wood id based upon location, age and use. and what to look for when picking through!

[Ken Wilsbach]

I have a potential source for free wood from old barns that are no longer standing. Wood is located in Reinholds, PA, about an hour and a half west of Philadelphia. Barns are more than likely "at least 100 years old". I believe this area would have had a large Mennonite community, based upon my time spent in Hershey and that the surrounding areas had been largely Mennonite.

I'd love to "reclaim" this wood and put it to use! I have a feeling it's all just sitting outside in a heap and has been for a long time. I've also been told that there are some standing barns that would be ok to take from, as none of them are in use.

What should i look for for good wood, both wood that has been sitting around outside in a heap and that which is still in use. Any idea what sort of wood these barns would have been built with 100ish years ago in that area?

[duckkisser]

bring a saw cut off the ends of some of the boards to figure out if it is old growth. some of those old hand made barns can have some wood that while the surface is bad its such hard wood that the heart of the lumber is rock solid.

[suiciedchild]

that area will probably have cherry , walnut and oak , that is pretty typical on this side of PA you can also do some scouting to nearby forrested areas , see what old trees are there, they probably didn't want to transport them very far , so if there is a forrest nearby that has the potential to be older than the barns , it might be a safe assumetion that is where the wood came from. and help you narrow down your possiblilties. another thing you could do is just take a couple pieces that look different from each other about 2' or so, take them home and plane them down to see if the underlying wood is still identifiable, then take the peices back and you may be able to tell the difference from comparing the unplanned side to the milled side and tell what is what, if there are multiple species.

[VRuthRyan]

Through the first-half of the 20th century, the species (Castanea dentata) American Chestnut-- which was by far the dominant forest tree species in Pennsylvania and the East -- was virtually eliminated from the landscape by an Asiatic blight , so good chance there may be some chestnut, too. The species is not grown anymore because of the blight but the wood was beautiful- so if you find some you could have a real prize on your hands.

[Ken Wilsbach]

so basically speaking... the wood is worth taking regardless.

[suiciedchild]

Yeah I forgot about chestnut being promenint beck then. I have a chestnut across the street from me , but it was obviously planted after that point.