Need Help Determining Wood Type

[christopher gutter]

I took this beam from a 100+ year old barn in Brantford Ontario. The beam is 6''x6'' and approximately 12 pounds/ linear foot. A friend said it may be hickory... Does anyone have any other ideas?

[Joe Kieve]

Looks a lot like the yellow pine we have down here in the South.

[christopher gutter]

I think it is a little too hard a heavy to be yellow pine.

[John TenEyck]

At that density (48 lb/ft^3) hickory or oak would fit. Visually it could be either.

John

[Dave Zellers]

I think it is definitely antique heart long leaf pine also known as yellow pine. Today's yellow pine is completely different. The stuff cut from the virgin forests in the south 100 - 200 years ago is extremely hard and heavy. It was shipped all the way up the Atlantic coast for post and beam warehouses which still exist. When these buildings are torn down the recyclers bid on the beams. It's beautiful wood.

[Perry Holbrook]

Yep, definitely heart pine.

Perry

[christopher gutter]

Thanks! Any idea of what it would go for per foot?

[Judson Green]

Wondering could it be Tamarack?

[Perry Holbrook]

Never heard of Tamarack, so after a little search, I see it grows in Canada and you're in Canada. Looks like it grows big enough to have beams that big and it could be the heart of an old growth native. So, down here in the south US it would definitely be heart pine beams. Up there they may have made the beams from Tamarack 100 years ago. They do look alike.

Perry