old joists - wood id

[Samuel Mill]

I posted the linked topic several weeks ago, and settled the issue of whether to mill these up without a specific project in mind:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=89262&highlight=joists+victorian
However, I am still questioning the identification of the wood. I just weighed a sample on a very accurate scale. The sample was 65" x 5-5/8" x 3-5/8". I calculate that to be ~0.767 cu. ft. That sample weighs a bit over 35 lbs. I reckon that to be ~45.5 lbs. per cu. ft., or according to the USFS tables (http://www.fpl.fs.fed.us/documnts/fplgtr/fplgtr113/ch03.pdf), somewhere in the vicinity of 0.66 specific gravity (check my math, please :-) That seems quite dense to me (and I've been informed that I should be an expert on that subject :-) Is this still in the range of "heart pine", or am I more likely dealing with a hardwood of some kind? I did a ring count, and it seems highly variable across several pieces, ranging from 12 - 20 per radial inch, if I am doing that correctly. Color is more deep tan to medium brown, rather than the reddish that I have seen suggested for the pine. Thanks again for any information, pointers, or opinion.

-Sam

[Frank Drew]

Sam,

In general, and except for the ring porous woods like oak, hardwoods don't show growth rings as obviously as do softwoods; of course, there are soft hardwoods (bass, etc.) and very hard softwoods (old growth longleaf pine, for example). With regards to the latter, I suspect time also plays a part in how hard these timbers can be now -- the wood is very resin-y when freshly cut and the resin can crystalize and harden over time. The specs on your sample might not be out of the range for old pine, but I don't know that for a fact. I do know, though, that it can be surprisingly hard and heavy.

Without seeing a picture of your wood it's hard to make anything but an informed guess about its identity; have you cleaned up or planed a piece to get a better look at it?

[Lee Hingle]

Need pics. Nobody can ID wood with the specific gravity alone.