What might this wood desk be made of?

[MarkSingleton]

Just purchased a wonderful antique desk for my office.  Going to need some fix up, but 
soon it will grace my office and I will be enjoying WoodNet while seated at it.

I am the fourth owner, or so the lady I bought it from said. The story is the man she bought
it from, had in turn bought it from the grandson of the man who built it. He recalled playing
underneath it as a small boy.

I think it  is at least a hundred year old. Maybe more. The top is needing a new leather insert.

My question is, what is this wood?  Seller had no idea.  I don't have a guess at this point.


Pics for the brain trust:


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[DaveR1]

Looks like walnut to me.

[jcredding]

Can you get a couple end grain pics? While walnut seems like probably right, there are aspects of it, including the color variations, that remind me of Hawaiian koa.

[iclark]

When you remove a drawer, is there any indication that a stain or any sort of colored finish was used?

[EightFingers]

Probably not koa. Looks like monkey pod.
Easy to tell by the smell. Problem is describing the smell over the internet is impossible.
Would be helpful to know where it was made.

[ianab]

I am the fourth owner, or so the lady I bought it from said. The story is the man she bought
it from, had in turn bought it from the grandson of the man who built it. He recalled playing
underneath it as a small boy.

Any location? That might help isolate the species. It doesn't seem right for Walnut or Acacia (Koa etc), so I'm not sure what it is.

[R Clark]

I don't know the species, but that is a fantastic looking desk.

If I had to take a guess, and it's really a WAG, maybe butternut or chestnut?  I've seen some walnut that had similar characteristics, but somehow I don't think it's walnut.

[AHill]

Hard to tell. Honey mesquite maybe? Mesquite would be quite hard and heavy. Walnut would be easy to ID. Find an unseen location, scratch and sniff.

[fredhargis]

I don't know the species, but that is a fantastic looking desk.

+1, that is really a nice desk.

[Dave Crow]

That is a beautiful desk.

My guess would be Claro Walnut(Juglans hindsi). Check out the photos at "Cooks Wood"

Dave