Vintage Home Furniture

How does one identify the type of wood a piece of furniture is made out of?

I have an interest in vintage (Eames era, Danish, Mid-century) furniture. Are there any "tricks" of the trade to help me recognize the type of wood (Walnut, Teak, Elm...)?

Public Comments

1. yes first you need to look at bare wood of each type. touch it smell it scratch it see how much it weighs . then look on the underside of the furniture the unfinished side and compare. it takes time to learn this but its not that hard