Guess the wood win a prize!!

[Marion Morrison]

This is a picture of my new L250s (Ti conversion) The available veneer options were Walnut, Rosewood & WhiteOak. ( yes I looked in the library thats how I know the options) I am not a woody kind of person so I hope we have an expert out there to advise. Oh and the prize is some brownies I just baked!:biting: No not that kind of brownie:blink: The normal fudge kind. All suggestions will be appreciated. Prize must be pick up in person as brownies do not mail well.

Cheers!

[Robh3606]

Sure looks like Oak to me.

Rob:)

PS Put the brownies in a tin

[MikeBrewster77]

I once played the "guess the wood" game, and ..... well, nevermind the specifics.

But I do like brownies!!!!

[Marion Morrison]

Sure looks like Oak to me.

Rob:)

PS Put the brownies in a tin


Walnut is more knotty....right....:blink:...??? So I was thinking either Oak or Rosewood but I am far from an expert.

Yea about the brownies, they are good....sorry no shipping. For Liability reasons my lawyer has advised not to ship them.:bs:

[Robh3606]

So I was thinking either Oak or Rosewood but I am far from an expert.


I am not either but I have both red and white Oak floors in my house. It sure looks like my floor.

Rob:)

[Marion Morrison]

I am not either but I have both red and white Oak floors in my house. It sure looks like my floor.

Rob:)


Yea I going to go with Oak for now. I google imaged rosewood and most of the pictures look nothing like my speaker wood. I originally thought teak but a little trip to the JBL Library solved that. And they look nothing like my teak 240ti's

Thanks for you help:applaud:

I think I'll have another brownie:biting:

Why does the spellchecker hate JBL ???

[SEAWOLF97]

I have a solid white oak office chair (inventory sticker on the bottom said Hughes Aircraft Co. - looks like 1930's vintage) and it looks like your speaker....my red oak rolltop and drafting desks look different.

white oak is rare these days, its grain pattern is much tighter than red , most all oak you see is red oak now.


brownies do not mail well.

Cheers!

not really...had brownies mailed to me in Asia many times..:D

Are they Alice B. Toklas brownies ??

does anybody call you Duke ??

Marion Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), born Marion Robert Morrison, better known by his stage name (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stage_name) John Wayne,

[Marion Morrison]

Ok I am fairly confident these are possibly Oak. Funny thing though, I would swear the tweeter insert is a different hardwood. And a solid piece of hardwood. It is quite a bit darker and very hard, very very hard and tight grained. I guess it really doesn't matter at all what kind of wood it all is. It is very pretty wood though. But I will have to be able to tell people what kind of wood it is when they comment what freaking AWSOME speakers I have!!!

[eso]

It looks like walnut that has faded quite a bit, especially the tweeter ring or whatever that top portion is. The grain is too tight for an oak species.

I can't tell for sure through the photo and the internet, but of the choices offered I'd go with Walnut. Oh, and I made a living with fine hardwoods for quite a while.

my 2¢


eso

[Mr. Widget]

It looks like walnut that has faded quite a bit, especially the tweeter ring or whatever that top portion is. The grain is too tight for an oak species.You are correct sir.

I am certain that isn't oak... and I'd bet $5 it is very faded or bleached walnut or possibly teak.


Oh, and I made a living with fine hardwoods for quite a while.A couple of decades ago, I did too. :)


Widget

[Allanvh5150]

I would have to make it three for walnut.

[tom1356]

White Oak would have at least some Medullary rays or fleck.
It's Walnut.
Which is good...not a fan of Oak unless it's in a fire.

[Marion Morrison]

Looks like it's not resolved yet!! So 2 for Oak 4 for Walnut. If the veneer is always the same wood as the solid wood tweeter insert, then I would agree. That wood is very dark on the inside. (and have I mentioned how freakin hard that wood is!) If the veneer is walnut it has really really faded! The face, left, right and top are all pretty light colored. To get it to look like Walnut I will probably need to stain it. I'll see how many more votes i get for each.

Oh and thanks for the advise/opinions:applaud:

[subwoof]

definitely walnut - and very bleached at that. I have made furniture with white oak ( and the very similar ash ) and the grain is very porous ( many fissures ).

Do the super fine sand and oil treatment and they will look like the factory sample finish again.

sub

ps - the insert is different because it's (A) not from the same tree, (B) not a thin sliced veneer and (C) cut at a different angle. And probably NOT the same species anyways.

[rdgrimes]

I vote for walnut. And get some padding on the work surface. ;)

It will darken a LOT with finishing.

[John]

It"s Walnut.:nutz:

[Marion Morrison]

Do the super fine sand and oil treatment and they will look like the factory sample finish again.

sub


OK I am nearly re-convinced that this could allegedly be Walnut... Please give a grit spec for super fine. 320? 400? 600? steel wool?

[Marion Morrison]

I vote for walnut. And get some padding on the work surface. ;)

It will darken a LOT with finishing.


If you peek through the tweeter hole you can see it is sitting on towel.

Is it wrong to stain and lacquer speaker cabinets?? A small part of me really likes the ease of care. As in I do not have to oil the finish every month.:dont-know

[Mr. Widget]

I am not s sure that a bit of sanding and a new coat of oil will bring it back to it's original color though. I have seen the bleaching effects of the sun go quite deep into the wood, that said we have all been making our comments based on a few pics that could also be a bit washed out.

