ᐅ What type of wood is this – experiences?

Hello,

I have some old stair treads from an older house. At first, I thought it was beech wood, but after sanding it down, I’m no longer sure what type of wood it is. If it weren’t for the grain, I would even wonder if it is wood at all. When cutting, the sawdust is rather powdery.

Background: I want to make a cutting board for our new sink out of this material, so it shouldn’t be wood that might contain any toxins. The board will also be planed down about 1cm (0.4 inches) on both sides.

Can someone with experience tell me anything about this wood?

Thanks for your help

It doesn’t seem to be a native wood. At first glance, I would say mahogany, doussie, or something along those lines.

That would be quite high-quality, wouldn’t it…?!?
If it helps, I just calculated that 1m³ (35.3 ft³) weighs about 590kg (1301 lbs).
This piece measuring approximately 47x27x4.5cm (18.5x10.6x1.8 inches) weighs 3.4kg (7.5 lbs).
If it really were mahogany, would it be suitable for a cutting board?

Rolando schrieb:

That would be quite high-end, wouldn’t it…?!?
If it helps, I just calculated that 1m³ (35.3 ft³) weighs about 590kg (1301 lbs).
This piece measuring about 47x27x4.5cm (18.5x10.6x1.8 inches) weighs 3.4kg (7.5 lbs).
If it really were mahogany, would it be suitable for a cutting board?

First of all, mahogany is a very common material for staircase flooring in older houses.

And yes, of course you can make a cutting board from it. Why wouldn’t a hardwood be suitable for that? You can also buy them made of mahogany in stores.

Rolando schrieb:

If it weren’t for the grain, I would wonder if it’s even wood…
When cutting, the sawdust is more like fine dust.
Background: I want to make a cutting board for our new sink from this, so it shouldn’t be wood that could contain any harmful substances. The board will also be planed about 1cm (0.4 inches) on both sides.

The harder the wood, the shorter the fibers in the “sawdust.” Clearly, it’s solid wood—what harmful substances could it contain? Maybe protective gases from container shipping overseas?
Planing off 1cm (0.4 inches) on each side should remove any penetration from chemical treatments. If the board is stable, I wouldn’t plane it at all for use as a cutting surface.

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Toxins are unlikely, but tropical hardwoods contain many wood components that can react with food. This is usually not a big issue with dry foods, such as bread or carrots, but with acidic, moist, or fatty foods, interactions may occur.