I recently ran into somebody who has some very large stacks of 2.5 thick x 8-16” wide by 12’ – 16’ long old pickle vat lumber.<!—-><!—-> <!—->
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I got a piece from him and it looks like doug fir to me. Believe it or not it still smells like it as well. It’s been sitting for 10+ years at his house so there is really no pickle smell to it. It’s really nice clear most vertical grain. There is some staining but once you plane off 1/8” or so it’s good looking. No nails were used in it; but they used dowels so there is a ½” hole every 48” on the edge. So that would negate one face after re-sawing. <!—-> <!—->
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This is a picture but its crap since I used my free camera phone but it gives you an idea.<!—-> <!—->
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Does anybody have any idea what this stuff might be worth? I think he has close to 3K BF. <!—-> <!—->
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Replies
sd,
It could also be cypress. I have a local suplier that has a bunch of this QS cypress that was used in pickle vats. Narrowish widths (6" or so). Beautiful, old growth cypress with tight rings. About $4-5 b/f
If it's indeed douglas fir, I would think it's probably not going to fetch that much. But I could be wrong.
Yhe only problem I have with it (the lumber from my local supplier) is that every bit of it is dead quartersawn. There is no variation in grain, just tight stripes. Doesn't make for very interesting furniture. But it would excel in raised panel doors (interior and exterior) and windows/trim.
Good luck,
Lee
No I'm pretty sure it's Doug fir it smells like it. I can dent it with my finger nail using some extra effort. So it's not soft but it's not hard. I think DF is considered moderate hardness and 2-3 lb per board foot depending on MC.<!----><!----><!---->
<!----><!----><!---->Cypress<!----><!----> is heavy right? and also harder? not sure I know a lot about cypress; here in <!----><!---->Minnesota<!----><!----> we don't get a lot of confederate wood.<!----><!---->
Reclaimed wood is hard to price. I got some old growth CVG DF last year from a guy in <!----><!---->Oregon<!----><!---->. It cost me more to ship it than to buy it. but it looks just like this
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sd,
yep, looks like doug fir to me. Hard to tell with that first photo.
Lee
looks like doug fir to me also, in the bay area that quality of wood is very expensive. Looks like fun.Troy
Hi sleepy dad saw your post on the doug fir.Thought you might be interested to see these fir doors from the fiftys i just stripped and stained.I used dewaxed shellac to seal and stained with generals pecan top coat poly gel from rockler .I thought they came out nice.Maybe too nice for my old house.hope my picture comes thru.bye
nice job.
that would have been considered paint grade stuff back then. I just love the natural look of wood so I could never even consider painting stuff like that. But they did just that. Paint it.<!----><!----><!---->
Most likely you have Cypress. I have a small stash of pickle vat lumber from the Mount Olive Pickle Company in Mount Olive, NC. Plan to use for for some garden benchs like the plans found in this magazine.
If you got the wood from a Southern source, it is likely Cypress, as manufacturers tend to use materials from local sources to avoid shipping costs. There is some similarity in the looks of Cypress and Douglas Fir, as I have used both. But Doug Fir does not smell like pickles.
how would I know if it's cypress?<!----><!----><!---->
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gedney pickles are made in chaska MN; where I grew up and went to school.<!----><!---->
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so I'm pretty sure it's DF; but I wish I knew how to tell if it's cypress?<!----><!---->
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I've seen eastern hemlock that looks just like this stuff as well.<!----><!---->
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oh well; if I can talk the guy out of it for a decent price I'll be making a kitchen table out of it and probably a new front door for my house.<!----><!---->
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