Someone ID this for me.

[bigkid4]

Washed out of the beach today at a spot where a number of bronze square spikes have been found. The overall length is around five feet as is the scoop for size. Where was it used and how old is it?

 

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[ScubaDude]

Deadeye

 

[rgecy]

bigkid4,

Wow, where did you find this lovely jewel? The wood is in amazing shape!

As for the age, it is hard to tell. Wooden deadeyes were used for hundreds of years, but I think you already know that!

 

[bigkid4]

Lets just say I live in Jupiter Florida and for those that are wondering it was not found at or near Jupiter Inlet. I knew it was a deadeye but was hoping that someone could tell me more about where or how it was used from the shape of it.

 

[bigkid4]

Thanks TR, thats what I was looking for.

 

[ivan salis]

about 150 to 110 years old---say 1850 ish to 1890 ish that time frame roughly---Ivan

 

[wildmandan]

nice find, I'd be working that area like a mad man

 

[FISHEYE]

Its a deadeye from a large 700 ton 4 masted ship.anywheres from the era 1600 to 1690.its almost identical to the one i found much further north on the east coast.yours was hardly used.mine was used alot.you can tell by th size of the holes in the lignum vitae wood.conserve it well,otherwise it will just turn into dust.

 

[Darren in NC]

No doubt it's been buried under coquina shortly after its loss. The wood is amazingly well preserved and would normally be long gone if exposed. Nice piece, bigkid!

 

[FISHEYE]

Worms dont eat lignum vitae wood.even if its exposed.its the hardest wood on earth it will last a lifetime.


Lignum vitae is the heartwood of species of the genus Guaiacum, the trees of which are usually called guayacan. The name is Latin for "wood of life", and derives from its medicinal uses. Other names are palo santo, holy wood, greenheart, and of course ironwood (one of many). The wood is obtained chiefly from Guaiacum officinale and Guaiacum sanctum, both slow growing trees that do not become large.

This wood has a density between 1.28 and 1.37g per cu.cm., so it will sink in water. It is a hard, dense and durable wood, one of the densest woods in the trade. The wood was important for uses requiring strength, weight and hardness. The Antarctic explorer Ernest Shackleton's ship Endurance was ribbed with lignum vitae (specifically Greenheart). Due to its weight, cricket bails, particularly 'heavy bails' used in windy conditions, are sometimes made of this wood. The wood also has seen widespread historical usage in mortars and pestles.

Master clockmaker John Harrison used lignum vitae as the basis for his nearly all-wood clocks, since the wood provides natural lubricating oils which do not dry out. For this reason it was widely used in shaft bearings. According to the San Francisco Maritime National Park Association website, the shaft bearings on the WWII submarine USS Pampanito (SS-383) were made of this wood. (Source:http://www.maritime.org/pamphist.htm) Also, the bearings in the original 1920's turbines of the Conowingo Hydroelectric Plant on the lower Susquehanna river are made from lignum vitae.

The resin has been used to treat a variety of medicinal conditions from coughs to arthritis. Wood chips can also be used to brew a tea.

Various other hardwoods of Australasia (e.g., the acacia and eucalyptus) are also called lignum vitae and should not be confused.

Verawood (Bulnesia sarmientoi/arborea) is an unrelated species also known as Argentine lignum vitae due to similar appearance and working qualities to lignum vitae. It has a strong, fresh aroma and is used as incense.

The Lignum Vitae is the national tree of Jamaica and The Bahamas.

Lignum Vitae also grows on some islands in the florida keys.

On the Janka Scale of Hardness, which measures the relative density of various types of wood, lignum vitae ranks
highest.

One of the hardest and heaviest woods (three times as hard as oak), lignum vitae is most commonly used for mallet heads, bearings and rollers. Because of its durability and natural lubricants, it is the preferred wood for propeller bushings and other underwater applications. The lignum vitae tree generally grows to a diameter of about 12", although historically, trees in the 18" - 30" range have been known.
Lignum vitae is reddish brown when freshly cut, with pale yellow sapwood. As it oxidizes, the color turns to a deep green, often with black details. The grain is highly interlocked, making it difficult to work with edge tools, but it machines well and takes a high polish. It is a remarkably good wood for turning. A similar species, known as Maracaibo lignum vitae (Bulnesia arboria), which grows in Venezuela and northern South America, is similar in properties and appearance and is sometimes substituted for genuine lignum vitae.
Although Lignum Vitae has been harvested for over 500 years . The Lignum Vitae tree is native from Florida to Costa Rica and from Panama to the Bahamas.

 

[billinstuart]

TR..I like the details you posted. After the last hurricane a 50+ foot keel section, along with curved, skarf jointed stem and stern post sections washed up on the beach. I'm interested in details of how keels were framed, cuz some state guy said it was a "bridge timber". I guess the bridge looked like a ship...

Wood was/is in excellent condition, so musta been buried. Also found/retrieved a timber near Douglass beach with a square iron spike in it. Iron was extremely maleable and bent. Any spike experts out there?

 

[Darren in NC]

Interesting, Fisheye...learn something new every day.

 

[ivan salis]

fisheye knows his wood --thats for sure--- are you carpenter or wood worker maybe? Ivan

 

[FISHEYE]

ivan,

I am a carpenter and i do custom wood work.curently im refinishing all the teak on my yacht.after many hours of sanding and many coats of sickens varnish with sanding in between every coat of varnish,it will look like gold when im done.most of my family in florida is in the wood biz.one cousin has a saw mill in boca raton an another cousin builds custom houses an resturants in ft lauderdale and miami.mydad just finished a custom log cabin up in the mountains of NC,its his new home far away from hurricanes here in florida for the summer.some time next month ill have to go up there to do some extra trim work that he wanted done.

 

[ivan salis]

I thought you knew way too much about exotic woods not to be a wood worker or carpenter---it was just a hunch on my part but a valid one I see and repairing high dollar boats would make you get to lnow exotic woods very well---I'm a old sea salt my self-- 27 years a merchant seaman---Ivan

 

[Peg Leg]

I recall one time in Belize there was a line of fence post but nothing was attached. I was told it was IRON WOOD and there was no way to staple the wire fencing to it it was so hard.
I was also told that the Mayans use to use this wood to make weapons. The CARIBS had hammers made from this material.
Yes it is much harder that Barn Oak but I did not know that it was used in ship building. Lean something new everyday.
Peg Leg

 

[ivan salis]

hey peg leg---did they wrap the wire in a loop around the post and "twist" it to make it stay? I've seen that before

 

[Peg Leg]

That was the only way it would stay.
I tried cuttig a few pieces with a chain saw-eat the blade up pretty quick so I had some AMISH do it for me with a BUCK SAW.
Peg Leg