I'd give the entire speaker a fine sanding, and then try a bit of Watco Oil Natural to see how that looks... if it looks good, great, if it is lighter than you want, you can always apply a bit of walnut stain.


Widget

[Mr. Widget]

Please give a grit spec for super fine. 320? 400? 600? steel wool?I would make the call based on the condition of the veneer and whether or not I was going to use a powered sander or not.

I would start with 220 or 320 depending on condition and move up through 400 and finish with 600... this will give the wood a fairly polished look.



Is it wrong to stain and lacquer speaker cabinets??Lacquer has a different look... I like it best on really tight grained woods like cherry and maple. I prefer oil on walnut and mahogany, and I prefer to burn oak. :D

Actually fumed quarter sawn white oak can be quite beautiful, but your basic flat cut red oak just doesn't float my boat. Obviously this is all purely subjective though and if you want to lacquer walnut, go ahead.


Widget

[SEAWOLF97]

pull off the terrible OEM feet and replace...to change bus bar settings on the rear, the speakers are usually slid out of playing location...the oak/walnut veneer along the base can be damaged when the speakers slide

heres how I didit

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=226047

and heres what walnut looks like

http://www.audioheritage.org/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=226093&postcount=4

[Marion Morrison]

pull off the terrible OEM feet and replace...to change bus bar settings on the rear, the speakers are usually slid out of playing location...the oak/walnut veneer along the base can be damaged when the speakers slide


I don't think JBL could have possibly purchased cheaper/cheezier feet than those. I guess they could have tried to glue the feet on and saved the cost of the nail??? That must have been the one thing they let the bean counters pick.

I already ripped em off. Looked at Home Depot for replacement, no luck all the same crapo feet. I'll find something......

[Marion Morrison]

I would make the call based on the condition of the veneer and whether or not I was going to use a powered sander or not.

I would start with 220 or 320 depending on condition and move up through 400 and finish with 600... this will give the wood a fairly polished look.

Lacquer has a different look... I like it best on really tight grained woods like cherry and maple. I prefer oil on walnut and mahogany, and I prefer to burn oak. :D

Actually fumed quarter sawn white oak can be quite beautiful, but your basic flat cut red oak just doesn't float my boat. Obviously this is all purely subjective though and if you want to lacquer walnut, go ahead.


Widget

I am way to scared to power sand. The speaker in the picture has been stripped twice for 10min each time & lightly sanded with 320. I think I will sand again with 320 and then work my way up. THEN I maybe will figure out my finish :dont-know

I appreciate all advice.:applaud:

[rdgrimes]

If you peek through the tweeter hole you can see it is sitting on towel.

Is it wrong to stain and lacquer speaker cabinets?? A small part of me really likes the ease of care. As in I do not have to oil the finish every month.:dont-know
No stain is needed or desired, IMHO. The walnut will darken when finished, and continue to darken with time. The tung oil or Danish oil has enough urethane to give you a nice gloss if you want it. Plus it is highly protective and easy to care for. Stain and lacquer could significantly reduce their value.

[Marion Morrison]

Thanks for the help/advice. This weekend I will continue stripping (speaker cabinets that is) sanding, sanding, more sanding and re-finishing. I will take more pictures of the fully stripped and sanded cabinets, and then pictures of the lovely fully oiled ladies...umm speakers...:coolness:

MM

[Audiobeer]

Love that American walnut! I would second Widgets advice. Walnut has some nice deep pours so make sure you blow off the surface before putting on the stain. It's gonna look nice! Howards Restore-a-finish is nice to for us lazy asses out there!

[subwoof]

Remember that the veneer has a finite thickness and if you go too deep ( easy to do ) it's a forever blemish. Be esp careful if any of the particle board is swollen around the ( as mentioned ) poorly designed base.

Agreed on using compressed air to blow the fine sawdust out of the small fissures in the grain. this makes a REAL difference in the "sheen" when viewed at angles.

On pieces I wished to double as furniture, I have used tung oil varnish and then build up a dozen coats. However I would apply plain oil and let it soak in before deciding. Keep the flowerpots at bay.

sub

[Marion Morrison]

Love that American walnut! I would second Widgets advice. Walnut has some nice deep pours so make sure you blow off the surface before putting on the stain. It's gonna look nice! Howards Restore-a-finish is nice to for us lazy asses out there!


OK, But I will probably be light headed by the time I'm done :blink: Too late for Howards now I'm almost done stripping the cabinets.

[Marion Morrison]

Remember that the veneer has a finite thickness and if you go too deep ( easy to do ) it's a forever blemish. Be esp careful if any of the particle board is swollen around the ( as mentioned ) poorly designed base.

Agreed on using compressed air to blow the fine sawdust out of the small fissures in the grain. this makes a REAL difference in the "sheen" when viewed at angles.

On pieces I wished to double as furniture, I have used tung oil varnish and then build up a dozen coats. However I would apply plain oil and let it soak in before deciding. Keep the flowerpots at bay.

sub

I ruined a veneer dresser by sanding way too much (power sander). I am very cautiously hand sanding these. Still not 100% sure of my finish. I will try oil first to see if it WOWs me. If no WOW factor then move on to????

[Audiobeer]

Well if the oil stain dosen't wow you you could go with a walnut paste filler wipe on wipe off. Then spray with laquer sealer and laquer. You can but it in a can. If you take your time and avoid runs it can be beautiful and easy!!