Hi Dave,

I note that you are in Mass. and so if you want to see some thatch then you should head out towards Cape Cod where there is a shopping arcade that is thatched. I have a photo of this somewhere. If you check out Abbott Lowell Cummins book on the Framed Houses of Mass Bay he lists a number buildings that were thatched during early times in the establishment of New England but soon thatch was outlawed for fire reasons and still is in downtown Boston (and London).

Please give my regards to Jack and see if you can prise an email adress out of him !

Don,

Elm is an easy wood to identify. It has little mini growth rings between the main annual rings whereas oak simply has early and late wood. It also tends to spiral dramatically back and forth along the length of the trunk. (White) Oak has very obvious medullary rays which will show up quite easily when inspecting a halved timber. Bug damage is also a good indicator. White oak heartwood will not be as affected as the sapwood whereas elm will suffer bug damage right across the sap & heartwood which in any event is hard to reliably distinguish. It tends to be much more difficult to identify softwoods. Knots are a good indicator.

Smoke tar (creosote) coatings can mask some of the clues but it helps to know the trees in the woods and especially if you can positvely identify a tree before chopping it up for the firewood pile.

Regards

Ken Hume