Using what we have: rhododendron, apple wood, hemlock

[Mike Holbrook]

Depending on the specific area we live in there are specific woods indigenous to the area. One of my interests over the last few years has been learning to use woods existing on the property I own to make things with. Derek and other posters here on SMC have contributed to my moving in this direction thought wise. I am sympathetic with those who attempt to recycle and find uses for abundant local woods that may typically be ignored.

I have been living in North Metro Atlanta which has an abundance of certain types of wood. I am in the process of moving into the north Georgia mountain area which has a little different selection of woods. The designs for homes in this area tend to be more rustic and use the abundant woods for construction of not just the frames of homes but the walls, ceilings and just about everything else.

There are still old style saw mills in this area, which process the abundant wood. There is an abundance of three types of wood in this area that are often ignored or under utilized. There are large apple orchards in the area, which produce large amounts of trimmed wood from all the apple trees every year. I believe I can purchase truck loads of this wood at very reasonable prices, saving the better pieces from ending up in a smoker.

Another abundant tree/scrub that grows prolifically in this area is the rhododendron. The undergrowth on the property I have a contract on is not grasses, it is rhododendron. The other common wood in this area is Hemlock, which is currently being killed back due to some sort of wooly adelgid. Protecting trees from this insect is very expensive, so a common practice is to choose a limited number to treat/preserve and just take the others down before they die.

I am researching these woods on the information highway, but would love to hear from other SMC posters about any uses they have found for these woods. I tried to make some links but every page I try to post here seems to force the user into some advertisement or sign up routine....Grrrr!

[Mel Fulks]

I think hemlock is the same as the commonly sold "hem-fir". Fruit woods have traditionally been used for small treen items ,pear seems to be the most popular. Apple gets some mentions here in regard to saw handles. I'm betting the rhododendron is a lot like boxwood.

[John Vernier]

Apple is the easy one. It certainly was used for turned items and saw handles (all the higher grades of Disston saws into the 1940s), and also for high quality wooden plane bodies, mallets and chisel handles. I think it may have been used for a lot of these purposes as a cheaper alternative to boxwood, especially in America since large-dimension boxwood had to be imported. I've made a mallet, handles, and a few other small items from apple, and it's very tough stuff, and it finishes very nicely.

I heard someone say that apple became less common for factory produced items after dwarf apple trees were introduced for orchard plantation in the 1930s, leading to much smaller logs being grown.

[Mike Holbrook]

I am interested in building things in keeping with Adirondack architectural style, which is related to the adirondack chair but a larger topic. Adirondack furniture and buildings were built using materials found in the surrounding landscape to create a more primitive, rustic, natural appearance more in keeping with the outdoor environment. The Adirondack architectural style saved having to import building materials. It was sometimes called camp style as it was probably first used to make "Great Camps" in the Adirondack mountains.

It was common practice to use "bent twig" designs in Adirondack architecture. Furniture and even some support structure for buildings were built using twigs/branches of trees, often with the bark left on. Rhododendron branches and apple wood branches are often used in this form of building and furniture making.

This architectural style is popular in the area I am moving to. From my perspective the joinery used to "join" branches to each other or conventionally made wood structures often leaves something to be desired. Limbs may simply be nailed to each other or supporting wood. The more solid furniture and structures may use tapered mortises and tenons. I am trying to learn more about better ways to build furniture and building accents with these materials.

[Phillip Mitchell]

Well, living a bit north of you but still in the Appalachian mountains, I will throw in a little input. You may know all of this, but...

I think you've probably got the best use for rhododendron nailed down with the bent twig style outdoor furniture, accents, etc. You are perhaps more patience and tolerant of the rhodo than I am, but I wouldn't really bother with doing much else with it because it's so small, spindly, and twisted.

Apple is a fantastic hardwood to work with and can contain lots of character. I would use it like any other native hardwood in terms of woodworking/furniture. I don't really see much of this making it to the sawmill as it's pretty small and branchy.

Hemlock is the wood that I see the most in my area. It was a classic choice for siding (house, barn, outbuildings, etc), sometimes framing as well, though I wouldn't exactly recommend it for that, fence boards. I've always thought it could make great outdoor, rustic style decking/railing material, though it can get a bit splintery to the touch with age and sun. Picnic tables, chairs, decks....those are all things I could see using Hemlock for. My vote is that Hemlock will be the cheapest from local saw mills and you may have some more options in terms of different thicknesses available than the other two.

[Mike Holbrook]

Hemlock seems to have a great diversity of opinion in regard to how it works in projects. Some say it gets harder and ends up more like a hardwood. Others seem to think it rots almost immediately. Large hemlocks are the predominant species on the lot I have a contract on. The problem is the wooly adelgid. I understand it costs around $200/tree to treat for 2 years. I suspect the local saw mills will have lots of it to saw up though. The wooly adelgid attacks the needles at the end of branches so I imagine the wood in the trunk of the tree should be relatively unharmed, unless the one issue make it easy for other issues to occur. This could be a source of reasonably priced rough lumber. I just have to figure out how to keep it from rotting.

I will be removing a good number of Rhododendron from some areas of the lot to make paths and open areas. I understand that the wood is very tough and may be usable with the bark on, which may make it a good choice for accents on furniture and railings if not over used. I am mostly trying to figure out how to attach it to other pieces of wood. My best guess is to make tapered tenons on the ends and tapered mortises in the wood it is being attached to. The apple wood may be a little thicker, providing pieces that may be used to make chair and table legs. Woven/bent pieces may be usable for other parts of chairs. I am wondering if the wood can be gently bent into a shape while green, held in place to dry and harden. With the bark left on thin branches I am wondering if the wood will dry evenly enough to avoid splitting. My experience with apple so far seems to suggest that it does not split as bad as many other woods.

[Mel Fulks]

Hemlock was used for the first Adirondack chairs, but it might have been heart wood,and I've never seen any offered for sale. Solvent based copper naphthalate is paintable and will greatly improve rot resistance.

[Mike Holbrook]

I have painted many a bee hive body with copper naphthenate. I am concerned about what it might do to my sensitive skin, as it is apparently easily absorbed into/through the skin and capable of producing a long list of health issues. Just discovered I am even allergic to Neosporin, as apparently at least 5% of the population is, can't be too careful.

I have read about quite a few people using Hemlock, not sure if they bought it or had it sawn. Fortunately there are active saw mills in the area I am moving to. I plan to have a trailer capable of carrying a good size log or two. I may keep my tractor too, they can come in handy, especially if they have a loader.

The wife bought three bargain books from Amazon on building rustic furniture with unconventional materials. Apparently she is embracing this particular obsession of mine.