please help ID this wood

shod · Post by **shod** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 5:16 pm

This is the wood used in my original porch spindles. its over 100 years old. I used my table saw to remove 1/4" of the outside of 2 of them to reveal the grain....

pictures at http://public.fotki.com/shod/porch/

Whats the general opinion of using hemlock for exterior applications how does it compare to poplar or cypress at almost 50% more $$?

BobG · Post by **BobG** » Thu Aug 24, 2006 6:54 pm

looks alot like redwood to me

lrkrgrrl · Post by **lrkrgrrl** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 11:55 am

For exterior purposes, cypress beats poplar, in my understanding. Poplar being more of an interior wood. I don't remember much about hemlock.

Your baulasters could be humble yellow pine. The old slow growth yellow pine was prized for building because of it's stability, even when relatively "green." Although a "soft" wood, it has a weight (or mass) close to that of maple, making it a "hard" lumber although a "softwood" tree,* and kept painted the old growth white and yellow pine hold up pretty well.

*This would be why my half yellow pine and half maple floor doesn't have any problems where it meets despite years of painful abuse.

shod · Post by **shod** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 12:25 pm

do they have any value? I dont plan to reuse them b/c they are too short to meet code here...

I posted an ad in craigslist's free section and got 40 email before removing the ad so im thinking this may be worth something

Don M · Post by **Don M** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 1:50 pm

They look like a tight grained fir or pine to me. If they are in as good condition as the ones you show they should be worth something; too bad you can't reuse them. Don

shod · Post by **shod** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 3:31 pm

is there an efficient way to remove pain from many of those? i ran the ones in the picture through my table saw which made them 1/2" skinnier in width and depth...

lrkrgrrl · Post by **lrkrgrrl** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 4:13 pm

Personally, I'd keep them, just give the dang things a new coat of paint, and put a pipe and screen rail behind it. I hate the "new" railings on old houses. They are usually way flimsy and weak, and completely out of proportion. Historic properties around here use a rail and mesh set up in black that disappears behind the original railings.

They could be dip-stripped, but that can be expensive (and I will repeat dip-stripping does not necessarily use the lye baths that raise grain and leave residue behind. Ask your pro.)

Do you have a local salvage place???

The Gingerbread Man · Post by **The Gingerbread Man** » Fri Aug 25, 2006 7:30 pm

It is my understanding that if you have elements of your house that are historical (grandfathered in) you do not have to bring those elements up to current codes and standards unless you are replacing them. If you are repairing them you should be able to use what was there. If I am wrong someone else needs to jump in. Try just cutting off enough, say half a blade width. or. run them thru a planer. I'm not sure if they have much value. We have alot of this type of material (not the same wood) that has buried itself in a corner until someone remembers and finds a us efor them. Most likley it becomes a BTU donor.

Texas_Ranger · Post by **Texas_Ranger** » Tue Sep 05, 2006 1:35 pm

To my knowledge, poplar is about the softest and most lightweight wood shy of balsa. My dad used poplar plywood for building boxes to go in the back of our van and it's incredible! The wood gets dings and scratches daily, the screws ripped out fairly soon,... no, poplar doesn't impress me at all.
Cypress sounds like average construction grade wood.