How to Determine the Age of Hand-hewn Barn Wood

Hand-hewn barn wood was usually produced prior to the mid-1800s.

Old barn wood is in high demand because of its age, strength, nostalgic value, and identification as a "green" building material. Its value varies based on age, species of wood, and condition. If you know that the barn wood is hand hewn, you already know that it was made prior to the mid-1800s. To date your wood more exactly, look for other clues in the wood.

Instructions

1. Confirm that the barn wood is actually hand hewn. Look for identifying marks from an axe, hatchet, or other hand tools. Hand-hewn timbers were chopped from logs by using broad hatchets or broad axes. Look for irregular and splintered slices traveling in the direction of the wood grain, as well as deep cuts across the grain. Hand-hewn barn wood may have been smoothed with a tool called an adze. In this case, look for scalloped-shaped marks along the relatively smooth surface.

2. Look for nails. Until the end of the 1700s and early 1800s, nails used to build barns were made individually by a blacksmith. They were tapered on four sides to a point and most featured heads pounded into the shape of a flower petal. Cut nails were machine made from the 1790s to 1900 and have a blunt point. Type A cut nails, manufactured between 1790 and 1830, were crudely tapered. Type B cut nails showed a refinement of manufacturing technique, as the tapers were cut by setting the cutters at an angle. You can distinguish between type A and type B nails by feeling the edge of the nail for roughness (also called a "burr"). Type A nails will have a burr on the diagonally opposite edges. Type B nails will have burrs on the same side.

3. Look for "marriage marks." These were instructions, carved into hand-hewn barn timbers, that told the barn raisers which parts of the barn to join together. They look a bit like Roman numerals. A new building technique was introduced in the early 1800s that made marriage marks unnecessary, so if you find marriage marks on your hand-hewn barn timbers, you know the wood is likely older than 1820.

4. Measure the wood. Timbers used to build barns after 1820 were usually a uniform 8 inches by 8 inches or 9 inches by 9 inches along their whole length. Diagonal braces were usually 4 inches by 4 inches. Prior to 1820, the timbers usually flared at one end and followed the natural taper of the log at the other.

5. Consult historical records if you know the specific barn the wood came from. Places to look include tax records, town histories, newspaper articles, and even local residents. You can often speak directly with someone at a local historical society to receive valuable advice and information.

References

• Field Guide to New England Barns and Farm Buildings; Thomas Durant Visser; 1997
• The Barn Pages: Selling Old Barns
• Creative Art Furniture: Wooden It Be Lovely-Tips on Wood and Identifying Quality Antique Furniture
• Preservation Massachusetts: Programs-Preserve Mass Barns