Western Red Cedar color variation?

[dmede]

I'm planking a small canoe in WRC and have a question about it's appearence. In my first 2 orders of WRC from a local lumber yard I got a lighter shade of wood, like the center boards in the pic below. The next order, the one that is for the planking, was much darker, almost chocolate, like the board to the left in the pic. Is this color variation indicative of anything important? Are they from different parts of the tree and does that affect thier properties for planking?

http://www.bearcreeklumber.com/productimagepages/wrc/wrcimages/boards/s4s/WRCA%26BTRCLRS4S.jpg

thanks,
dave

[Ron Williamson]

The darker it is,the more extractives it contains(the good smelling stuff that is bad for you and bugs).
If your canoe is an epoxy/glass stripper it doesn't matter much,except aesthetically.Otherwise,the dark stuff should be more rot resistant.
R
Edited for spelling.

[ 03-03-2005, 12:53 PM: Message edited by: Ron Williamson ]

[gert]

From the wetest WRC capitol of the world:

The colour varience is perfectly normal and has no effect on durability. The dark stuff is definatly the best looking when finished, it can almost look like walnut. Just make sure you mix em up so you don't get two identical pcs side by side.

[ 03-03-2005, 05:40 PM: Message edited by: gert ]

[dmede]

Thanks to you both. I guess I'm lucky that all the boards for my planks are very nearly the same rich brown color. It's a clench nailed lapstrake so no thin strips. I get to have nice wide boards of this stuff showing on the inside.

The lighter colored stuff was used in the bulkheads and looks great too. Between the light and dark WRC and the POC in the botom and mid frame, I just can't wait to see how it looks finished bright inside.

[Bob Smalser]

From the WRC capitol of the world: Hmmmmm. Grows from the CA-OR border up into Alaska. Grows biggest where it rains the most.

Make sure there's no sapwood in there. Looks like WRC heartwood from here, tho. Occasionally, you'll see whiter Port Orford Cedar mixed in by mistake.

[dmede]

Bob, the pic is actually not of my boards but from Bear creek lumber. It does show the two disticnt colors of the WRC I have though. My dark WRC boards are all dark, no mixed color and 10" across with clear straight tight grain. Is that still heartwood?

I'm not clear on the exact distinction, is everything thats not sapwood heartwood or is just the center most wood heartwood? Got a good web page where I can edjumacate myself of the differences and properties of sapwood versus heartwood etc?

Thanks,
dave

[ 03-03-2005, 05:14 PM: Message edited by: dmede ]

[Bob Smalser]

Originally posted by dmede:
Bob, the pic is actually not of my boards but from Bear creek lumber. It does show the two disticnt colors of the WRC I have though. My dark WRC boards are all dark, no mixed color and 10" across with clear straight tight grain. Is that still heartwood?

I'm not clear on the exact distinction, is everything thats not sapwood heartwood or is just the center most wood heartwood? Got a good web page where I can edjumacate myself of the differences and properties of sapwood versus heartwood etc?

Thanks,
daveColor comes fromt he soil the tree grew in and there is some variation.

In any stack of boards, pick through until you find some waney edge (bark) and note the color of the sapwood there versus the darker hardwood. In planed, storebought lumber it's easy....in weathered, rough, airdried lumber it's difficult. I always take a little battery-powered circular saw out to the stacks to trim enough off the ends so I can differentiate sapwood from heartwood before setting the wood aside for marine use.

Anything 10" side isn't likely sapwood in DF or WRC.