Specializing in hardwood furniture, trim carpentry, cabinets, home improvement and architectural millwork, Wade Shaddy has worked in homebuilding since 1972. Its not as soft as, say, eastern white pine or that radiata stuff, but its not a bear, either. Etc. If you like to pound nails into stuff, doing that when its is green is super easy. Here is a piece of real bottom-of-the-barrel construction-grade douglas-fir, from the 24 (stud) pile: You probably dont want to build a bench with that kind of stuff. Youre also more likely to find big cuts of at a sawmill than beech. #Ht@`t"!B@%!GD4 )20B9-&Bn2X6~(T9$h)Ck }/ hoVO~}7?D>BOocdU^9.W>E-: Az#}dt2\m} +I5wvC&3@rtRr]>}7! ^">o&k~/~]kK{!_oR)oWy_!8_k!Hg&O1Zu ~9q=?DpO5] }N}~DaJ21ux}Ji~1y`M^K{ KO}cv\{{>!yq =[ ~h0K~,.:0PY*J)w`B)""cxS^2Ai*2KLD~},=G(lD,C%.f `"dHTUhg6.Ia;3AU6G+D(!F6x;pCfg'Ny8.pN3hoq".A9+A.E&6H 3E |E >pA^R}OwOJ
Redwood also pulls this stunt to a certain extent, for whatever thats worth. The good news is that, as is the case with SYP, if you make a foray over to the wide pieces (e.g. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. OK, I digress. /Im0 Do It seems to like to spelch, which is annoying. It machines OK, just be careful about what kinds of blades (or whatever) you use. 0000000607 00000 n Loblolly pine contained a higher average density. =o~/ZGtO>}"`&U"~h1P8!#r8qtSO"^ #mt5"k_{P~;j97CO%GOOOG0nK:kjH4Lg^gK~i+8#?7?r?GI?qO}LpR?_W()}/N_}%y+U%`4>1o)>W_k7tw+421M=.% . I havent explored many other places and am open to suggestions. Fir has tight, close grain lines. Simply put, the earlywood is fairly soft and the latewood is dense and tough. Is Southern yellow pine stronger than Douglas fir? When Schwarz first started to research workbenches, he was lucky to have a source of cheap wood that he wouldnt feel bad about consuming and mauling with abandon. Whats the difference between SYP and Douglas fir? Though its very stiff, the fibers deform pretty evenly. Observe what happened when I did the same thing on endgrain with the smoothing plane that I did earlier: All of my woodworking buddies out west know what I mean. It hard to gauge how heavy individual pieces are because they can be sopping wet. I did use an 8/4 chunk for the very front piece of my benchtop, and thats been great.
q In technical terms, wood strength often relates to the timbers modulus of rupture, or rupture strength. Workability also helps, especially if you plan to use a lot of hand tools. They look similar, but have different properties that differentiate them from one another. Thats not to say, though, that beech is my favorite wood to work. If you dont take the protective measure of rotating and sawing in from all corners before completing a cut, itll snap off badly, invariably in the most ugly way possible. They are both widely used in the building industry to provide lumber and plywood for homes and framed structures as well as to provide wood for cabinets and woodworking projects. 0000000547 00000 n When people think of a maple bench, they think of hard maple, because, you know its really hard. I am also in the Bay Area (Livermore). But what happens when you take tools to it? Shaddy began publishing in various magazines in 1992, and published a novel, Dark Canyon, in 2008. There just needs to be a reason to try. Learn which plants thrive in your Hardiness Zone with our new interactive map! One effect of my cross-country move from the San Francisco bay area to Maryland is that I now have easier access to more types of wood. As far as most people are concerned, most of the douglas-fir available for purchase is for construction and framing. 0000000016 00000 n With this variety, its little surprise that pine lumber ranges significantly in strength. Ethan Shaw is a writer and naturalist living in Oregon. Mostly, its not too bad. So its readily available and inexpensive there, and theres pretty much no reason not to use it for benchmaking, at least if youve got it. That way, I can have one to do finishing work on (or my daughter can use) while I am on a new project. And its almost invariably sold green. Simply put, the earlywood is fairly soft and the latewood is dense and tough. startxref The fir tree has a smooth, tight grain that doesnt tend to twist or warp as pine grain does. Douglas-fir is a hugely important lumber tree, grown widely in plantations well outside its native range. Fir is typically the more expensive of the two types of wood. 4 6 In the wild, both Douglas-firs and pines are strong in other ways. Fir plywood is used in the construction of most homes. In some boards, the latewood will be really tough.
