Need Help Determining Age of Wood Furniture - Shrinkage, Wear etc.

[talesofthesevenseas]

I was thinking more about this...

So I could count the rings from end to end along the width of the table and get a minimum age of the tree the table top was sawn from, since the board was quarter-sawn. That would be interesting to know! I had assumed we were looking at a cross section (full width of the tree) until you posted the diagram showing what a quarter-sawn board is. think I'll do that, and will put a tape marker along the edge for every count of ten and take another photo.

[talesofthesevenseas]

Well... counting rings through walnut stain is a whole lot tougher than I thought it would be. My eyes just aint what they used to be! Even with my jeweler's loupe it was tough! I counted the rings in a couple of inch-long sections. Looks like they vary from 9 to 12 rings per inch. So if we took an average of about 10 rings per inch over 30 inches, I guess that tree must have been 300-ish years old when it was cut down, that's kinda cool! Good dinner table conversation, eh?!

Here's a couple of up-close examples:

[cogar]

Looks like they vary from 9 to 12 rings per inch. So if we took an average of about 10 rings per inch over 30 inches, I guess that tree must have been 300-ish years old when it was cut down, that's kinda cool! Good dinner table conversation, eh?!

Talesoft, I wouldn’t hesitate to add another 5” to 10” to that diameter because the outer portion of a log is “slabed” off in the mill and it doesn’t appear your board extends clear into the heartwood. The growth rings will become more “curved” the closer they are to the center of the log. Check that diagram again and you will see what I mean. And of course, check the ends of your board to make sure.

[talesofthesevenseas]

It looks pretty darn consistant from corner to corner on the table. OK cool, I guess we can add another 50 or 100 years to the minimum age of the tree, putting it at 350 or 400 years old+ when it was felled. That's pretty neat, and fun to think about what was going on in the world during its history. Thanks, learning about the wood really helps to add to the charm of the table. It has definitely got that "good karma" factor goin' for it!