It is priced much closer to yellow pine, but offers the beauty, stability and finishing of doug fir looks great paired with doug fir beams. Tedd benson wrote a book the timber frame home, 1997. Best wood for windows in the uk marvin marvin architectural. With custom trim boards, you can update the look of your doors and windows. With the prevalence and availability of douglas fir, the use of yellow pine which is harder than fir is declining. The soft pine, fir and other white woods that are used to construct most homes. Like white pine, concolor fir can adapt to a variety of growing conditions. A tall, large diameter branch free white pine can be worth more than some tropical hardwoods. Douglas fir is a conebearing softwood, meaning that it is not a true fir. Eastern white pine s softness makes it easy to work with, but more importantly, this particular species is quite strong for its weight, and doesnt have as much of a tendency to twist as some hardwoods, like oak.
Eastern white pine is a large pine native to eastern north america. From these trees, 36 discs of 200 mm thick for douglas fir and 23 for radiata pine and 388 boards with dimensions of 100mm x 50mm x 4. For stability and strength, fir is much less prone to warping or twisting, and much stronger than pine. Generally, pine tree grows in an irregular form while fir tree grows in a triangular form. Cedar eastern white or western red cedar is a great wood for exterior work. Oldgrowth redwood once again, the oldgrowth version of this wood is very resistant to rot and insects. Choice of wood species for window sash cypress, if you can get it is a very durable rot resistant wood. Differences between white and yellow pine wood hunker. Douglas fir timbers up to 40foot lengths southern pine timbers up to 26foot lengths oak timbers up to 20foot lengths good selection of cyprus in 44 through 164 in select grades common cyrprus in 6x6 and 8x8 up to 16foot lengths we carry treated lumber, rough and surfaced, up to 24foot lengths in various sizes 1x4 through 12x12.
Eastern white pine is used extensively for interior and exterior trim, door, windows, cabinet making, furniture and small building construction. Douglas fir is native to western north america, from canada south to california and into mexico. In comparison to hemlock, pine, or western red cedar, douglas fir is much stronger and harder. Spruce pine fir south this species combination, classed as moderately strong, is crosscontinental in origin. It was 220 feet tall, 9 feet across and branch free 80% of its height. Because of similar design values, the combination includes engelmann and sitka spruces, and lodgepole pine from the west, along with balsam fir, jack pine, red pine and several eastern spruces from the u. The sapwood of eastern white pine is nearly white to pale yellowish white. Douglas fir, eastern larch, western larch, oldgrowth eastern white pine, oldgrowth longleaf pine, oldgrowth slash pine, and secondgrowth redwood. Many use a wood conditioner first before staining which vastly improves the evenness of the color but lightens it some. Douglasfir versus whitewood lumber for framing areas.
The principal purpose is to check assigned workingstress values against actual observed breaking strengths. In colonial times, they were marked for ship building by agents of the crown with the broad arrow and reserved for the british royal navy. Green wood is deigned as wood in which cell walls are completely saturated with water. Common examples of softwoods include pine, douglas fir, spruce and yew. The options for creating and designing your project we provide include ponderosa pine boards, lifespan treated pine boards, eastern white pine, western red cedar boards, oak and poplar. Working stresses are compared with the 2 percent exclusion. Clear, coastal douglas fir is the wood of choice for top performing wood windows. White oak white oak is a very hard, domestic wood that is readily available here in america. Today, america is recognized worldwide as a sustainable source of top quality products. The eastern white pine has an mor of about 8,500 pounds of force per square inch. There were a lot of douglas fir plywood plants that sent plywood all over the usa as southern pine plywood was not common much before 1960 as the adhesive issued was not resolved, in addition to rail shipping costs. It is a light, softer wood, but it works well for basic construction projects. In application douglasfir is a hugely important lumber tree, grown widely in plantations well outside its native range.
It has been used for centuries to build windows, doors, fine furniture and wood flooring. In multiple row windbreaks east of nebraska life will be short due to spacing. The arlington coal and lumber company offers hardwood and softwood finish lumber produced with the highest level of craftsmanship and professionalism to ensure that your building project sparkles as it should. These charts were compiled from various sources so some comparisons between species may conflict some due to variables in laboratory variables of how much actual solid wood is in a cord. Most white pine planks come from california, the eastern and northern states, or the regions surrounding the great lakes. The needles really came out from all sides of the twig, more like a spruce would. Furniture from an aesthetic point of view, pine has far more character than fir. This product fills a big gap between yellow pine vgroove products and premium vertical grade doug fir. Pine has broad grain lines that wander, making it far weaker than fir. The bluegray needles have a white luster, which explains the common name. Fir is a dull yellow color with long straight lines, lacking in. Other species like douglas fir is stable and strong while white pine, cypress and cedar do not have the load capacity as douglas fir or oak.
All of our trim boards are squareedged and available in both smooth and rough textures to meet your individual needs. Thus, in the northeast, oldgrowth eastern white pine is our choice for. Douglas fir larch douglas fir south hem fir spruce pine fir south western cedars douglas fir pseudotsuga menziesii western larchlarix occidentalis douglas fir south pseudotsuga menziesii grown in az, co, nv,nmand ut western hemlocktsuga heterophylla noble fir abies procera california red fir abies magnifica grand fir abies. Douglas fir is a very strong wood, ranking at a 4 on a scale of 1 to 5. The two woods are not an exact match but the colors of each are light with little contrast when seen from a.
