guess the wood

[Violadamore]

The finished pegs look like something called "monkey pod " wood. I seem to remember some sort of rhythm instruments made of this stuff but don't know much more about it. Maybe from the Pacific Islands?

Monkeypod (Albizia saman), is an originally Latin American tree that has been naturalized throughout the tropics and carvings/furniture made from its heartwood will be well known to folks who served in the Phillippines, etc..  http://www.wood-database.com/lumber-identification/hardwoods/monkeypod/

 

Hiyas LinkMan!! 

[Addie]

The Scots were fond of laburnum for staved drinking vessels.  Did I mention toxicity? 

 

Second image shows the grain and figure of the laburnum.

 

 

[~ Ben Conover]

Nice viking cow horn bowl Addie. 

[Addie]

Cuaich or quaich. No Vikings necessary. A big one would make a nice party hat, though.

[Blank face]

What, just because the file name is guarviolapegs?  Too easy. 

 

Now he changed the file, photo and name. It's not really fair.

Has it a label? How does it sound?

[~ Ben Conover]

It probably sounds like a big viola. 
The arching isn't massive.

Perhaps Eric can tell us what 'extant' wood is, and how laburnum is for turning. 

[MeyerFittings]

. OK, the first peg is indeed pernambuco turned with the grain going horizontally to the shaft. It was just an experiment, and I was "as blown away as the shaft" to see the results. Looks like a cat tossed in the dog pound. Shows you how directional the fibers are for that wood.

I don't know the wood in the Andrea Guarneri viola. Michael Darnton, Joe Grubaugh and I stared at them for quite some time and gave our collective opinions as to their make up and whether or not they are original to the instrument. Original pegs are so very rare and the Nat. Music Mus. in South Dakota may have two examples. If they aren't original they are very early IMHO. The other is the Amati Bros. piccolo.

I wood imagine that 17th century pegs would probably come from the Old World as opposed to the New, but anything is open for discussion. My guess at the time was also wenge, which has that color and comes from Africa. Never turned laburnum.

 

Who isn't fair? Enjoy!

http://orgs.usd.edu/nmm/Violas/Guarneri3354/3354GuarneriViola.html

 

Ben, one of the meanings for "extant" is undestroyed, which is the opposite of what has happened to most all of the pegs that were changed on fiddles over the centuries..

[Evan Smith]

The red-orange open-grained one looks to me like one or another of the padauks.  What does it smell like?

 

 

Looks like the grains' going the wrong way,,

 

That huge jug of beer,,

I remember a huge brown jug of beer,,

wanna be goalie on my soccer team?

[fiddlecollector]

There are many types of what i would call ironwoods in Africa ,Asia ,South America in fact anywhere tropical. Many look like the grain in those pegs ,and with a bit of age to darken ,they could be literally anything. Some ironwoods tropical woods can start out light coloured and after a 100 years can be dark brown.

I`m always buying unusual woods or more common tropical woods from usual sources. In the hope that some is good for bow making. Last year bought a load of tongue and grooved panelling 2" thick and over 100 year old  from the stables of a stately home . Heavy as hell but doesnt have the stiffness needed  for bows. I think it was described as Denya wood from Africa  but i think that was just  a guess by the seller.

[Blank face]

. OK, the first peg is indeed pernambuco turned with the grain going horizontally to the shaft. It was just an experiment, and I was "as blown away as the shaft" to see the results. Looks like a cat tossed in the dog pound. Shows you how directional the fibers are for that wood.

I don't know the wood in the Andrea Guarneri viola. Michael Darnton, Joe Grubaugh and I stared at them for quite some time and gave our collective opinions as to their make up and whether or not they are original to the instrument. Original pegs are so very rare and the Nat. Music Mus. in South Dakota may have two examples. If they aren't original they are very early IMHO. The other is the Amati Bros. piccolo.

I wood imagine that 17th century pegs would probably come from the Old World as opposed to the New, but anything is open for discussion. My guess at the time was also wenge, which has that color and comes from Africa. Never turned laburnum.

 

Who isn't fair? Enjoy!

http://orgs.usd.edu/nmm/Violas/Guarneri3354/3354GuarneriViola.html

 

Ben, one of the meanings for "extant" is undestroyed, which is the opposite of what has happened to most all of the pegs that were changed on fiddles over the centuries..

 

It's not fair to change the pics whithin an identification competition - but ok, pegs were the subject, not the head .

I liked the first version looking from the crest, too, it gave an interesting perspective at the fingerboard and nut.

 

Thanks for the great informations!

Also to fiddlecollector.

 

The Amati http://orgs.usd.edu/nmm/Violins/AmatiViolinoPiccolo/3361ViolinoPiccolo.html is described as " The nut and pegs are not original to the instrument, but are contemporary with the time during which the instrument was built". How do they know, that they're not original? Very nice, and alike as seen in paintings of the period.

[~ Ben Conover]

Thanks Eric.

[Addie]

Laburnum is European, and grows in Italy, so I'm going to claim the prize. What do I win? I'm hoping for an all expenses paid virtual trip to Cremona.

Laburnum flowers are used in northern Italian hen houses to deter mites, lice, and fleas, BTW. That's Addie's Useless Fact for the day.

[Brad Dorsey]

...grain going horizontally to the shaft...

 

Does that mean perpendicular to the shaft or parallel?

[MeyerFittings]

the wrong way 

[Rue]

Very cool ...I know a few woods, but not enough I can tell easily.

 

I just had these reed cases made for me...I thought the woods were easy to tell.  But so far they've stumped the few people who like to guess...so I'm going put them up here and see if you' guys know right away or not...

 

 

Sorry...not violin...but kinda music related at least.  (I love wood boxes )...

 

[MeyerFittings]

 
zebrawood?

[Rue]

Yes!  That's one wood!  I knew it you guys would guess it! 

 

How about the other?

[MeyerFittings]

Harder to see/tell.

[Addie]

That could be padauk.

[joerobson]

pegs look like wenge to me

[Violadamore]

 

Yes!  That's one wood!  I knew it you guys would guess it!  

 

How about the other?

 

 

Something brown and visibly grainy like half the world's hardwoods, but this time it's probably not something grossly improbable picked from the CITES list.   

Cherry? 

[Conor Russell]

I think laburnum might be right. I dug out a chunk this evening from a tree I cut years ago. I'm sure the heartwood has darkened considerably since.

 

I'll try to get a few pictures tomorrow cut various ways. It's incredibly tough stuff. 

[uncle duke]

May as well save it Coner, I'll find a piece of Bolivian that will trump whichever you choose to post.

[MeyerFittings]

I've got some wenge somewhere around here, I'll turn some when I get the chance. 

[Rue]

Something brown and visibly grainy like half the world's hardwoods, but this time it's probably not something grossly improbable picked from the CITES list.   

Cherry? 

Good guess! Walnut!