Mystery wood, help what is it?

[viking north]

History- this wood was part of a lot deal( take what you get lot sale) shipped to Nova Scotia from the west coast of Africa,by a sea captain i was employed by as project manager on his yacht build. he was working on a commercial delivery for a project on that coast.Included in the lot was some teak and mahogony and this wood he called Bata.He has since passed away and i obtained the wood thru his estate disbersement.
It is fairely dense but not as heavy as teak, say between teak and mahogony. It is very straight grained and without knots. The band sawn planks are a medium brown colour but when new wood is exposed it is an orange brown and sometimes yellowish. It is porous similar to mahogony. New wood has no distinct odour. It is easy to work similar to mahogony.--Geo.

[bntii]

It's one of the Mahogonys me thinks.

[viking north]

I have a feeling you're right, have been doing further research not much luck on bata tree or wood other than some mention of it in drum making but even then nothing clear. From all the photos of threes of the world it looks like bloodwood. Will contiue all help appreciated geo.

[viking north]

Ok, might be a little closer, apparently the term Bata in africa means drum so possibly the retailer there told my friend Bata wood meaning this is the drum wood.--Geo.

[gonzo]

Looks like khaya
http://www.google.co.uk/images?q=C%26C+35&rls=com.microsoft:en-GB:{referrer:source}&oe=&redir_esc=&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&ei=v2RETdS7GsqAhAfSgK2AAg&sa=X&oi=image_result_group&ct=title&resnum=8&ved=0CFYQsAQwBw&biw=1280&bih=685

[hoytedow]

http://www.tis-gdv.de/tis_e/misc/holzart.htm

http://www.hardwoodgallery.com/woods.htm

[hoytedow]

It could be sapele.

[viking north]

Sure close to it if not it, It's got to be one of the african mahogonys. If khaya it's highly resistant to decay and used in boatbuilding, which was my plan for it in deck and cabin beams and framing. Hoyte don't think sapele as it doesn't have those alternate bands of colour. Wonder if that "A" painted on the plank i have means anything. Geo.

[hoytedow]

http://www.woodfinder.com/woods/khaya.php

It looks like khaya fits the bill as an African mahogany.

[viking north]

hoytedow on your woodfinder site Khaya for the first time mentions a yellowish colour( i have some sawn boards that has the yellowish colour in them) which is the first wood type to mention that. We might be on to something--Geo.

[PAR]

There are about 40 distinctly different types of mahogany.

[hoytedow]

THe 6 that are African fall under the Khaya genus. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Khaya
http://community.woodmagazine.com/t5...one/ba-p/10562

[viking north]

Here is 5 of them, havent found #6 yet.
K anthoteca
K invorensis
K grandifoliola
K madagascariensis
K senegalensis
K ??????????
They are listed as used in boatbuilding with K anthoteca and K grandifoliola possibly being the same and both are highly rated for boatbuilding, hull and deck planking. K senegalensis is also listed for boat building and rail road ties so it must be highly resistant to rot. K ivorensis is also listed for boat and ship construction and the only one listed as having a yellowish sapwood. K madagascariensis had the least info listed but was listed as the tree that natives made their dougout canoes from.
Question #1 It looks like all are suitable for deck and cabin beams and framing but are they in reality,is mahogony often used in boat framing, ie deck or cabin framing.All are listed as being A type of African mahogony but not the true African mahogony which is not in the Khya group.
I think this is as close as we can get and is really all i need but now the challenge for me. Question #2, I have never laminated mahogony strips anyone out there that has and is there any preferred adhesive or prep. work. Question #3 My other concern is, is mahogony as suseptiable to rot as red oak, framed a boat with this in my early days, big mistake, as they also listed red oak as a boatbuilding framing wood. If red oak becomes fresh water damp it goes to powder in an incrediable short time. My usual structural wood is white oak with mahogony on the interior finish. I would like to use this wood (mahogony) in my deck and cabin beams and misc. framing or am i on a fools errand here and should go purchase white oak for the job instead. tnx. Geo.

[Landlubber]

...emmm, looks like dark meranti to me, it is also called Phillipine Mahogany......

[viking north]

landlubber, pretty sure it is not as this shipment came from Africa, that i am 100% sure as i spoke to the captain (whose 55 ft.yacht build i was project manager on) just before he bought the wood along with a baby gorollia he saved from the stew pot, took him on board and arranged for a zoo to take him. Man it all starts to look the same so one has to be a wood investigator. The yellow tinge makes me suspect K Ivorensis. Geo.