Larch, Tamarack, Hackamatak ??

[Northernguy59]

Larch, Tamarack, Hackamatack.......I,ve seen these species referanced from verious sources as the same tree. Can anyone tell me if Tamarack (what I know as Tamarack from Northern Ontario) is suitable for planking ? Whats the differance in these trees...... if any ? I need to get this strieght.

What is the ultimate planking material?

Also I found a good site that may be a good source for materials. As follows:

www.sticktrade1.com (http://www.sticktrade1.com)

[ 05-28-2002, 02:57 PM: Message edited by: Northernguy59 ]

[tjdono]

A place where you must pay them a fee for the honor of paying them for their products? I vote NO!

[bugeye]

hi,
yes, they are all the same tree. I know of several vessels that are planked with hackmatack, and it seems to have worked just fine. I used hackmatack for deckbeams and carlins on my boat and am happy with it. It is strange stuff though.It is at the same time soft and very tough, which I know sounds like two contradictory terms. It is quite rot resistant, strong, and holds fasteners well. The drawbacks that I have seen are that it really wants to twist and check as it dries, and that it is kind of ugly(which is easily hidden with paint). It is really, really cheap here in Maine. I can get as much as I want for $.45 a board foot at a local mill. How heavy or thick will you need your planking? I dont think that in thin planking, checking would occur. Everyone that I know that uses it seems to agree that you have to use it while it's green. Good luck with your project.

[imported_Sean]

I had an old schooner which had "hackmatack" timbers. The boat was clench nail fastened with galvanized boat nails. Eventually, the timbers checked so much that the fasteners pulled out and the garboards began to leave the boat.

I think it makes a much better planking material than anything else.

[Jeff Evans]

I am building a dory with hackmatack frames and stem. It works very nicely, but has a tendency to move and twist if you look at it wrong!

[Northernguy59]

Upon futher research I have learned that they are all the same species. Western Larch is a close relative which grows taller but has the same attributes.

[WWheeler]

My understanding from tree planting is tamarack and European larch are distinct species.

I built horse stalls with tamarack, which is a cheap wood and doesn't get much respect. The horses chewed and kicked their way through everthing else, but they couldn't put a mark in the tamarack. Also, no rot.

[Jeff Evans]

There are many species of larch/tamarack/hackmatack. All are in the genus Larxis. There is also a Sieberian larch that dominates much of the forested land in Mongolia.
Larches are deciduous conifers, meaning that they are cone bearing, non-flowering plants (gymnosperms - which include pines, spruces, firs, other softwoods etc...) as opposed flowering plants (angiosperms - which include the oaks, maples, and other hardwoods.

The fact that they lose their needles in the winter makes them a bit of an oddity in the botanical world!

[Northernguy59]

Is the Tamarack which is grown in Northern Ontario Canada suiteable for planking ??? :confused:

[Wild Wassa]

G'day Northernguy 59, in my fine list of Imported and Australian Boatbuilding Timbers (courtesy of Mr Mike Field). Larch is suitable for planking, coamings, shelves and joinery.

What's the best material for planking?, too great a task to sumerise. Check your email.

In Australia we can contact the Forest Industries Association, for advise. Do you have a similar body?

Warren.

[ 06-12-2002, 09:30 PM: Message edited by: Wild Wassa ]

[Bruce Taylor]

If you're ordering from Ontario, you should be able to order Tamarack (and just about any other wood) from A & M Wood Specialty. I've dealt with these guys before -- they're courteous and quick. Tamarack / Eastern Larch is not on their online price list, for some reason, but according to Woodfinder.com they stock the stuff.

http://www.amwoodinc.com/

Woodfinder also give Northern Lights Timber & Lumber as a source for Tamarack. I haven't dealt with them, but here's their email address: nltl@rangenet.com

Finally, Woodfinder itself is at:

http://www.woodfinder.net/

[Ron Williamson]

I just had some smallish sticks of tamarack delivered to my yard.The logger also sent some trees that were standing dead.The sapwood is ant food,but the heartwood on them seems great.The local farmers hold tamarack in high esteem for wagon sills.If you can get material that is mostly heart and long enough,you'll be alright.My choice would be white cedar.
BTW while A&M has a reputation for good service,it comes at a high price.
Have fun
R

[Bruce Taylor]

A&M has a reputation for good service,it comes at a high priceYeah, they charge top dollar. Example: Eastern White Cedar, clear in 10 ft. lengths at $5.40 a bf! You might as well buy mahogany. And they sell #2 cedar at $2.50 a bf, which is almost three times what I pay my local guy for deck grade cedar.

You're paying for availability, really. I can get tamarack from local mills...sometimes. When some comes available, it will probably be dirt cheap. But if I want some right away, I'm not sure I'd be able to get it. A & M carries a huge inventory -- everything from hawthorn to ziricote. It gives me a sense of security to know they're there, with their stacks of lacewood and lignum vitae.

[ 06-13-2002, 08:13 AM: Message edited by: Bruce Taylor ]

[Ron Williamson]

Like the sign says,
Good quality,
Good service,
Good price.
Pick any two
It's sort of like getting groceries at 7-11,
don't unless you have too.
Are you in Cambridge often?Or do you buy on faith?
R

[Bruce Taylor]

Nope, I never get out that way. I often order guitar woods, sight unseen -- but I've never risked more than a couple of hundred bucks on a blind order. I tell them what I want over the phone, and I'm usually pleased with what they pick out.

If I need something special and want to see it first, I go in person to Langevin et Forest in Montreal (similar to A & M) or Adams and Kennedy in Manotick, Ont.. The latter has a smaller selection of exotics, but the best I've found in the Ottawa area). I was just there today to pick up some marine ply (from Brazil...mahogany face veneers & god knows what else).

[WWheeler]

For reasonably priced, rough cut lumber (not kiln dried), try Miller Lumber in Barrie, Ont. They're fairly large, and if memory serves correctly, they stock tamarack, white pine, etc.

Of course, not everybody's perfect, they don't know the difference between red oak and white oak, but you can get out in the yard and really look at the stuff as it's being cut.