Many of the books by L.E. Modesitt (e.g. the 20 or so in the Recluce series) feature woodworkers. The series is actually science fiction (despite swords and magic) because it's about cultures that arose among people crashed on an alien planet that at one time was teraformed using nano critters that remain as a worldwide layer ( Game of thrones uses the same idea) that communicate and do whatever magical seeming things the author requires them to do.
One of the things the author requires them to do is enable some woodworkers to see inside wood and so reliably tell the best (for whatever purpose they're picking it) from second best. I'm am a beginner at woodwork, but starting to think I can tell which of two pieces of wood is likely to crack or twist as I do stuff to it. My question is whether this is delusional.
If you were handed two pieces of similar looking wood, could you reliably tell which one is better for some purpose? (dovetailing? use in a chair leg? crosspiece on a table? part of a cabinet door..)