xb```f`` Y0*j==U@W oE Even when dried, its still possible to run into pitch pockets with clumps of goo that hasnt fully set into resin. Big specimens may grow to at least 330 feet tall and span over 15 feet across in the trunk. The thing about those places, though, is that they are often the most accessible places to most hobbyists. The first is that it spelches horribly. If youre feeling a little more adventurous, you can look for reclaimed wood, which will give you access to old-growth wood (a quick search shows that The Lumber Baron over in the east bay is an example source, but there are also a lot of general reclaimed building supply places around). Its so bad that you have to be extremely cautious even when sawing boards to lengthespecially with a hand saw. OK, its stiff and strong, but will dent, especially while green. Or perhaps we were the lucky ones. Plan the perfect garden with our interactive tool , Hemera Technologies/AbleStock.com/Getty Images, USDA Forest Service: Center for Wood Anatomy Research - Pseudotsuga menziesii, USDA Forest Service: Center for Wood Anatomy Research - Pinus elliottii, USDA Forest Service: Center for Wood Anatomy Research - Pinus strobus, USDA Forest Service: Center for Wood Anatomy Research - Wood Properties, North American Softwoods. Pine plywood is actually a rarity and typically used only in the production of knotty pine furniture. (LogOut/ As the Wood Database notes, while the modulus of elasticity can certainly relate to a woods absolute strength, it is not a firm indicator: Strong timber can display substantial elasticity. Douglas-fir doesnt just blow out at the ends. 9 0 obj <>stream
0000000790 00000 n Its moderately hard, fairly heavy, and stiff. The wood, being very stiff and strong, has many uses, such as wooden boatbuilding, where it can be used for many purposes, including masts. Rather than glue up a bunch of 2xs just buy the glue-lam at a recycler, hopefully, before it has time to de-lam and warp; or, rot. Perhaps Ill never need to build another bench (mine has served very well), but there are lots of other things in the shop that need to be built. I dont know, maybe similar to yellow-poplar? The two pieces on the right may look similar, but they are of much different origin. Whats the difference between Pine and fir wood? In my area, Western WA, most construction lumber is really crappy and a lot of trouble for everyone. Besides, which is stronger Douglas fir or southern yellow pine? Or maybe it would be like (or even sold as) ponderosa pine, as this is also a yellow pine. Most of the places I used to go to when I lived on the peninsula have closedMintons in Mountain View, Southern Lumber, Millbrae Lumber, and even Macbeaths SF location are gone (thankfully the other locations are still around). That is fascinating reading to me, but when it comes down to it, its best if you get a feel for it in practice. For stability and strength, fir is much less prone to warping or twisting, and much stronger than pine. Back in the old days I lived south of Seattle where old-growth Doug for could be had just for the looking. Which is stronger Douglas fir or yellow pine? The species that grows over here in North America is similar, but its rarely harvested, perhaps because we have trees such as the soft maples that are easier to manage. 1751. Cost is the overriding factor when differentiating between pine and fir. Supposedly, the jeffery pine that you see up in the Sierra Nevada is a yellow pine. The 212 is the go-to size; if the pith runs through it, in clear enough pieces, you can slice that out and have quartersawn stuff as a result. This is partly because pine can be tough to work with due to its knots and its other textural elements. Southern Yellow Pine vs. Douglas-Fir vs. What are the disadvantages of Douglas fir wood?
Disadvantages of Douglas Fir Wood Douglas Fir Wood also has some disadvantages which are I am going to share. I found this board dumpster diving while a neighbor in SF was renovating. Its usually not as hard as something like beech, but its no pushover. It might be more convenient to you than the one in Berkeley if the traffic up over Altamont isnt terrible. OK, I digress. When the fir stabilizes, it will take on the shape of wherever it is installed. Etc. Theres a lot of detailed information on the factors in publications like Summary on Growth in Relation to Quality of Southern Yellow Pine by B. Paul and D. Smith, 1956, USDA Forest Service, Forest Product Laboratory Report No. Now Im going to talk briefly about two other woods that Ive used in benches. The 2x4s are always from the worst part of the tree. As far as most people are concerned, most of the douglas-fir available for purchase is for construction and framing. What Are the Building Qualities of Fir Wood.
