Douglas fir lumber specialized in rough douglas fir. The timber lacks termiteresistance and sapwood is susceptible to lyctid borer attack. The wood is fine to medium texture, straight grain and nonporous. White fir is used as construction lumber and is commonly grouped together with other species of fir and hemlock and sold under the more generic label hemfir. Adapted to a moist, mild climate, it grows larger and faster than rocky mountain douglas fir. Im working my way alphabetically by botanical name, so check out the latest added wood to see where im at in the queue. Structural data and design tables hardcover january 1, 1961 by western wood products association author. Note that douglasfir is in the pseudotsuga genus and is actually more closely. Abies is the genus that contains all true fir species. Let me know if youve got something interesting that youd like to donate to the site. Rocky mountain douglas fir pseudotsuga menziesii mirbel franco var. White fir is used as construction lumber and is commonly. The number of species has long been debated, but two in western north america and two to four in eastern asia are commonly acknowledged. Fine tight straight grain and figured douglas fir make amazing guitars.
Douglas fir regarded as one of the strongest and most durable soft wood materials, douglas fir has always been the preferred choice of builders, engineers and architects. Gibson mcilvain has gone through in our decadelong relationship with carrying softwoods, weve come to understand the up sides and down sides of using douglas fir. Species of wood table of relative wood densities group i ash, commercial white 0. Since species of fir have very poor resistance to decay and insect attack, they are generally used for interior construction purposes. Douglas fir firewood how does douglas fir firewood burn. Popular for its light rosy color, excellent strengthtoweight ratio and for being dimensionally stable, its able to provide superior nailholding capabilities. See more ideas about wood species, hardwood and wood. Common names include douglas fir, douglas fir, douglas tree, and oregon pine. Beyond traditional timber framing, douglas fir timbers can be a great substitute for glue laminated beams with the result being a much more attractive natural wood look. Douglasfir needles were made into a tea and drank by isleta puebloans in new mexico to cure rheumatism. Douglas fir is moderately strong and hard for a softwood, rating 4 on a scale of 1 to 4. Douglas fir that is straight grained and knot free splits nicely into kindling size pieces.
Douglas fir, genus pseudotsuga, genus of about six species of evergreen trees of the conifer family pinaceae, native to western north america and eastern asia. May 31, 2018 and dont be fooled by the wood marked as spf meaning spruce, pine, or fir in home centers. See the articles wood allergies and toxicity and wood dust safety for more information. This wood is worth mentioning because it is very common at your local home center and its so inexpensive youll probably be tempted to make something with it. Mar 03, 2019 janka ratings can vary slightly depending on who performs the test, but according to the wood database, the rating for red oak is 1,220 lb f and that for white oak is 1,350 lb f. Douglas fir is commonly found as sawn timber in weatherprotected heavy construction applications such as mining timbers, posts and poles. Additionally, douglas fir timbers can be used when implementing a faux rafter and gable look and also make great mantles, shelves, and counter tops.
Interiorexterior joinery, structural use, cladding, flooring, and boat building. Douglas fir furniture, when completed, gives a smooth and glossy finish, which is what one desires while building or buying ones furniture. If you are looking for the best in structural timber, the first choice is douglas fir. I hope to have freshly printed books back in stock in early june. Nordmann fir, noble fir, fraser fir and balsam fir are popular christmas trees, generally considered to be the best for this purpose, with aromatic foliage that does not shed many needles on drying out. Interpreting grade stamps western wood products association. Available in long lengths up to 6m, this versatile timber has a wide range of applications. For this reason the name is often written as douglasfir a name also used for the genus pseudotsuga as a whole. The tree itself grows to be very large, and yields a large amount of usable lumber and veneer for plywood. Grand fir the wood database lumber identification softwood. And to avoid tearing grain, even power tool blades must be sharp. The lumber baron has a large selection of reclaimed douglas fir for sale. When it comes to general strength, oak is also the winner, but fir is more workable. The common name honors david douglas, a scottish botanist and collector who first reported the extraordinary nature and potential of the species.
Then view spoiler at the end of the book noah suddenly wants dave and bam they have sex. Average values of elastic moduli along the tangential e t and radial e r axes of wood for samples from a few species are given in the following table as ratios with elastic moduli along the longitudinal e l axis. The wood from trees grown in the uk appears to have less resin than the north american. Because douglas fir contains fewer resins than many other softwoods, count on success with paint and clear finishes. Perfect for flooring, interior siding, exposed beams, furniture or floating shelves. Douglas fir needles were made into a tea and drank by isleta puebloans in new mexico to cure rheumatism. Douglasfir the wood database lumber identification softwood. Western larch is frequently mixed with douglas fir and sold as construction lumber and stamped with the initials dfl. The tonal qualities of old growth douglas fir are astonishing. Even though douglas fir can be a little tougher to find, you wont have to pay a big premium for it. Douglasfir the wood database lumber identification. The mechanical properties quoted for material from canada and usa are for this species mix. Nov 14, 2012 douglas fir is a softwood that produces a moderate amount of heat and is easy to light.
All that makes the wood database unique, distilled into one potent book. Mineral spirits takes most of the pitch off but working at inspecting loads of wood i have learned that hand sanitizer disintegrates pitch fast. The trees are important timber trees, and the strong wood is used in boats, aircraft, and construction. In the manufacture of douglas fir ply wood only the choicest douglas fir logs are used. Nov 02, 20 the douglas fir gift idea was cute and sweet, however the ending was rushed. Coast douglas fir is one of the worlds best timber producers and yields more timber than any other tree in north america 5,19. Western larch the wood database lumber identification. We tried to find some inexpensive table legs at some salvage stores but ended up ordering some farmhouse table legs online.
