Wood equal to or better than Douglas Fir?

We are very fortunate to have Tamarack and Eastern White Cedar here. Not great for everything but they each have their merits. They do not lend themselves to replanting but they like to grow in places that don't lend themselves to big scale commercial forestry, and thankfully we still have a fair bit of those nooks and crannies to survive in.

New Brunswick

Before it takes the air in greener shoots
A seed is nurtured by surrounding soil
And patterned by whatever streams can coil
Where worms and borers worked their slow pursuits;
And though it wills to grow a crown that fruits
In skies where lightnings break and thunders clap,
It can't escape the source that feeds its sap:
No tree belies its soil, outgrows its roots.

Not soft the soil where we took root together;
It grew not giants but the stunted strong,
Toughened by suns and bleak wintry weather
To grow up slow and to endure for long;
We have not gained to any breadth or length,
And all our beauty is our stubborn strength.

- Fred Cogswell

 

I participate in an Australian boat building forum too and Huon pine from Tassie or celery top, as well as "Oregon" might be good options for this builder. The obvious issue is just about everything they'll need or want on the big island, will need to come from somewhere else. Makes me glad I'm in the largest plywood purchasing state in the USA. I haven't been in Hawaii in several decades, but I do remember what a steak dinner cost back then and can only imagine what it might be now.

 

They do grow wood there in Hawaii, and at least one species was identified as suitable for boat building, although to heavy for this specific purpose. Some of the others look good also but could be expensive as they are used for cabinet making. Some others are used for plywood and veneers and might be selected for his purpose. I would be inclined to find something local. Adds to the character and spirit if nothing else.

Here it is again. I would be interested in opinions on which of these would be the most suitable for his purposes...
www.ctahr.hawaii.edu/oc/freepubs/pdf/RM-7.pdf

Some Woods of Hawaii Properties and Uses of 16 Commercial Species
Roger G. Skolmen

 

I have to admit, I'm not up on the species offerings in Hawaii and agree it would be nice and likely cheaper to use local stocks.

 

Okay, that comment may have been too subtle. You may need a new contractor. A real connection for lumber is the reason.

Can't help that, there are rules here.

 

I think I've found the species here to use. There's lots of it and I can get the trees/logs for free and mill the logs easily enough. plus I really like the idea of using local Hawaiian trees for the lumber for my Polynesian Style Sailboat!

It's Albizia Lebbeck, it is between Southern Yellow Pine (Longleaf) and Loblolly Pine.


D-F SYP Loblolly Albizia Lebbeck
Weight
lb cu/ft 32 41 35 40

Gravity .45 .51 .54 .65 .47 .57 .51 .63

Hardness 620 870 690 1330

Rupture 12,500 14,500 12,800 13,730

Elastic 1,765,000 1,980,000 1,790,000 1,836,000

Crushing 6,950 8,470 7,130 7,160

Shrinkage
Radial 4.5% 5.1% 4.8% 2.9%
Tangential 7.3% 7.5% 7.4% 5.8%
Volumetric 11.6% 12.2% 12.3% 9.6%
T/R Ratio 1.6 1.5 1.5 2.0

It is said to take glue, paint &finishes well.


Thoughts, ideas?

Par, the Big Island is very different than the other Islands. Way cheaper here then on the other Islands. Very rural, most use water catchment for our water, septic systems and about half or more are of grid. Even food and supplies are are much cheaper too. Only about 180,000 population and the other 7 Islands could fit into outline of Big Island twice. It's a little over 4000 sq mi.

Cheers, Allen

 

Make sure to dry that lumber after cutting and milling. Then encapsulate it in epoxy after a rough sanding. Glad you found a local lumber. post pics please.

 

Yes, I need about 2000 lineal ft of 1"x3", among other sizes, most is 1" thickness. I'll probably cut it ¼-⅜ over finish size & then sticker & stacked it. I'll put it under a black tarp in sun with rain proof vents to help dry it.

Then plane to finish size after close to dryness then restack till final moisture content.

That is unless I get better recommended method.

I'll definitely share pics of the whole process.

Cheers, Allen

 

Good luck, Allen. par isn't here to learn.

Dry is good, but I cut to rough, put it back in the kiln, go to finish moisture content, and then finish milling. (That's also why I prefer hardwoods, but I've never been interested in proving that scientifically, so that part remains merely my opinion.)

 

Jammer, let us not start a pissing contest here. Par is a pretty knowledgeable and widely experienced dude. You are free, even encouraged, to disagree as long as it is done with respect. Our Administrators, to their credit, are not sympathetic about ad hominems.

 

Thank you messabout for posting the request to keep the thread civil.

To paraphrase the forum rules, as it might be good to post this reminder here in this thread to keep the thread from going off track, disagreement is fine and often beneficial and part of intelligent discussion but should be based always on ideas and factual information and never degenerate to a personal attack or insult.

It takes restraint sometimes not to jab at someone, but jabs rarely add to the quality of the discussion and usually just make things unpleasant for all.

Please, let's keep the forums polite, and if you can't get along with another forum member civilly or wish not to read their posts, please add them to your ignore list.

Thanks for helping keep the discussions positive.

 

Excuse me? I spent the majority of my life in construction here in California as a carpenter, general contractor and tract superintendent, and we habitually framed houses top to bottom in Douglas fir. I can't imagine why you think it's unsuitable for rafters...

A house isn't a boat. The reason a house carpenter doesn't care about things like pitch pockets is because they don't affect a stud or rafter's strength enough to matter - and he isn't worried about the appearance of framing that will be hidden. Implying that makes him a sleazy builder is an insult to the entire profession.

 

I really don't think it was an attack on carpenters, or houses for that matter. Houses are slower, generally speaking. We all know this. The building codes take this into account, so there is no need to pick out all the best pieces when building a house. ;-)

 

Ok, how about a change of direction?

Anyone have recommendations on drying the Albizia Lebbeck wood?

As in, how close to finish dimensions do I go before drying it?

Leave ¼" on both dimensions and dry it then plane to final dimensions?

Plane it to finished dimensions and then dry it?

Or cut and plane close to final dimensions, dry it, then plane it again to final dimensions?

Cheers, Allen

 

I don't know whether there any demolition yards over there where timber from old buildings is sold, but you can be sure it will be well seasoned, and maybe from an era when better quality was readily available. Not so easy to work with in some cases possibly, and there may be nails to get out, but worth a thought.