MHRestorations Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Pulled up close to 700 square feet of this tongue and groove flooring. This is what it looks like after a couple of passes through the planer. I've got a couple ideas about what it might be, but because I'm relatively new at identifying wood species, I wanted to check and see what species it is for sure. Thoughts? IMG]https://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/16/01/04/1d5d32614 Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 The color and grain looks like ash to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Maybe maple, probably soft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Ash or elm. The feathered grain is more like elm. Do you have more boards you can show? Wetting the grain will help a little as will a shot of the end grain. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHRestorations Posted January 4, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Just some mineral spirits wiped on the board. Are ash and elm wood types that would have been commonly used for flooring 60-80 years ago? I've had a couple folks suggest it could be fir. Any takers on that? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 I really don't think it is fir. Looks much more like a hardwood to me. 80 years ago they would have used whatever was available. Elm, ash, oak, maple and chestnut were all relatively local. Of those it looks the most like elm or ash to me. From the pictures it does seem to have "feathering" that is characteristic of elm. This means the grain lines tend to feather into each other. The grain is pretty tight in your boards so it is not as obvious as some boards I have seen. http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/elm,%20misc.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 I take back my maple guess. Def not fir though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 I'll jump on the elm or ash bandwagon, leaning toward elm. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mat60 Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 In thinking ash but what do I no.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 I don't know elm well but I bet against ash. The end grain does not show pores like I would expect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 13 minutes ago, C Shaffer said: I don't know elm well but I bet against ash. The end grain does not show pores like I would expect. you would see pores in Elm too. I think it is hard to tell from the photo. The grain is pretty tight and it is just one small photo. Hickory would be another guess. It can be really hard to tell from a picture of a single board. I use hardness, weight and smell to help ID woods and obviously you can't get those from a photo :). http://www.hobbithouseinc.com/personal/woodpics/hickory.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 My first impression was hickory, but I didn't see the dark streaks I normally see in hickory. That would surely make a tough floor, though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom King Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 My guess without knowing anything about where it came from, but just by looking at the mineral spirits picture, would have been Eucalyptus.....but probably not out of an ordinary house six or eight decades ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHRestorations Posted January 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 Would it help if I had a few boards planed down in a larger photo? Also, Mike, care to make the short 5-6 hour trek to my neck of the woods and teach me how to use smell to ID boards? A big part of my work involves salvaging wood to use in the shop, but I feel lost when it comes to identifying wood species. Anybody care to share some reliable educational resources for this topic? Also, thank you to everyone for giving their input on this question so far. Nice to know there is a place to go when I need some help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 12 minutes ago, MHRestorations said: Would it help if I had a few boards planed down in a larger photo? Also, Mike, care to make the short 5-6 hour trek to my neck of the woods and teach me how to use smell to ID boards? A big part of my work involves salvaging wood to use in the shop, but I feel lost when it comes to identifying wood species. Anybody care to share some reliable educational resources for this topic? Also, thank you to everyone for giving their input on this question so far. Nice to know there is a place to go when I need some help. Ha! Most species have a distinct smell when they are cut. Pine and Fir are easy, they smell like Pine! the rest are really more about personal experience and associations. I have a good sense of smell (one reason I will never have a dog or cat in the house) so smell is a reliable helper for me. To others it might all smell like wood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 Just be glad it isn't red oak, that stuff smells like an unwashed ass. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 18 minutes ago, wdwerker said: Just be glad it isn't red oak, that stuff smells like an unwashed ass. Please tell me someone described that smell to you? So pray tell, what are your plans for this 700 sq. ft. of this wood? That's a bunch of darn boxes? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MHRestorations Posted January 5, 2016 Author Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 14 minutes ago, K Cooper said: Please tell me someone described that smell to you? So pray tell, what are your plans for this 700 sq. ft. of this wood? That's a bunch of darn boxes? I'm with Cooper, hope, you didn't find that smell on your own. We will end up selling some of the flooring as flooring for home remodels (single rooms, bathrooms, etc). But, the majority of it will go into custom builds for clients. As much fun as it would be to make a ton of boxes, I foresee most of it being used for items like coffee tables, pictures frames, or even barn doors. Nothing too exciting, but it was hard to pass up all that material when the cost to acquire it was next to nothing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sjk Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 Have you visited http://www.wood-database.com/wood-articles/wood-identification-guide/ ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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