Fir wood left outside cannot be expected to last more than 12 to 18 months, depending on the type of climate it is exposed to. Both red oak and white oak are harder than douglasfir wood. The associations quality assurance division supervises lumber grading by maintaining a highly competent staff of lumber inspectors who regularly check the quality of mill. Because of these characteristics, douglas fir is widely specified for heavy structural timbers. Douglas fir is more expensive than ordinary pine, but is usually fairly comparable to cedar. The janka rating for red oak, the softer of the two oaks, is 1,220 poundsforce, while that for douglasfir is only 620, which is a little more than half.
Franco and douglasfir pseudotsuga menziesii mirbel franco var. Structural data and design tables western wood products association on. Moderately numerous 64 very numerous 20 darkcolored deposits 33. The wood i used was old pine siding that i planned thin. Pseudotsuga menziesii is widespread in western north america and is an important source of timber. I tried it on a pine sign and it worked like a charm with no damage to the wood and it removed all the pitch. Note that douglasfir is in the pseudotsuga genus and is actually more closely related to larch larix genus than fir.
Im slowly grinding my way through roughly 800 wood species that have still yet to be listed on the site. Yet, the wood grips nails and screws securely, and readily accepts all types of adhesives. The coast douglas fir variety is the dominant tree west of the cascade mountains in the pacific northwest, occurring in nearly all forest types, competes well on most parent materials, aspects, and slopes. With its tight know pattern, premium douglas fir is a beautiful wood to use exposed. It has an excellent strength to weight ratio and the highest rating of any western softwood for extreme fiber stress in bending. Douglas fir grows on the pacific slope, where climatic conditions produce a wood combining soft texture and light weight with extraordinary strength.
Shipping currently not available to canada or australia. White fir the wood database lumber identification softwood. Overall, i think most people are moderately impressed when burning doug fir. Rocky mountain douglasfir pseudotsuga menziesii mirbel franco var. Douglas fir beetle, wood borers, douglas fir tussock moth and western spruce budworm cause significant postfire mortality, particularly as some insect populations have increased as a result of fire suppression 5,209. Reclaimed douglas fir a superior choice for your project. The douglas fir use book is intended for the use of architects, engineers, and students preparing for these professions. Douglas fir guitar wood an ideal wood for acoustic guitar soundboards, backs and sides and bracing wood. As one of the most common species in american forests, douglas fir is strong and straightgrained. In an old growth forest, douglas fir can be 500 years old and grow over 200 feet tall. Douglas fir for outdoor projects kreg tool company.
Prices should be moderate for such utility lumber, though clear, quartersawn, or other such specialty cuts of fir lumber are likely to be more expensive. Since the modulus of elasticity values are determined from bending, the tabulated values given above includes an effect of. Wood source douglas fir timbers specialty wood products. Douglas fir is only moderately durable, and both sapwood and heartwood resist impregnation with preservatives. Plywood, lumber, railroad ties, flooring, fence posts and even furniture are common uses for the wood. The problem was that the entire book was focused on jasons feelings for noah.
Response, projection, sustain and harmonic complexity are all notably superior. Douglas fir products graded for structural and appearance applications. Douglas fir flat top soundboards flat top soundboards. It can also hold different types of stains, paints, and finishes very well, thus being easy to deal with. Diagonalradial 49 exclusively solitary 53 radial multiples 44 solitary and radial multiples 198 tangential bands 25 very large 98 pore frequency. Douglas fir is one of the better softwoods for firewood and is even better than some hardwoods as far as total heat content. Douglasfir is technically not a true fir abies genus, but is in its own genus. Douglasfir heartwood is rated to be moderately durable in regard to decay, but is susceptible to insect attack. Pseudotsuga menziesii, pseudotsuga taxifolia, pseudotsuga douglasii.
Diffuseporous 238 ringporous 66 semiringporous 44 pore arrangement. Jul 07, 2015 douglas fir on the other hand, features a tight, flowing grain pattern that resists warping and twisting. The common name is misleading since it is not a true fir, i. Douglas fir use book 1964 edition west coast lumberman on. Douglas firs are also grown as ornamentals and are common christmas trees in.
Compare that to 620 lb f for douglasfir, and its apparent that both species of oak are harder than douglasfir. Douglas fir has a high bending strength, shear strength and stiffness. Douglas fir s coarse texture cant easily be worked with hand tools. It is an incredibly valuable commercial timber, widely used in construction and building purposes. Takes glues, nails and screws well and can be finished to a high standard. Although severe reactions are quite uncommon, douglas fir has been reported to cause skin irritation, nausea, giddiness, runny nose, along with an increased likelihood of splinters getting infected. Franco and douglas fir pseudotsuga menziesii mirbel franco var. We had some wood in the garage and bought some more douglas fir wood from home depot and ashby lumber. Western wood products association is one of the largest associations of lumber manufacturers in the united states, representing sawmills in the 12 western states and alaska. Reclaimed douglas fir for sale the lumber baron redwood.
Grand fir is used as construction lumber and is commonly. It is a hard species and is suitable for use where wear is a factor. The chapters include lumber grades, working stresses and stress grades, design data, structural glued laminated lumber, wood preservation, and design loads. Noble fir is used as construction lumber and is commonly grouped together with other species of fir and hemlock and sold under the more generic label hemfir. Either there have been craftoriented books filled with pretty pictures. Common species found in reclaimed wood distinguished boards. Douglas fir from canada and the usa may be graded and shipped for structural purposes in the species mix douglas fir larch which comprises douglas fir pseudotsuga menziesii and western larch larix occidentalis. The wood is used for dimensional lumber, timbers, pilings, and plywood.
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