Wood types

[Craig Che]

I searched but couldn't find anything on how to tell the species of wood. I am going to look at some birch this weekend and besides a thumbnail test I don't know how else to tell if it is paper birch or yellow birch or somewhere in between. It would be great to know basic ways to tell wood types, either by weighing a piece or using a nickel with a certain amount of pressure...

Could we possibly make a sticky or FAQ section with some of the more common questions?

[Jamie Buxton]

Idntifying wood is a whole science. You'll learn a lot from Bruce Hoadley's book Identifying Wood, from Taunton Press.