Reclaimed Wood

[Gary Davis]

I looked through the archives and didn't quite find the answer I was looking for. I'm hearing that reclaimed old-growth VG Douglas-fir may not be suitable for planking because it can be hard, brittle, and prone to split. Anyone used reclaimed DF to plank lapstrake boats around 16'? I'm thinking about Gartside's #165.

What about other reclaimed woods for boatbuilding? The source for DF also has reclaimed white oak, cherry, walnut, and chestnut.

Is reclaimed DF worth the risk for planking a double-ender?

Thanks - Gary Davis

[2MeterTroll]

worked fine for me i the past. it can get a bit brittle depending on the tree and conditions of storage.

[Mrleft8]

I would avoid old, very dry lumber for boat building.

[David G]

You might go into the controls and change things so we can see where you're from. That'd be helpful when speculating.

Reclaimed can come from many sources. If it's planks that were reclaimed from an existing struture and are being resold with a minimum of re-milling, they could, indeed, have gotten dry and brittle. If they are being sliced to plank thicknesses from a much larger beam... you'll be in better shape. If they are being drug off the bottom of a river/lake... even better for boat planking.

Do you know the source?

[Gary Davis]

Thanks all. The DF timbers were taken from a warehouse in Seattle. More are coming in from a railroad trestle in BC. The planks (and other pieces) will be milled from the timbers to my dimensions for $4/bdft. The current DF timbers are 14" x 20'.

Would there be problems using the reclaimed white oak for stems and keel?

Gary

[Thorne]

Hmmmm - a very good question!
http://www.gartsideboats.com/catsail2.php#Doubleend

I'll guess that using reclaimed wood for non-flexing parts like deadwood, thwarts, partners, etc would be fine. Splitting at fastener points might be more of an issue with old oak used for the keel and stem, but I'm just guessing here...

Using it for carvel planks that have to make sharp bends on a boat that will be sailed hard -- more questionable. Ditto for spars.

[Bob Smalser]

.... Anyone used reclaimed DF to plank lapstrake boats around 16'?

DF is very heavy for that purpose, and is also very unstable for that purpose. 6/4 carvel planks on 40' trollers and up commonly use DF, but small to middlin boats benefit from Western Red Cedar for its light weight and seasonal stability. Lapstrake in particular requires the most stable species and grain to prevent splitting.

$4/BF also isn't a great price for wood likely to be too dry and brash for your purpose anyway....even the trestle wood. Where you are you might be able to get WRC cheaper.

[gert]

nice choice BTW

[Gary Davis]

Thanks Bob. Any comments on the other reclaimed wood - especially the white oak for stems and keel?

Gary

[Bob Smalser]

Thanks Bob. Any comments on the other reclaimed wood - especially the white oak for stems and keel?

Depends. With a century or more of age in the interior of a structure, wood loses some lignin....the glue that holds the fibers together....and gets very dry. Hence its reputation as dry and brittle. Loss of lignin also makes it more rot prone.

If it's interior barn-beam dry, you should stack and sticker it outdoors until it reaches equilibrium with its outdoor environment. That way it won't swell and distort after you toss the finished boat in the water.

But all in all, using fresh wood is better. Where you live the most cost effective woods are highgraded construction Doug Fir for keels, stems and transoms and WRC for planking. If the boat uses bent steamed frames then you need fresh White Oak you might be able to obtain from a local arborist and split out and machine the rough bending stock yourself.

These are fresh, 60 cent/BF 2X12's kilned to 19% available in any length to 24' at lumberyards that can be highgraded to VG stock as I've drawn out, and laid up using poly glue and resawn/planed to any width or thickness desired. Or they can be further air-dried in a couple summer months to 15% so you can use resorcinol, or even a month more to 12% and use epoxy.

There is nothing at all wrong with second or third-growth construction DF, providing it has 8 rings or more to the inch. I'd generally choose 2X12's because the tightest and straightest logs are set aside at the mill for those. Generally, the tighter the growth rings, the easier and crisper it is to work and the greater rot resistance. But compared to a dry old barn beam even at 30 rpi, the fresh 19 rpi stick shown below will likely outlast it on the water. Besides.....your boat will live on a trailer and in cold water, not the warm, humid tropics....and even 4 rpi DF heartwood will likely outlast you.

[Gary Davis]

Thanks for your insight Bob. Obviously, I still have a lot to learn.

There is a mill about an hour away where I got some DF about 10 years ago for landscaping timbers. I'll see what they have these days.

I'm disappointed reclaimed wood seems to have so many issues for boatbuildling. I've used a bit for furniture and was hoping to minimize use of "new" materials as much as possible.

Any other advice would be greatly appreciated.

Gary

[Bob Smalser]

I'm disappointed reclaimed wood seems to have so many issues for boatbuildling.

I've used a bit for furniture and was hoping to minimize use of "new" materials as much as possible.

Everything has its best use.

Old DF beams resawn to qsawn make wonderful interior cabinets.

For every DF I harvest I average replanting a half dozen of mixed fir-cedar to accommodate future thinning harvests at the 40-year mark before the select tree is harvested at 80 years, the forest floor burned for soil nourishment in a controlled burn and the cycle repeated. It all grows back.