> After getting [the beams] back to the shop, I realized that they were
> chesnut! What a blast it was working with this now extinct wood.

Not to pick nits (or nuts), but chestnut is not extinct.  In its native
range, I've read that the tree gets a few years old before the blight
hits it.  The article in "FWW on Wood" has more details.

Outside of its native range, like here in Oregon, there are still chestnut
trees that drop enough nuts to be harvested.  Several of them are on one of
route where I ride my bike, and are quite noticeable in the fall due to the
messy nuts and shells all over the road.