suggestions please?

[1270d]

Last fall I was cutting a sale here in the UP, when i came across two large seemingly rotten logs.  As they were in my way i batted them with the head of my processor.  WHAM.  sound as all get out.  After further inspection, it seems they were in a depression that i assume was untill recently a pond. 

I found the stump, which now has a 14 inch dbh yellow birch growing out of it.    There are the remains of an old logging camp nearby.     

so now i have these old logs  (with landowner permission) that i will probably have sawn (sp) this spring.    I would like to make a nice dining room table first  but.....    I do not know how to identify the species of the wood, since it is old and stained.  (reddish) i would guess its been cut down for 70 - 90 yrs.  the dimensions are 24 " x 12' and 26"x 14'   

I was thinking of having them slabbed at two inch full width as this seemed a very versatile size   

the table would be roughly 4' x 7'


thanks a bunch

[LeeB]

pictures please

[WDH]

Close-up pictures of the growth rings will help, showing a freshly sliced area, preferably with a razor blade.

[red oaks lumber]

if the stump is growing a yellow birch, and the unknown log is reddish in color... my very un professional guess is yellow birch

[1270d]

sorry i have no pix  maybe once all the snow goes.    I thought it was pine or hemlock but im not well versed in this area.   I believe birch will sprout on an old stump like this though no matter what the specie

[Coon]

On the land the we own I can find several cases where white birch are growing through old rotten spruce stumps.  Moreso than not the patches that we clearcut spruce off 10-15 years ago are comin back with white birch and now a bunch of little spruce seem to be growing  and scattered beneath the birch. In a few years we will have to remove the birch to let the spruce through.

[wannasaw]

My buddy built a house and wanted to build a special cofee table so broke out 2 mohahgeny boards that had been given him years earlier that were originally sawn 2-1/4 thick. After resawing in half, planing and sanding we reflected how smart the original owner was not to saw 2" thick. My 2 cent and I dont know doodle about species as my customers teach me more than I teach them. But I know all wood behaveth differently.MJ