That latewood in DF gets so dang hard as it ages. It also isnt cheap. %%EOF
Northwest Trees; Stephen F. Arno, Ramona P. Hammerly, The Sibley Guide to Trees; David Allen Sibley. Thats on the light side for workbench material, but it might be good for other utility work. This makes it somewhat inexpensive, but its still not as cheap as SYP. But my strongest advice if you want to work wood is to start doing it. Id picked it up at the lumberyard for odd jobs. (LogOut/ Oh, douglas-fir, what a tangled web we weave. Soft maple, on the other hand, can be a joy to work as long as the grain doesnt be a big ol jerk and reverse. This view of the side of the new bench should give you the idea: The pieces with the smaller annual rings (often with the thinnest latewood sections) were the toughest to deal with. Wilbur Pan built a fantastic Roubo out of 4x4s; he took his time collecting the pieces he needed. However, this is by no means its only use. It should also be noted that fir is made into plywood far more often than pine. Why Matchmaking Platforms are a Good Solution for Finding Love Online, How Mobile Applications Are Revolutionizing the Media and Entertainment Industry, Applications for Digitalization of the Educational, 7 Tips for Effective Planning for Students, Effective Use of Bullet Points On a Resume. I had latewood pop out (and even separate slightly) in some of the new clear stuff. Well, get a load of this: That square sitting on top is metric (a.k.a. Fir is a dull yellow color with long straight lines, lacking in character. As the Wood Database notes, while the modulus of elasticity can certainly relate to a woods absolute strength, it is not a firm indicator: Strong timber can display substantial elasticity. So its cheap, its stiff, its usually pretty heavy, and you can get it in wide, thick sizes. The annular rings are huge. I got them at Mintons in Mountain View, which has unfortunately been out of business for several years: The two pieces with the holes in them were stretchers on my very first bench before I replaced them with wider stuff. %PDF-1.6
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For cherry or other hardwoods Ive used MacBeth hardwoods in San Francisco. But its price is higher than other softwoods in the market. Even though fir will shrink and expand as it absorbs moisture, it always returns to the same shape. The thing weighed as much as a Volkswagen and is probably still together somewhere, propping up a skyscraper or something. Is Douglas fir more expensive than yellow pine? Quite green. Strangely, the third from the left with the very thick sections of latewood was not too bad. <]>>
In applications where either wood can be used, such as exteriors, interior trim or even decking, pine will save thousands of dollars over fir. 0.08 g Beech is a go-to utility wood in Europe, where its been reasonably well-managed there for a long time. Maybe someone has an operation up there. From an aesthetic point of view, pine has far more character than fir. This is a prized quality for builders, and fir is so reliable that it is even shipped, cut and installed on homes while it is still green. Thanks for your info. Cost: Douglas fir timber is a softwood species. This has been kind of a long-winded reply, sorry! Its much more expensive, but you can immediately recognize how much better it is. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Looks like SYP is the way to go, at least until I figure out wood suppliers other than the hardware stores. endstream
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5 Which is stronger Douglas fir or yellow pine? Characteristics affecting strength and stiffness values are limited, making this product perfectly suited for vertical uses such as load- bearing walls. id have these long strings of latewood 1/32 thick. All Rights Reserved. Many woods have a substantial difference between the so-called earlywood (sometimes called springwood) and latewood (summerwood) in their annular rings, but in SYP (and douglas-fir, which well get to soon), its dramatic. The soft wood between the grain lines shrinks and expands, making the wood cup or twist.
This varies from tree to tree. 0000000911 00000 n
In particular, I can get southern yellow pine (SYP, also called simply yellow pine by actual southerners). The former, which roughly ranges west of the crest of the Cascade Range and Sierra Nevada to the Pacific shore, is one of the largest of all trees. Ive heard that Richert Lumber over in Pleasanton has a fairly big yard, so you could start with there (I dont know much else about them). The downside to this stuff is that its extremely tough because the resin has been setting up for 100+ years. The result is an appalling mess of huge splinters and chunks cracking off of the end. It will do this if you so much as look at it funny. The dog holes mostly went in that piece. Several kinds of pines native to the Southeast -- loblolly, slash, shortleaf and longleaf -- are classified in the lumber industry as southern yellow pine and are widely used in construction. 
The earlywood is even mushier than usual. Pines are the most diverse genus in the broader pine family, which includes Douglas-fir as well as many other familiar conifers. 
