Douglas Fir for furniture projects - reclaimed lumber

[Mike Gager]

I have been doing some remodeling on our 1930s tudor style home and found that the 2x4s they used for studs are douglas fir. most have very nice straight tight grain. im talking like 60 rings an inch tight grain. the grain is so close together i can barely count them using my finger nail

anyways to my question, i really like the look of this wood and want to get more to use for some furniture projects. the wood ive salvaged from my project isnt quite enough to build anything very large but i should be able to make some nice boxes or something possibly. i see on craigslist every now and then people with salvaged beams of DF and was curious what to look for when buying reclaimed lumber. most of the pics they show in the ads show the wood looking very worn and ragged on the surface. is that pretty normal? how can i tell if the wood is not worth buying?

and lastly do you guys have any pics of projects you did using douglas fir?

[Vince Shriver]

__________________
He who works with his hands is a laborer.
He who works with his hands and his head is a craftsman.
He who works with his hands and his head and his heart is an artist.

-- St. Francis of Assisi (1181 - 1226)

St Francis took a vow of poverty, so I guess he's an appropriate role model for many woodworkers.

(He also took vows of chasity and obedience, so I suppose he's also the perfect role model for many husbands.)

[Julian Nicks]

I will be picking up a huge load of 2 1/2x12x24' reclaimed doug fir joists in a few weeks with the intent on making furniture from them. I have used reclaimed floor boards from a 200 year old barn to build a harvest table before.

Sorry, but I can't seem to find a picture of the whole table. The drawers were built out of pine, which is why I dyed them to match the patina of the top.

[Mike Gager]

nice table. what finish did you use?

[John Thompson]

Mike... I took several 8" x 12" x real long beams from an old civil war warehouse here in Atlanta that was being torn down years ago. The DF was very tight grained and straight as an arrow as most back in those days. The new stuff is harvested too soon IMO and you won't see the tight grains you did from the early period as they won't wait that long before profit becomes the motivation for cutting.

I don't use the DF for furniture even though that talbe looks nice and it would certainly be good for rustic or country style. It can be a bit splintery on the edges. What I do use it for is for inside drawer runners and inside carcass support as it is hard to find any stock that will remain straighter and stable as old growth DF.

I also use it to build work-bench bases. I build furniture 9 months out of the year and lay off during June.. July.. August in Atlanta when heat and humidity show up. But.. I do build a work-bench for re-sale during those months piddlling around with jig building and other small task in the shop. I can tell you it makes a fine workbench base for sure.

Good luck...

Sarge..

[Julian Nicks]

I used boiled linseed oil, followed by a bunch of coats of satin poly. This table is used at my father in laws cabin up in the northwoods of Wisconsin, so I wanted it to be easy to clean and maintain.

[Matthew Hills]

Nice table; the design and finish really complements the wood well.

John: what affects how tight the grain is? Is it something that would naturally tighten up as the tree matures, or is it related to growing conditions?

Matt

[Julian Nicks]

Tight rings usually means that a tree grew slowly in an area surrounded by other trees, hence the term old growth. Trees that grow this way grow slowly, but are much stronger than the wider ringed timber we have today.

[Bill White]

Any of the "old growth" stuff is a joy to use. Watch out for splinters on edges, but get and use all ya can.
I found some old white oak from a tobacco barn. Stuff was so danged hard I scraped the top 'cause the ROS just polished rather than sand it. Drove the wooden pegs just like nails. Sure is pretty.
Bill

[Roger Benton]

Mike,
I use reclaimed lumber all the time and it never ceases to amaze me how beautiful the old growth fir, pine, hemlock, etc are. When buying reclaimed lumber make sure there is enough thickness to compensate for all the planing required to get past the age and into the good stuff. I'd say add 1/2" to what you want to end up with to be safe. Check for bad checks, and DEFINITELY invest in a metal detector; I've had good results with the small $25 one from LV. Check faces, edges and ends thoroughly for nails, screws, bullets and what have you before running reclaimed lumber through your machines or working it with hand tools. The stools below are old yellow pine (hard as nails!) and the table is hemlock, both salvaged from old factories. For large loads of quality reclaimed lumber, check out a place here in New York called M. Fine Lumber.

Good luck, and enjoy breathing new life into old wood-

-Roger

[sean m. titmas]

about 10 years ago i did a remodel job on some old cotton mill houses in north georgia that were built with old growth Dour Fir around 1920. i salvaged 1x12 and 2x10 that had about 40 rings per inch. you do the math but that was some really old wood and it was harvested a long time ago. i built 6 tables all with different styles but the same finish.

i used a transfer roller ball to burnish the entire surface of the wood, compressing the grain and making the grain take on a raised texture. than i allpied 2 coats of butchers wax. i didny take any photos and i gave all of the tables away as gifts so i no longer have acess to them but the finish was very unique and worth experminting with if i come across more reclaimed Dour fir. it is one of the most beautiful woods that gets easily overlooked.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Hello,

if i come across more reclaimed Dour fir. it is one of the most beautiful woods that gets easily overlooked.

+1 to that (IMHO).
I had some 2x8's left over from when I put in my deck back in 1986.
I forgot they were Doug fir and used the last one as part of my swinging wood storage rack.
It all came back to me when I put a coat of water based poly on it.

Doggone, is that pretty wood!

[Charles Shenk]

I used old Douglas Fir for my workbench base and it has help up really well. Looks great too.

[Rick Fisher]

This is a simple sofa table that I made for my wife out of VG Fir.

I have used a lot of fir, mainly because I live on Vancouver Island in BC.. (Fir country).

Its beautiful wood..

You will get slivers.

It will splinter when cut .. use the sharpest blade available but still plane after all cutting..

It takes a colored stain about as well as maple. Blotchy to say the least.

It can be frustrating because of the spliners.

[sean m. titmas]

This is a simple sofa table that I made for my wife out of VG Fir.
Its beautiful wood..
You will get slivers.
It will splinter when cut .. use the sharpest blade available but still plane after all cutting..
It can be frustrating because of the spliners.

rick,
seeing that table brought back many painful memories of working with the 400bf of reclaimed DF that i aquired. your table looks similar to a few of the different styles of table i made. can you post a shot of the stretchers? im want to build a table to go with this bench design i am working on and would like to use your table for inspiration.