Identifying Aged Hardwood

The wood database online can show specific grain types color variations and hardness to help in the hardwood floor identification.

Identifying aged hardwood. Looking at the grain characteristics coloring and growth ring density aids the process and can usually determine if the piece is a hardwood or softwood. Identifying specific reclaimed wood species can be challenging even for the experienced eye if the original aged patina is still intact. Identify wood by scent smell the scent of the wood. Many antique furniture pieces have featured quartersawn white oak.

As any blade cuts through wood it leaves marks. Many violins have spruce tops. Yellow and black birch present a distinct wintergreen odor. Many trees are readily identified by their scent.

A pit saw gash saw and circular saw each leave a very different type of mark the pit saw left uneven and irregular kerf marks and was in use from the earliest days of american settlement. The gash saw left large regular up and down kerf. Examine any saw and kerf marks visible on the beams. Common leaf identification shapes include ovate egg shaped lanceolate long and narrow deltoid triangular obicular round and cordate heart shaped.

Here s what to look for when identifying pine oak maple walnut cherry birch cedar poplar ash and douglas fir. Many older houses with solid hardwood floors have commonly used either red oak or hard maple. Pine wood also has a marked odor and makes excellent firewood as it burns clean with little ash. To correctly identify the type of hardwood you need to perform a few tests.

Some species are easy to identify such as oak pine cherry and fir. For instance in the united states. The shape of a leaf can also give clues when identifying broadleaf tree species. While there is one specific wood species quercus alba that is commonly considered the white oak and there is one specific species quercus rubra that is considered the red oak the truth of the matter is when you buy oak lumber within north america oftentimes you will not actually be buying these two exact species but instead you may be buying one of the oaks contained.

Mahogany is a pinkish or reddish brown type of wood commonly used in furniture. Apple and cherry both evidence the respective scent of the fruit they bear. Many closet items used aromatic red cedar and so forth. How to identify trees by leaf shape.

While it s not a 100 guarantee profiling the wood.