Softwoods have been exported from the United States for over 400 years. No two types of wood are the same, though species within a group may be similar in texture, weight or appearance. Douglas-fir, popularly known as Doug-fir, is undoubtedly the best and most common structural lumber. This is your assurance that the panels purchased meet or exceed performance requirements. Pine and spruce may be cheaper to use, but unless you're going for a distressed look, may not not be the best choice: both dent and scratch easier than hardwood. Come on experienced noses I know you're out there somewhere. CENTRAL SALES NORTHWEST • 1.800.426.0870 . Hoobs 02/15/2015 . Fir is an excellent wood for highly finished post & beam frames and commercial work because of its strength and beautiful grain. The Collins book also describes a thin, scaly bark. Spruce may contain small knots, but pine may display large knots, and is less consistent than spruce. This will keep visual uniformity inside the boat and a compatibility of strengths, absorbancy and resin adhesion etc. In the USA they sell some lumber grades under a catchall name known in lumber merchants as SP&F. when you need it, where you want it. x 8 ft. #2 and Better Kiln Dried Douglas Fir Lumber (25) Model# 137195 $ 15 42. No longer are old growth forests available for primary lumber production, lumber is planted and harvested like a crop. If you're building a fence, spruce boards are less likely to warp or twist, and more likely to be delivered in long, straight pieces than pine. Common Dimensional Lumber Sizes . . Yellow pine, one of the hardest pines, rivals hardwood for strength and density. The hard pine group is in a different class. The common name honors David Douglas, a Scottish botanist and collector who first reported the extraordinary nature and potential of the species.The common name is misleading since it is not a true fir, i.e., not a member of the genus Abies.For this reason the name is often written as Douglas-fir (a name also used for the genus Pseudotsuga as a whole). In Canada, and parts of the United States, most of the spruce tree species, pine tree species, and fir tree species share similar physical and mechanical characteristics, to the point where lumber derived from any of these species are interchangeable for construction purposes. There are also options like cedar, redwood, larch, oak, and hemlock. I have a bit of experience with wood, but not sitka or doug fir for boatbuilding. x 4 in. Sometimes they are described as whorled, like a bottle brush. That means that they both reproduce by making cones, not flowers. Here in the NW we have "Hem-Fir" which can be either douglas fir or hemlock. 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. user-7009029 01/12 /2018 ... so can anyone tell me the difference between the scent a pine gives vs. the scent of a fir or a spruce? Spruce has exceptional tonal value, and has one of the highest strength to weight ratios of all wood species. As such, if you intend to build a fine woodworking project out of SPF lumber and stain the project, you should choose all of your lumber from a single stack in the yard. Pine is perhaps the most misunderstood of all the wood species. Spruce-pine-fir (SPF) is a classification of lumber that can be traded on commodities exchanges.. Shaddy began publishing in various magazines in 1992, and published a novel, âDark Canyon,â in 2008. Douglas Fir vs. Neither species is technically a fir, though; instead, Douglas Firs are commonly considered hemlocks. ... winner+fir. It is one of the most abundant wood species in North America and is one of the most popular choices for Timber Framing. SPF means "spruce-pine-fir" and a supplier selling it might have a mix of species, but all graded and stamped. Like dimensional lumber, timbers are graded under NLGA (National Lumber Grading Authority) Rules and the end uses are almost unlimited. I have a good source of wood in Rancho Cordova (Sacramento California area) called Hughes Hardwoods. Mike's message above is relevant as well. It would not provide an accurate reduction amount. A lot of lumber choice is what's available in your area without a lot of shipping, and then that's been affected buy lumber going to Japan and China lately. The lumber species is very common in North America and because of its versatility, it can be used in many areas, namely residential, commercial, agricultural and industrial buildings. Even in those retailers, which tend to be overpriced for lumber, this stuff is currently running between 50 and 75 cents per board-foot. If you're going for open beams or natural wood appearance on cabinets or trim, pine is more likely to show visual character than spruce. I still don't know who to trust and who - well - have opinions. Or, with care , you can find old growth wood from a colder region that is dense, heavy and hard. Lumber that contains a grade stamp on its face with one of these species group designations can be quite confusing to many, which can lead to uninformed and misguided decisions by lumber buyers, retailers, specifiers, architects, engineers, builders, truss manufacturers, modular home fabricators, and other important customers of lumber. Douglas fir. Apply. Also keeps the tool settings to the minimum, saving a bit of time. Spruce and pine are typically considered structural lumber. A strong and relatively light wood, spruce lumber has many uses in a variety of industries. Spruce is better for trim and moldings because of its straight grain, and is less likely to contain knots. Comparing spruce vs. pine vs. fir wood helps you decide which wood to use based on your project. Spruce may contain small knots, but pine may display large knots, and is less consistent than spruce. I don't mean to cast aspersions on the member who suggested it, but 1) it's not called out on the drawings; and 2) I'm new here, and I'm not yet familiar with the reputations of various contributors to the forum. SPFs vs. SPF. Spruce lumber is frequently used for house construction. By creating an account you agree to the Hunker, the Wood Database: Pine Wood: An Overall Guide, Western Wood Products Association: Western Species and End Uses, Guitar Tips: Some Woods Used in The Making of Acoustical Guitars, Workshop Companion: Grain Direction and Strength, Even, white color, more consistency than pine, Better strength to weight ratio than pine. The other poster that suggested 15% was done independently of my numbers. It's considered inferior by some because it's cheap and soft, widespread and effortless to work with because it mills so easily. Wood is significantly weaker and less stable when the grains lie flat. Spruce Fences. In the last post I mentioned that neither Abies nor Pseudotsuga species have a peg whereas Tsuga species do. These letters represent an abbreviation for spruce, pine and fir.