Wood identification - American Chestnut?

[Mike Henderson]

I was asked to repair an antique kitchen table recently. I could not really tell what wood the table was made from. It looked a bit like oak but for a variety of reasons, I question whether it was oak or whether it was American chestnut.

Can anyone tell me how to identify American chestnut from the wood?

I'm including a couple of pictures of some wood I removed from the table. One is a small piece that still has the original outside (dark, probably from the tanin in the wood). I used the rest of the wood to make the striking surface of a mallet, so that picture shows the inside of the wood, with a new finish on it.

Any help identifying this wood will be appreciated.

Mike