Check the joints Probably the biggest indication of the quality of a wooden piece of furniture is the way the corners and joints are constructed. If you notice that the corners are held together by staples or nails, or if you can see that wood glue is visible, this is a clear sign of a poor quality construction. If the wood comes from a wood pile or from a sawmill where all the pieces come from locally processed trees, the potential species are immediately limited. In general, even mass-produced furniture from before 1960 is stronger and better manufactured than today's cheap furniture.
You don't have to find old value to be a great vintage piece that will provide you with years of service. Wood from freshly felled trees or wood that has been stored in an extremely humid environment will have a very high moisture content. While certain woods may look basically identical to each other under normal lighting conditions, when exposed to certain wavelengths, such as those found in black lights, wood absorbs and emits light at a different (visible) wavelength. Make sure you like the way the grain looks and that you understand the color you'll get in the end.
Old wood usually has a much darker finish than freshly milled wood. The following techniques and recommendations do not necessarily have wide application for initially classifying wood species and eliminating large swaths of wood species, but are most likely only used as a final step in special identification circumstances. In some applications, certain species of wood are used much more frequently than others, so you can make an informed guess about the species of wood depending on the application in which it was used. Look for growth rings formed by the annual growth of a tree, which will clearly indicate that the wood sample in question is a solid, genuine piece of wood extracted from a tree.
Before we begin, take a look at The Truth Behind Identifying Wood to approach the task with the right mindset; I consider the linked article to be mandatory reading for all those who visit my site with the intention of identifying wood. But because the same woods have always been preferred for furniture, workmanship and finish are probably a better indicator of age than the wood itself. If possible, take the piece of wood to get an idea of its weight and compare it with other known wood species. Manufactured wood, such as MDF, OSB and particleboard, has a distinctive appearance that, in almost all cases, is easily distinguished from the final grain of real wood.
When you find wooden furniture that needs a little TLC, it's really tempting to shell out the money and take it home as your next favorite project. If you have Amish furniture from Pennsylvania, the wood is most likely made of something like black walnut or cherry, and not African wenge or jatoba.
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