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Roland Wehr's avatar

It's amazing how hard old wood gets. In my 75 year old house they used mostly hemlock or fir wood which is not known to be especially hard. I tried putting a screw in without pre-drilling and the screw snapped right away. The Notre Dame cathedral was supposedly finished about 800 years ago, the trees might have been cut a hundred years earlier after growing for who known how long. These buildings were built to last. How long are the glass and steel rectangles they are now building going to last?

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summer's avatar

Yes oak in particular hardens over time to the point where it is impossible to pound a nail into it, and the wood will last for centuries. Oaks have been sacred and revered by many cultures. Trees carry and hold enormous information, knowledge and energy. The lifespan of a living oak can be thousands of years or more. This is why in Europe all the old oaks are under attack, magnificent centuries-old trees being cut down for flimsy excuses, more history being destroyed.........

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