Ken,
I guess I was interested in where you look in a frame for clues about the wood species. Sills or rafters kind of thing? Do you ever slice off a piece w/ a knife to expose a fresh surface?
I bet knots are a good indicator / clue in softwood.
And I've found bark is sometimes left on a waney edge, which helps.
No email for Sobon, but there must be another TTRAGer looking in who can lend an idea on wood identification after it's been aging in a frame for 200, 300, even 600 years.
TTRAGers... Hello? Anybody out there? Your craft needs you.
And what's the R-value of 5 layers of thatch? Pretty good I'm guessing. Interesting discussion.