Pine or Chestnut?

[Rod]

Please excuse me for my ignorance, for I am a mere and lowly greenhorn when it comes to decifering types of wood, especially old barn wood. Also, I apologize if this topic has already been covered in the past. I am new to "woodworkers".

I have bought "wormy chestnut". I have taken down an old tobacco barn on my property and found wormy oak, other red oak, and american chestnut (both wormy and not)...or what I belive to be chestnut. I have seen both pine (all types) and chestnut. I still cannot tell the difference without having the two side-by-side...and even then......... Is there a tried and true method for distinguishing chestnut in a pile of 100+ year old wood?

I ask because I have contracted to take a barn down (a very large barn) that, I feel, holds within its bowels some usable lumber. I have found some oak that I am sure of and there is pine of course. I'm hoping to find some chestnut in there but probably wouldn't be able to tell it apart from the rest...pine in particular I think. Any suggestions?

Thanks for you time.
Rod Baker

 

[DaveO]

I would think that the porosity in the end grain would be a sure way to tell the two apart. That and the smell of the pine if you could plane deep below it's weathered exterior.

Chestnut end grain -

Here's a good article on growth rings but it has a simple explaination about the differences in the end grain between softwoods and hardwoods.
http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk/mag...croscopy-uk.org.uk/mag/artjan02/treering.html

HTH, Dave

 

[Rod]

Thank you for your help. That makes perfect sense.

I will try it out on some of the wood in my barn tomorrow!