Smelly and Nice...

[IBMer]

Let's get a list started of our favorite smelling lumber to work with, and those that are not so Nice to smell.      Feel free to add your remarks on what each wood smells like...

My Nice List:
============
Indian Rosewood (reminds me of spices)
Pine:  Honey?
Walnut:  Nutty?
Cedar:  Reminds me of an old chest (cabinet).
Quina - Has a nice spicy smell.  I read that it's used in some perfumes.


Not so Nice List:
==============
Purple Heart: Pungent
Cocobolo: Pungent
Olive Wood:  Burnt Olive Oil?
Zebrawood:  Zebra dung?
Elm: Body Odor?  Kind of Unpleasant when green.
Wenge - Bitter Smelling

[jim stiek]

my most favorite is sassafras smells like anise

[Dan26]

Nice are
Walnut
Cherry
Bloodwood

Not so nice are
Deer antler (OK, it's not wood but it stinks when cut)
I turned some Marblewood that smelled like sweaty socks.

[king310]

Nice:
Tamarac
Magnolia 
cedar


DAD:
Sycamore:
Smells like a kid we had in gym class. We Called Him Dr. Smell Bad. The sad part of that he ended up in the prison I worked at and was a cook.
Elm
Hedge

[IBMer]

@ Dan26..    I suspected that deer antler would stink.   I had a lady ask me if I could supply her with deer antlers (since I hunt).  I told her that if it wasn't treated that it would probably stink like rotting beef carcasses.

J

[countryscroller]

After a day of sanding and cutting all kinds, the smell it creates is what I like. They are all blended together. I like them all.

[Russ C]

Bud Light
Michelob Light
Amber Bock
Jack Daniels
Crown Royal
Puerto Rican Rum

Oh,,, Ok, I see  ,  you are all talking about wood. Sorry I need to read the whole post next time and make sure I understand it.        LMBO

[IBMer]

I had to laugh today.   I was turning a Purpleheart bowl when my mother stopped by.   She poked her head into my woodshop and exclaims "Whoa, It really Stinks in here.  You need to clean this place out.   It smells like something rotting".     I explained that different wood has different aromas.   This particular one smells like rotting rodents, but it's pretty ;-)

[Dave W]

As far as the pleasant smells of cut woods, I would say my faves would be :

Cherry - (mild and pleasant)
Paduak - (has a certain something that appeals, though hard to pinpoint!)
Ebony - (kind of reminds me of maple syrup)
Poplar - (smells like savings)
Snakewood (smells like burning money....)

The not-so-pleasant for me would be:

Cedar - (I actually like the smell for the most part, but it always seems to make me a bit nauseous...has the perk of being a natural mosquito repellent though)
Cocobola - It takes several instances of serious scrubbing to even get the smell of touching it off of your hands
Zebrawood - I doubt that I have to explain this one to anybody
Red Oak - I actually kind of like this smell in "small" doses, but prolonged cutting makes it seem like I have a dab of Elmers glue hanging right beneath my nose
Camphor - Sort of bracing, until you turn it on a lathe...once you do that, your whole garage/shop, yard, and surrounding neighbor's yards smell like the concentrated Vicks vapor rub that my grandma used to slather all over my chest before bed when I had the sniffles.  Brings back memories of "I don't care what it smells like, it will make you feel better now go to sleep!"

[BilltheDiver]

Got to comment on one wood only.  Monkeypod---It is strange wood.  It's dark like a tropical hardwood, but very light, almost like balsa.  The minute you start to cut it or sand it your eyes start burning, your nose runs, and your throat starts to close up.  I put some through my planer once and had to evacuate my shop for a couple hours.

[IBMer]

Never heard of MonkeyPod.    I'll have to check the Wood Database online.   

By the way, the Wood Database claimed that PURPLEHEART had no noticeable smell...     Yeah Right..   It down right stinks.   I wrote to them and they are going to change it ;-)      Smells like Army barracks the night of Burrito and re fried beans night in the mess hall.  Phew!

[IBMer]

Got to comment on one wood only.  Monkeypod

Isn't that weird.   The Wood Database lists Monkeypod as "Odor: No characteristic odor."      You should write them and tell them that it wreaks ;-)   

[dgman]

I guess you can't believe everything you read online!

[Mainewoods]

Sounds more like Bill had an allergic reaction to the sawdust, rather than a reaction to the smell of the Monkeypod.  In fact his post doesn't mention smell at all, maybe it's OBD (odorless but deadly  )

[IBMer]

In fact his post doesn't mention smell at all, maybe it's OBD (odorless but deadly  )

I see that now.    I ASSuMed (Military Term) since the topic is Smelly and Nice ;-)