Alaskan yellow cedar
Thanks for all the posts. No need to feel anything like a twinge of
envy. WHen I went to bunnings they didnt even know it was in the
catalogue. Funnily we suddenly have a good range of maranti. MUst
have come from all the other stores. They were able to show me a
special sample of the new wood . having looked it up overnight on the
net I was expecting a yellow fine grained, old growth, hard cedarwith
a distinctive smell the knots should be few and tight with no
cracksand should be resistant to splitting.
The piece they showed ma was a white, knottysoft timber. the knots ,
all 6 in a 10"piece had splits in the knots. As Bruce said the edges
were all rounded I chewed a bit of wood off but no smell. Except a
smell like the pine in the rack. the rings were very close, but the
wood had been cut from a very small log with no thought about quality
of cut , just how to get the max number of boards from a log.
My conclusuion was that it probably wasnt cedar , alaskanand it
wasnt even yellow.
such is life
Cheers Paul
envy. WHen I went to bunnings they didnt even know it was in the
catalogue. Funnily we suddenly have a good range of maranti. MUst
have come from all the other stores. They were able to show me a
special sample of the new wood . having looked it up overnight on the
net I was expecting a yellow fine grained, old growth, hard cedarwith
a distinctive smell the knots should be few and tight with no
cracksand should be resistant to splitting.
The piece they showed ma was a white, knottysoft timber. the knots ,
all 6 in a 10"piece had splits in the knots. As Bruce said the edges
were all rounded I chewed a bit of wood off but no smell. Except a
smell like the pine in the rack. the rings were very close, but the
wood had been cut from a very small log with no thought about quality
of cut , just how to get the max number of boards from a log.
My conclusuion was that it probably wasnt cedar , alaskanand it
wasnt even yellow.
such is life
Cheers Paul
Hi Paul,
I was in Bunnings yesterday so I had a quick look in the timber section.
Yep - all that lovely meranti has gone, and there is a small stack of
"Alaskan Yellow Cedar". Much of it is a bit knotty, but if you pick
through it there are a few boards with good, straight grain. Definitely
heavier than meranti, but in large board dimensions. Interestingly, the
edges are rounded rather than cut square. Does look a bit like a
bar of soap, as Jeb mentioned.
Seems crazy that they should stop stocking meranti for environmental
reasons, but they still have the biggest stack of jarrah (and we know
where that comes from).
I wonder whether it would be termite resistant?
Bruce Fountain
Senior Software Engineer
Union Switch & Signal
Perth, Western Australia
I was in Bunnings yesterday so I had a quick look in the timber section.
Yep - all that lovely meranti has gone, and there is a small stack of
"Alaskan Yellow Cedar". Much of it is a bit knotty, but if you pick
through it there are a few boards with good, straight grain. Definitely
heavier than meranti, but in large board dimensions. Interestingly, the
edges are rounded rather than cut square. Does look a bit like a
bar of soap, as Jeb mentioned.
Seems crazy that they should stop stocking meranti for environmental
reasons, but they still have the biggest stack of jarrah (and we know
where that comes from).
I wonder whether it would be termite resistant?
Bruce Fountain
Senior Software Engineer
Union Switch & Signal
Perth, Western Australia
As Jamie suggests, Alaskan yellow cedar is almost certainly the same tree
that grows in the rain forests on Vancouver Island, the Queen Charlottes and
the BC coast. I worked off and on as a tree planter during my BC days in the
late 60's and 70's. Back then I don't recall any variety of cedar ever being
used for re-forestation. I also worked for a shipwright in Uclulet on the
west coast of Vancouver Island for a while. We used both red and yellow
cedar for building and repairing fishing boats. Large hardwood is very rare
in the BC rain forest, so yellow cedar was commonly used for frames and
ribs. It usually is higher density than red cedar and cures surprisingly
hard. Its not commonly used for bright work or natural finish construction
because it's not particularly beautiful to look at. Sort of like a plank of
yellow soap. But it works nearly as easy as carving soap, is very strong, is
not subject to splitting (never used for shakes) and is relatively rot
resistant. It is so aromatic it's a good idea to work in a well-ventilated
space if you're going to be ripping or cutting a lot of it. That wonderful
smell can become quite over whelming. A good source of it would be a
blessing to any boat builder.
jeb, suffering from cedar envy on the timber bereft shores of Fundy
that grows in the rain forests on Vancouver Island, the Queen Charlottes and
the BC coast. I worked off and on as a tree planter during my BC days in the
late 60's and 70's. Back then I don't recall any variety of cedar ever being
used for re-forestation. I also worked for a shipwright in Uclulet on the
west coast of Vancouver Island for a while. We used both red and yellow
cedar for building and repairing fishing boats. Large hardwood is very rare
in the BC rain forest, so yellow cedar was commonly used for frames and
ribs. It usually is higher density than red cedar and cures surprisingly
hard. Its not commonly used for bright work or natural finish construction
because it's not particularly beautiful to look at. Sort of like a plank of
yellow soap. But it works nearly as easy as carving soap, is very strong, is
not subject to splitting (never used for shakes) and is relatively rot
resistant. It is so aromatic it's a good idea to work in a well-ventilated
space if you're going to be ripping or cutting a lot of it. That wonderful
smell can become quite over whelming. A good source of it would be a
blessing to any boat builder.
jeb, suffering from cedar envy on the timber bereft shores of Fundy
Paul,
Lucky you! Yellow cedar is a great wood, generally clear and with
long grain. It is light, strong and rot resistant, good for planking
and spars. (Check the spars on Randy Wheating's "Bluster" on the
front page of www.chebacco.com). It usually is not that easy to
find, and is fairly expensive when you find it, even here in British
Columbia where it grows. (Okay, it grows in Alaska too!)
