit of it.
Thanks...Les

[bodrighywood]

Lucky you. Keep, it dry mind as the outer sap wood rots very easily if it gets wet. It can go dark and more green once turned as well

Pete

[Bryan Milham]

Amongst the lot of timber that I bought recently, is an 8ft long branch, about 3" to 4" diameter.

Laburnum Apples from the thin end will be order of the day then.

[TWiG]

Yes I would agree it is almost certainly Laburnum , it is not poisonous , only the seeds are , It is from the Leguminosae family ( pea ) same as runner beans , it usually smells like it too if turned green , however if it is as old as you say I bet it is very hard ! It is great for small things fruit , eggs , finials, and lids and as you say takes a great finish .

[woody]

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
All parts of the plant are poisonous, and can be lethal if consumed in excess. Symptoms of laburnum poisoning may include intense sleepiness, vomiting, convulsive movements, coma, slight frothing at the mouth and unequally dilated pupils. In some cases, diarrhea is very severe, and at times the convulsions are markedly tetanic. The main toxin in the plant is cytisine, a nicotinic receptor agonist. It is used as a food plant by the larvae of some Lepidoptera species, including the buff-tip.

A friend of mine turned some laburnum and his Grandson put it in with his pet rabbit it was died the next day also cats have been known to die after scratching the tree 

[Bryan Milham]

And the shavings make great weed killer.

[TWiG]

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
All parts of the plant are poisonous, and can be lethal if consumed in excess.

  this would all depend on what you mean by consumption (eating ?)and  excess !!  Bagpipe chanters are made from this wood , and I sure there have been no problems there ( apart  from the noise !!!)  But  using it from a turners point of view there really is nothing to worry about . ie no specific extra PPE is required .

[bodrighywood]

It worries me that so many people turning seem unaware of the dangers that are to be found in woods. I see goblets and food bowls at sales made of yew and laburnum, both of which contain toxins in all parts of the tree.  Chanters usually have a separate mouth piece and you are not sucking or inhaling it. The wood is in fact one of possibly the ten most poisonous woods available containing a direct toxin. As I make a lot of goblets and food usable  items this is something that I have had to research and I assure you that anyone using woods without having some understanding of the potential dangers is  acting irresponsibly IMHO.
Anyone engaging in any hobby should really look into the safety aspects of the materials that they use. There are tables such as this easily available, print and pin on workshop walls.
Sorry, bit of a hobby horse of mine  

Pete

[TWiG]

Is there any factual proof that any one has been harmed by eating or drinking from a vessel made from laburnum ? .....or yew for that matter ?  Has any one  been affected by working ( turning ) laburnum ? 

[Bryan Milham]

TwiG,

there was a TV news report a couple of years ago about cows that had died after they had eaten Yew trimmings that had been fly-tipped over the field hedge, so poisonous - I'd say yes.

However, George & I have a tree surgeon in the club who say's that only the sap, sap wood & seed pits/stones of the Yew are poisonous. He says he's eaten the red berry flesh (did not taste nice though). I'm only reporting what I've been told, from here on it's hearsay...

As for Laburnum, I've only ever been warned off from eating the seed pods, but never heard of anything more, so I chose not to eat anything made from Laburnum wood!

[TWiG]

Dragonfly , it is well established and beyond doubt that the foliage and seed of Yew are toxic ,as indeed Laburnum seeds , many other plants have degrees of toxicity  , but I have never heard of the wood being actively toxic to humans ( no one eats wood do they ? ) It may be theoretically possible for food or liquid to absorb toxins from vessels made from Laburnum or Yew but has it ever really happened ? 

[Bryan Milham]

TWiG,

Sorry, I read your comment one has been harmed by eating or drinking from a vessel made from laburnum ? .....or yew for that matter ?, and used it to expand the subject to what parts were dangerous.

I will admit though that my last sentence was frivolous - a small attempt at humour!

But from a personal position, I would be prepared to eat from a properly seasoned plate of laburnum or yew.

[Les Symonds]

I just found this site, which has a fair bit of info about this.

 http://www.thepoisongarden.co.uk/atoz/laburnum_anagyroides.htm

The gist of it is that whilst there are toxins in laburnum, cases of poisoning associated with contact to the timber are petty-much unheard of.