The site at this link
says:"The WoodSampler is an online directory exhibiting some of the World's most popular woods."
Is Douglas Fir not a "popular wood". It's not on the list.
I only ask because fir is on my mind at this time. I have to replace the trim around a window that I believe is fir, so I'm just curious as to why it isn't listed at that site.
Maybe an alternate spelling.
I saw it on someone's shopping list at the lumberyard as "dug fur"
Not sure. I built my dresser out of Douglas Fir. It is light-weight and looks good. Careful when working with it as it splinters easily.
Douglas Fir is a "softwood" so you don't always see it listed on woodworking sites which generally tend toward hardwood species, particularly with regard to domestic hardwoods. That said, it does not appear that all of the woods listed on that site would be classified as "hardwoods".
"Vertical grain" Douglas Fir will command a premium price, finishes nicely, and is an easy wood to work. It is great for shop/utility cabinets and I've seen some furniture made from it that was impressive.
Western Red Cedar is an excellent alternative for your window trim, paints nicely and will probably outlast the fir in most exterior applications. IME.
Also from the same web site:
"As you browse the lists, you'll notice there are some striking omissions. All the pictures you see are from veneer samples or lumber scraps from folks who have taken the time to send us a small piece of wood for scanning. "
From a woodworking standpoint (furniture as opposed to construction) I wouldn't think that Douglas Fir is all that popular.
- Western Red Cedar is an excellent alternative for your window trim, paints
- nicely and will probably outlast the fir in most exterior applications. IME.
Thanks for the insight, but...
I am trying to match existing fir trim that was stained to match my sliding glass door 15+ years ago. The replacement window I installed is thinner than the original one, so I need to replace the interior stops only. All the rest of the trim and baseboard in the room is stained fir. I got it at a local home center that is now out of business and I'm having trouble finding fir trim locally. I called a few lumber yards and it looks like I'll either have to mix stains to get a match or have the trim milled.
By the way, it's a weird window opening. The old interior stops were quarter round and now I'll have to rip some standard stops down to something between the standard and the quarter round. In other words, this window opening is narrower (thinner) than all the other window openings in my house. From what I understand about the history of the house, it's in an addition that was built less than 2 years after the main house, but built by the same builder. Having just replaced 9 windows, I know he used a totally different window installation procedure for this one window.
The search continues.
Nova wrote in news:AvDGi.46$Ij2.25@trndny06:
I think in general that's true, particularly in most of the US.
But out in the West, where we get Douglas Fir readily, there were a bunch of nice Craftsman style houses built, with DF trim, cabinets and woodwork.
And one of the local SF woodworkers, a retired Navy chief who spent a couple of years with Jim Krenov at Fort Bragg, had made some absolutely marvelous furniture for his own place in VG DF.
We all get a choice, of one type or another. Most days, that is.
Patriarch
Geez, they don't have room for everything and obviously they had to include spalted poplar!
See if you can find Hemlock. Can't tell the difference.
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