This wood is a light, rosy color that is set off by its remarkably straight and handsome grain pattern. Pine will darken and yellow with age, adding character and charm. Douglas fir seedlings thrive in an open, sunny environment. The windows and fir were finished with varnish no stain. Pine from the northwest, but some more expensive use douglas fir. Difference between pine and fir compare the difference. During the age of sail, tall white pines with high quality wood were known as mast pines. Log home wood species we believe that wood species is important heres why the honest abe log homes wood species we selected for use in w all logs, log sidings, support posts, blocking, porch posts, porch plates, porch rafters, railings and trim is eastern white pine. Douglas fir on the other hand is quite uniform in color a dullyellow and grain and is ideal for a contemporary setting. The size material you will need for this project will be readily available in whitewood and will be less expensive. Choice of wood species for window sash jlconline forums. Fir is most commonly used as a building material versus furniture items and has a reddish brown tint to it.
Spruce trees that have been allowed to grow and mature have been found to possess acoustical properties, making the tree better suited for use in the construction of musical instruments such as guitars, violins and pianos. The simple cell structure of softwoods long, uniformly packed fibers gives them a high strengthtoweight ratio, making them flexible and capable of bearing heavy loads. Why use eastern white pine for timber frame buildings. Moisture in wood can exist as water or water vapor in cell cavities, or lumens, or as water bound chemically within the cell walls. Eastern white pine bob, ive been thinking about that pretty steadily since you made the comment. Douglas fir with chappo finish douglas fir the texture of this softwood is smooth with a straight, even grain and knots that create beautiful swirl patterns. The soft wood between the grain lines shrinks and expands, making the wood cup or twist. Fir often is confused with pine in regard to constructiongrade lumber. Native to north america, this wood is also known as eastern white pine, soft pine, and northern white pine.
Properties and distortion of douglasfir with comparison. Because it grows so tall, its easy to find eastern white pine timber that spans as much as twenty feet across. These firewood btu ratings charts compare the heat energy content of common firewood types along with both green and dry weight per firewood cord. This longlived, rapid growing giant is known for its long, flexible bluegreen needles. Fir doesnt seem quite as bad but the same technique is often used. The key difference between pine and fir trees is on the tree foliage. When freshly milled, the douglas fir is a light, rosy. Douglas fir on the other hand, features a tight, flowing grain pattern that resists warping and twisting. Douglas fir is a conebearing softwood, meaning that it is not a.
Door and window frames, trim, exterior placement and floors. New douglas fir is not as tightgrained, and verticalgrain stock should be used. Discover what is the best wood for windows and see all the different options that marvins. Eastern white pine pinus strobes is light in color and durable except when in contact with soil. Eastern white pine is lowmaintenance and makes a beautiful ornamental tree suitable for large properties and parks. In addition to douglas fir, there are also some species that are called true firs, such as balsam fir, subalpine fir and so on. Another concern i have is the act of crouching back there on the aft thwart, pull starting that little 2 hp honda, and worrying about the. Pine has more knots and differing colors ranging from brown to amber to white. Values for wood adjusted to 12% moisture content may be assumed to be approximately of the same magnitude. Douglas fir is also cultivated in europe, australia and new zealand for its highquality timber. I did a house remodel last year and installed pine framed windows. The bark was similar, but the western was blockier. White pine costs less, so it is more accessible to more people. One main characteristic feature of both pine and fir is the production of cones.
Wood species for log homes choosing your wood species. In the eastern united states, it is often planted as an ornamental tree. Marvin architectural exhibiting at the south east build it. White pine is the best wood for timber framing, some would say that douglas fir is, but i would disagree with that for one reason. He discusses oak, eastern white pine, shortleaf and longleaf pine, douglas fir, sitka spruce, and white spruce as being commonly used for timber frames, but doesnt discuss what to. Douglas fir is used mainly for long length applications rafters or floor joists. My research led me to white over red pine, but i cant recall why. Since the wood you will be using will not be getting wet and will be in an insulated wall, spf spruce, pine, fir lumber is sufficient. It doesnt deflect or twist excessively, like oak, and for most. If you live on the west coast, its likely youll use fir for your framing needs. Get free 2day shipping on qualified douglas fir, eastern white pine products or buy products today with buy online pick up in store. The four main species of southern yellow pine are longleaf pinus palustris, slash pinus elliottii, shortleaf pinus echinata and loblolly pine pinus taeda.
The wood typically has a strait or slightly wavy grain pattern. Also known as white fir, its a good choice for hot, dry conditions and winter cold, but it grows best with an evenly moist soil that has good drainage. Design values for visually graded timbers 5 x 5 and larger see nds 2. Vertical grain douglas fir windows are beautifully figured, easily finished to. The white concolor fir is not a recommended windbreak tree east of nebraska. White pine, northern white pine, weymouth pine, soft pine. If so, your choices of species drops to just a few like douglas fir, cypress, and white oak. In this study, nine 60year old douglas fir trees and thirteen 26year old radiata pine trees were selected from forests in canterbury region. Softwoods have been exported from the united states for over 400 years. The western white pines there had a shorter 3, denser needle cluster and growing tips compared to eastern white pine.