# Old Balls?



## bigalscorpio (Nov 2, 2013)

Hi to all,

I have been given a couple of lawn green bowls which I have always believed to be made from Lignum Vitae. They are wet damaged and scuffed so are no good as bowls any more.

My question is that I am not sure of the wood type beyond what I always thought.

Then a further question is if they are Lignum then what would it be useful for?

It seems a shame to just burn them so any info or ideas would be welcomed.

Thanks, Al

PS Hi to Mike, hope you get sorted with the problem.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

You can find quite a few websites on identifying wood if you google just exactly that. Here's one The Wood Database | Hardwood and Softwood Lumber Identification

I held some lignum vitae about 40 years ago. It was the heaviest wood I've ever seen and I really wasn't sure what I was holding was wood. It was very dark and slightly oily feeling. What it would be like after years of being outside I don't know. The old timer who showed it to me said he used a hacksaw to cut it, he said it was too hard on his wood cutting tools. Even back then it was very precious and getting hard to come by. If it hasn't become pinky and has retained any oiliness it would be good for bandsaw guides. Once you have cut into it you may decide other uses.


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## Wood Chip (Apr 10, 2011)

Lignum Vitae is one of the few woods you can make an anchor out of. No kidding!


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## bigalscorpio (Nov 2, 2013)

Thanks Guys, anyone need a small round anchor? 

What would be the best approach as to using the wood?

All I can think is to try and split the ball along the grain, if I can find the grain, it looks so close! And kills tools according to the link Chuck left me.

Or do I just use the metal bandsaw I have and hope for the best?

Seriously I'm baffled about cutting up a ball, its way stranger than when someone gives me a chunk of 6 x 6 or a log. I know where to start on those. 

Al


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## senebraskaee (Apr 29, 2012)

Not sure here if we are talking about bowls or balls! 
Lignum Vitae was once in high demand for bearings in very large machines - like the shaft bearings on ocean going ships. My dad was on a destroyer in WWII that had lignum vitae bearings. I used to manage several very small hydroelectric plants that dated from about 1910 and they had lignum vitae bearings as well. It will not rot, holds oil well, and absorbs vibration much better than anything else. When we tried replacing the old wood bearings with their synthetic clones, the machines developed uncontrolled vibrations and we had to go back to wood. Super expensive even back in the 1980's.
It is reported to make great mallet heads and impact blocks for driving items into place and was once a staple in a mill wrights tool box. Not sure you can finish it as it is so dense nothing will likely penetrate the surface.
Have fun, a rare find.


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## jeff.fredrick (May 20, 2010)

I doubt that they would be lignum vitae if they are water damaged as the wood is naturally oily. If they were mine I would try to split them then make various mallets from them.

Regards Jeff


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

Are these balls or bowls? Photos please?

>> "scuffs and water damage"

And why would that make them unusable? So bad that it can't be refinished?


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## bigalscorpio (Nov 2, 2013)

Pics of the Bowls! When I said water damage I was probably wrong, one of these looks as if its been run over by a big rig or something that has done some damage.

Sorry the pics are late but we've had the family here and its been hectic.

Al


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I see why youcalled them bowls now. They were lawn bowling balls. The grain appears to run with the striations in the missing chips. I am not sure that is lignum vitae as what I remember was much darker but there may be variations that I never saw because I only saw some once. It is also possible that it is ebony. I've seen pictures recently that resemble that a bit. Apparently only about one ebony tree in 10 is totally black in color and the loggers in the countries where it grows have been leaving the other 9 after cutting them down and finding that they don't make the grade so there is a movement to stop demanding all black ebony now. Of course I'm sure that there are some other possibilities.

There is still a split next to the missing chip that you could pop off and try splitting. If you break it across the grain it will break jagged. If with the grain it will split much more smoothly.


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## bigalscorpio (Nov 2, 2013)

Hi Chuck,

I have split some off and the splits are as you describe. However the grain is strange on the biggest piece I got off. On the outside the grain is running say 8 to 2 on the clock face and inside seems to be running 4 to 10 or so. Almost like plywood but without the ususal joints and voids. Can grain run like that?

Al


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

From what I could see it looked like the grain was changing directions a bit. Grain will commonly do that around crotches and knots. Wavy trees also produce wavy grain. The only native hardwood I have available is white birch and much of it is unusable because of that.


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

LOL... I just have to say it, every time I see the title of this thread come up ("Old Balls")... I catch myself saying "What the heck?" Then I get here, remember what it's about and have to chuckle.

Just me.


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