A Great Wood Find???

Bill Satko

Member
Messages
3,209
Location
Methow Valley
I was taking a break from work by browsing our "bone yard" out back. Old trucks, cranes, tool trailers, welders, etc. There were many large old stacks of wood used for cribbing and rigging laying here and there. Most of them were badly checked, but I noticed this big boy. The one I am looking at is one on the bottom left. It is not checked at all and I suppose that is because it is one of the few where the heart is not part of the cut. You can just see where the heart would have been to the right.



Timber 4.jpgTimber 1.jpg

This timber looks like it made from Douglas Fir. It is 9.5" x 12" x 13'-0". I can probably get it for nothing or at a small cost. Sliced up, I think it could make some really stout legs for a bench and maybe even a top. What do you think?

Timber 2.jpgTimber 3.jpg
 
I know you are in Washington and have lots of large trees up there but if that timber is 12" wide and has the growth rings that far from what could be extrapolated as it's center it must have come from about a 30" diameter tree.

I can't tell from the old weathered exterior if it is Doug fir but would that have been the size that they harvested them when this piece was taken?

Could you bring a block plane and work the surface in a few spots, throw some water on it and then set your camera on macro and let us see the grain?

Whatever it is it should prove out to be a nice piece and with a good plan could make an entire piece of furniture from the one piece.

I will trade a piece of it for a fishtail palm any day!
 
dont know what the norm is for timbers over thee bill but around here that would be a oak, and yes that would make a nice batch of bench parts. use the checked on for your smaller parts. that check may not go all the way threw the log
 
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