Seems odd they are marketing it as a substitute for pine, as it is a
better wood and should cost a lot more. If you've got the genuine
article you it has a strong and distinctive scent, particularly when
you cut it. Don't waste it, it's in short supply and I'm not aware
of any plantation sources -- I've only seen old growth wood.
Jamie Orr
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "pauldayau" <wattleweedooseeds@b...>
wrote:
Lucky you! Yellow cedar is a great wood, generally clear and with
long grain. It is light, strong and rot resistant, good for planking
and spars. (Check the spars on Randy Wheating's "Bluster" on the
front page of www.chebacco.com). It usually is not that easy to
find, and is fairly expensive when you find it, even here in British
Columbia where it grows. (Okay, it grows in Alaska too!)
Seems odd they are marketing it as a substitute for pine, as it is a
better wood and should cost a lot more. If you've got the genuine
article you it has a strong and distinctive scent, particularly when
you cut it. Don't waste it, it's in short supply and I'm not aware
of any plantation sources -- I've only seen old growth wood.
Jamie Orr
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "pauldayau" <wattleweedooseeds@b...>
wrote:
> Our local wood supplier now has a policy to be environmentallywe
> sensitive and stock only plantation timbers and so after 25 years
> no longer hace maranti on the woodracks. the new timberlooks ,smells
> etc the same but has a different name. no doubt it grogw on theland
> where the natives were forced out ,the forset destroyed and the bigit
> corporation planted fast growing trees.
> A new wood has also appearedin the catelogues- Alaskan yellow
> cedar.Does anybody know anything about. Price is about the same as
> plantation pine , but in 50x25 mm which is an unusual sizefor us .
> is being promoted along side treated pine for use in pergolas.another
> treated pine is actually rather useless in that rolebut thats
> issue.
> Does any body know anything about this timber?
> cheers paul.
Hi Paul, Go to www.flp.fs.fed.us/documnts/FPLGTR/fplgtr113/CH01.PDF
If you don't get anything, Alaska Yellow Cedar grows along the US and
Canada Pacific coast Alaska to Oregon. Described in short as a decent
small boat wood. Heartwood described as moderately rot resistant but
you can't tell it from sapwood which is not. It could be plantation
grown but the natives were probably not forced out. I would assume
that any you get is mixed heartwood and sapwood. Plantation grown
would probably not be as close grained as old growth.
Bob Chamberland
If you don't get anything, Alaska Yellow Cedar grows along the US and
Canada Pacific coast Alaska to Oregon. Described in short as a decent
small boat wood. Heartwood described as moderately rot resistant but
you can't tell it from sapwood which is not. It could be plantation
grown but the natives were probably not forced out. I would assume
that any you get is mixed heartwood and sapwood. Plantation grown
would probably not be as close grained as old growth.
Bob Chamberland
--- Inbolger@yahoogroups.com, "pauldayau" <wattleweedooseeds@b...> wrote:
> Our local wood supplier now has a policy to be environmentally
> sensitive and stock only plantation timbers and so after 25 years we
> no longer hace maranti on the woodracks. the new timber looks ,smells
> etc the same but has a different name. no doubt it grogw on the land
> where the natives were forced out ,the forset destroyed and the big
> corporation planted fast growing trees.
> A new wood has also appearedin the catelogues- Alaskan yellow
> cedar.Does anybody know anything about. Price is about the same as
> plantation pine , but in 50x25 mm which is an unusual sizefor us . it
> is being promoted along side treated pine for use in pergolas.
> treated pine is actually rather useless in that rolebut thats another
> issue.
> Does any body know anything about this timber?
> cheers paul.
Our local wood supplier now has a policy to be environmentally
sensitive and stock only plantation timbers and so after 25 years we
no longer hace maranti on the woodracks. the new timber looks ,smells
etc the same but has a different name. no doubt it grogw on the land
where the natives were forced out ,the forset destroyed and the big
corporation planted fast growing trees.
A new wood has also appearedin the catelogues- Alaskan yellow
cedar.Does anybody know anything about. Price is about the same as
plantation pine , but in 50x25 mm which is an unusual sizefor us . it
is being promoted along side treated pine for use in pergolas.
treated pine is actually rather useless in that rolebut thats another
issue.
Does any body know anything about this timber?
cheers paul.
sensitive and stock only plantation timbers and so after 25 years we
no longer hace maranti on the woodracks. the new timber looks ,smells
etc the same but has a different name. no doubt it grogw on the land
where the natives were forced out ,the forset destroyed and the big
corporation planted fast growing trees.
A new wood has also appearedin the catelogues- Alaskan yellow
cedar.Does anybody know anything about. Price is about the same as
plantation pine , but in 50x25 mm which is an unusual sizefor us . it
is being promoted along side treated pine for use in pergolas.
treated pine is actually rather useless in that rolebut thats another
issue.
Does any body know anything about this timber?
cheers paul.