Re: [bolger] sitka spruce
Hi list,
Thanks, Harry & Step for the advices. Luckily, right now I don't have to
care about the hemlock quality... cause I have now my... SITKA SPRUCE!!!
Yesterday I went to Valencia. I drove 500 miles (250+250), and I got my
stuff, beautiful stuff. The only problem where the sizes. They gave me by
phone the heigth, the widht and the length of the planks. Well, they really
had those sizes, but... not together in one piece!!
I got downhearted in front of this unexpected difficulty, and took me a
couple of hours to measure and consider all the different possibilityes.
Now I have to make the fore and aft starves of the main mast in three pieces
(my original idea was using two), the lateral starves -as foreseen- in two
pieces each, and the mizzen mast is going to be one piece. I hope those
three pieces in the bigger starves are not too bad compromise.
------------------------------
Here in Spain, we have some pines coming from the north of the country, but
they are not very good quality. Maybe good enough for furniture.
I'm using "pino de flandes" (pinus silvestris) for framing. This pine is
coming from the north of Europe, and is quite good quality, the only
drawback is that is knotty, and you have to control which piece you put
where, in order to minimize the waste, this waste is bigger than with other
cleaner pines... but the final result looks (and I hope is) OK.
The few spanish wooden-mast makers, are in general using western hemlock for
their products. Must be premium grade, I think, because the results are very
satisfactory. That's why I was considering going this way.
Regards.
Francisco
"Harry W. James" wrote:
Thanks, Harry & Step for the advices. Luckily, right now I don't have to
care about the hemlock quality... cause I have now my... SITKA SPRUCE!!!
Yesterday I went to Valencia. I drove 500 miles (250+250), and I got my
stuff, beautiful stuff. The only problem where the sizes. They gave me by
phone the heigth, the widht and the length of the planks. Well, they really
had those sizes, but... not together in one piece!!
I got downhearted in front of this unexpected difficulty, and took me a
couple of hours to measure and consider all the different possibilityes.
Now I have to make the fore and aft starves of the main mast in three pieces
(my original idea was using two), the lateral starves -as foreseen- in two
pieces each, and the mizzen mast is going to be one piece. I hope those
three pieces in the bigger starves are not too bad compromise.
------------------------------
Here in Spain, we have some pines coming from the north of the country, but
they are not very good quality. Maybe good enough for furniture.
I'm using "pino de flandes" (pinus silvestris) for framing. This pine is
coming from the north of Europe, and is quite good quality, the only
drawback is that is knotty, and you have to control which piece you put
where, in order to minimize the waste, this waste is bigger than with other
cleaner pines... but the final result looks (and I hope is) OK.
The few spanish wooden-mast makers, are in general using western hemlock for
their products. Must be premium grade, I think, because the results are very
satisfactory. That's why I was considering going this way.
Regards.
Francisco
"Harry W. James" wrote:
> Don't use hemlock for masts...
Well, the man on the phone swore me, his right hand over the bible, that
they do have sitka spruce... but may be he is maoist!
I'm planning to go tomorrow to the lumberyard, and before I go, I will call
again to confirm wich kind of stuff they really have, this is a good
precaution, and the money spent in the phone call, a good inversion.
Thanks.
Francisco.
Giuseppe Bianco wrote:
they do have sitka spruce... but may be he is maoist!
I'm planning to go tomorrow to the lumberyard, and before I go, I will call
again to confirm wich kind of stuff they really have, this is a good
precaution, and the money spent in the phone call, a good inversion.
Thanks.
Francisco.
Giuseppe Bianco wrote:
> Francisco, make sure it's Sitka Spruce (Picea sitchensis) and not
> simply spruce ("sprusso" in italian). Sitka is difficult to find even
> in the USA, and it has a premium price there where it grows, i.e. in
> the Pacific forest belt.
> I've posted a lot of questions on the issue and most of them
> suggested straight grain douglas fir if sitka spruce is not available.
> Best, Pippo
Don't use hemlock for masts. I have used a lot of it my new
house, and it tends to take new and unusual shapes when not
restrained. It is a terrible wood in the low grade versions, I
had to cut and re-shim a lot of studs before sheet rocking. In
clear grades it can be quite beautiful with the wood having more
character than any other conifer, lots of grain and color
variation. I have clear, varnished hemlock panel doors that are
stunning. I have some local rough cut wood, very well seasoned
that I have used in the cartopper production, and I have been
amazed at what it will do even in clear vertical grained pieces
after cutting.
It is a little frustrating to not be able to share our local
largess where sitka spruce is a weed, across the distances.
Didn't Spain used to be noted for pine forests, are there not
local mills that you could get some wood from, and pick through
for the good stuff?
HJ
Francisco Ramírez wrote:
house, and it tends to take new and unusual shapes when not
restrained. It is a terrible wood in the low grade versions, I
had to cut and re-shim a lot of studs before sheet rocking. In
clear grades it can be quite beautiful with the wood having more
character than any other conifer, lots of grain and color
variation. I have clear, varnished hemlock panel doors that are
stunning. I have some local rough cut wood, very well seasoned
that I have used in the cartopper production, and I have been
amazed at what it will do even in clear vertical grained pieces
after cutting.
It is a little frustrating to not be able to share our local
largess where sitka spruce is a weed, across the distances.
Didn't Spain used to be noted for pine forests, are there not
local mills that you could get some wood from, and pick through
for the good stuff?
HJ
Francisco Ramírez wrote:
>% Harrywelshman@...
> Finally I found a source of Sitka Spruce here in Spain... and is half
> the price of douglas fir! (1020.- euros/m3) It's also cheaper than the
> western hemlock I was considering to use for my micro masts.
>
> The only drawback is that the lumberyard is in Valencia (I live near
> Barcelona), so I have to dedicate one hwole day and drive 3 1/2 hours
> just to see the stuff... that will be tomorrow or next week.
>
> I will keep you posted.
>
> Francisco
>
>