Douglas Fir

[drs3317]

Anyone know of a good source of clear Douglas Fir in the Baltimore Maryland area? I'm looking for 8' 2x4s and 2x8s

[cyclops]

IF you ask at boat yards ,1 will tell you were.

[chandler]

Unless you are looking for alot, any local building supplier, excepting home depot etc. Should be able to special order it for you.

[DJSwan]

I dug this thread up. Is Douglas fir a good building material for boats? I have lots of straight grained no knot dense grained reclaimed Douglas fir in long lengths. What are some things that would make it a bad choice? Thanks Derek

[pashbe1]

I have used Douglas Fir extensively in traditional boatbuilding and restoration. Old growth, tight grained DF is a great boat building material. It combines good strength and rot resistance w/ moderate weight. It machines well as long as attention is paid to the run of the grain. It is relatively hard.

One major drawback is that machining can "harden" the surface making absorbtion of adhesive difficult. Care should be taken to roughen the surface when glueing. Remember not to over clamp when using epoxy.

psb

[DJSwan]

Thank you pashbe1, That was the last bit of positive feedback regarding Douglas fir I needed to make my first boatbuilding call. I will make my first boat out of Douglas fir. I am surrounded by forest of them here in Montana. I have been working D-fir as long as I have been woodworking. I don't know how to apply it to boatbuilding. It has been very good to me for many years, I feel comfortable with it and I don't want to leave it behind as I go on my way to a new profession. What kind of a boat should I build with it? thanks Derek

[pashbe1]

The key to DF is for it to be tight grained old growth and properly cured. That mean air drying in a controlled way as DF is not the most stable wood. Do not kiln dry if possible as it will move and then when it hits the water can break frames in traditionally built wooden boats. If you are going to cold mold remember to keep surface rough. Epoxy loves a gap. In Montana some type of river boat, something suitable for fly fishing or maybe water fowl hunting?

[Ike]

Douglas Fir plywood is used extensively in boats.

[DJSwan]

Is cold mold my best choice for DF. Do I want to saturate it with epoxies?OK, I build a river boat. It is a bit out of my comfort level as far as my skills on water. I have never been in one or maybe I have and didn't know it. I can see it as a good boat to go flyfishing and duck hunting. I would like to take the family with me. Derek

[DJSwan]

I don't have any plywood. Is cold molding making your own plywood?

[Ike]

Cold molding is done using thin veneers laid diagonally, with alternate layers at an angle to each other, and the whole bonded together with resin, so essentially yes, what you end up with is like plywood, only better. Cold molding works especially well for boat hulls with rounded hulls, where plywood works best for flat panels or slight curvature. But you need thin veneers, about the thickness of a door skin on hollow doors. I don't know if it would be the best choice for cold molding because I haven't used it for that. I've always used mahogany.

[DJSwan]

Thank you Ike, I don't have any mohogany. I've seen that alot on boats. I got lots of DF. Some tamarack, some cedars, some white oak. I may be able to get hemlock. I would like to use DF, if I could. Maybe I could use other woods for other parts.

[pashbe1]

If you haven't build a boat from lumber (not plywood) before and haven't done much boating, I would recommend plywood. If you really want to use dimensional lumber see my previouse post. Also if you have some woodworking skill I guess I would recommend trad. plank on frame methods over cold molding as it is more about woodworking than laminating. But for the first time keep it simple. Do not get ambitious. Do not put alot of money into the first attempt. Learn from it. Do some research about what boats are used locally, on what waters and for what. Choose something suitable for your skill level woodworking, boating and the safety and fun of your family.

[DJSwan]

Ambition has been a bit of a problem for me. That's why I am here. I no longer feel comfortable in my trade. I just saw a career advisor for the first time. The result of that meeting was either I get a masters in Archicture or build boats. I like the KISS philosophy. Planks of DF. I got. I don't like using plywood in homes I have built. I do like to use epoxy. We have made some lams with planks. Stancraft started here in Montana. I see lots of oared riverboats. Canoes, jet skies, ski boats ect., There are many applications of boats on water around here. I figure I am not building a jet ski out of Doug fir.:) I guess I am looking for a good design that could be built with doug fir. I can make thin planks. Send them through a belt sander if needed. I am here to be humble and learn a new craft.

[DJSwan]

I can't even spell Architecture

[pashbe1]

Do you plan to trailer the boat? If so cold molded or plywood would be the better option. A DF plank on frame boat would have problems with the wet dry cycling. Using the thickness sander to finish your veneers if you cold mold is a great idea since a coarser grit sand paper will leave a bit of 'tooth' on the material. Epoxy loves a gap. If you are going to cold mold and trailer the boat don't bother w/ fasteners at all. All they do is create localized stress points and points of ingress for water in a molded structure. Where you have to use fasteners over drill and pot with epoxy to avoid leaving an avenue for water to get into the laminate. Contrary to popular misconception plywood and cold molded structures are ideal habitats for rot spores so it is imperative to keep moisture content as low as possible and be fanatical about sealing all wood and especially endgrain.

[DJSwan]

Yes on the trailer. My dad was a Marine Corp officer,and I have served a brief time, so land and on the seas. I'm going for the cold molded. Sounds like epoxy is the key. I can get the moisture content to whatever is the best for it. Airdried to perfection. Ahh, so what is the magic number. I'll start tommorrow sorting wood. I don't know boatbuilding etiquett. I would like to learn.

[DJSwan]

Breathing too much dust. I believe has caused me to forget how to spell. Or am using a spell check too much. So how do I do a spell check on this forum? Sorry dad "Marine Corps"