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What are the pros and cons of using clear Redwood for strip building? :confused: :confused: :confused:
What are the pros and cons of using clear Redwood for strip building? :confused: :confused: :confused:
What are the pros and cons of using clear Redwood for strip building? :confused: :confused: :confused:
Alan D. Hyde
07-12-2002, 04:44 PM
Kind of a brittle wood, and not terribly strong, I think.
Redwood was used for house trim and siding around here years ago, and I much prefered working with white pine.
BUT, I've never used redwood on a boat, and I've never built a strip-built boat, so take my comments for what they're worth...
Alan
Alan D. Hyde
07-12-2002, 04:44 PM
Kind of a brittle wood, and not terribly strong, I think.
Redwood was used for house trim and siding around here years ago, and I much prefered working with white pine.
BUT, I've never used redwood on a boat, and I've never built a strip-built boat, so take my comments for what they're worth...
Alan
Alan D. Hyde
07-12-2002, 04:44 PM
Kind of a brittle wood, and not terribly strong, I think.
Redwood was used for house trim and siding around here years ago, and I much prefered working with white pine.
BUT, I've never used redwood on a boat, and I've never built a strip-built boat, so take my comments for what they're worth...
Alan
Billy Bones
07-12-2002, 06:27 PM
Someone marketed redwood real well in the 70's and 80's. It is reputed to have mystical qualities, but experience has shown it to be expensive and perform average to poorly. I did some work for a lady who was so proud of her deck which she paid dearly for. She boasted of the qualities of 'Louisiana Mahogany' which her builder had recommended, but was concerned that every time someone wore shoes while walking on the deck there was some sort of ding or mar. Sure enough it was redwood. Within a year it was showing signs of rot, etc etc.
Spanish cedar, a wood with similar weight, is being used with reportedly good result. It is far and away cheaper than redwood and works wonderfully. It is worth a look.
Billy Bones
07-12-2002, 06:27 PM
Someone marketed redwood real well in the 70's and 80's. It is reputed to have mystical qualities, but experience has shown it to be expensive and perform average to poorly. I did some work for a lady who was so proud of her deck which she paid dearly for. She boasted of the qualities of 'Louisiana Mahogany' which her builder had recommended, but was concerned that every time someone wore shoes while walking on the deck there was some sort of ding or mar. Sure enough it was redwood. Within a year it was showing signs of rot, etc etc.
Spanish cedar, a wood with similar weight, is being used with reportedly good result. It is far and away cheaper than redwood and works wonderfully. It is worth a look.
Billy Bones
07-12-2002, 06:27 PM
Someone marketed redwood real well in the 70's and 80's. It is reputed to have mystical qualities, but experience has shown it to be expensive and perform average to poorly. I did some work for a lady who was so proud of her deck which she paid dearly for. She boasted of the qualities of 'Louisiana Mahogany' which her builder had recommended, but was concerned that every time someone wore shoes while walking on the deck there was some sort of ding or mar. Sure enough it was redwood. Within a year it was showing signs of rot, etc etc.
Spanish cedar, a wood with similar weight, is being used with reportedly good result. It is far and away cheaper than redwood and works wonderfully. It is worth a look.
thechemist
07-12-2002, 07:17 PM
"Second growth" redwood may have six to twelve growth rings to the inch. It has a relatively high cross-grain porosity and rots readily.
"Old Growth" redwood has over thirty growth rings to the inch, generally, and has pretty good rot resistance. When the railroads came out west they had a spec of 30-40 or thereabouts growth rings to the inch, and used that wood for their ties and trestles, as I heard the story. The wood that did not meet the railroad spec got used for houses and commercial property along the way. Many such buildings in Sacramento and the San Francisco bay area are built of such wood and doing very well almost a hundred years later.
You MIGHT be able to build a boat out of THAT wood, if you could find any.
Other woods have adequate or better rot resistance and strength-to-weight ratios. You should consult the Wood Handbook, published by the Forest Products Lab, U. S. Department of Agriculture. It's on-line or can be bought for about fifty bucks.
thechemist
07-12-2002, 07:17 PM
"Second growth" redwood may have six to twelve growth rings to the inch. It has a relatively high cross-grain porosity and rots readily.
"Old Growth" redwood has over thirty growth rings to the inch, generally, and has pretty good rot resistance. When the railroads came out west they had a spec of 30-40 or thereabouts growth rings to the inch, and used that wood for their ties and trestles, as I heard the story. The wood that did not meet the railroad spec got used for houses and commercial property along the way. Many such buildings in Sacramento and the San Francisco bay area are built of such wood and doing very well almost a hundred years later.
You MIGHT be able to build a boat out of THAT wood, if you could find any.
Other woods have adequate or better rot resistance and strength-to-weight ratios. You should consult the Wood Handbook, published by the Forest Products Lab, U. S. Department of Agriculture. It's on-line or can be bought for about fifty bucks.
thechemist
07-12-2002, 07:17 PM
"Second growth" redwood may have six to twelve growth rings to the inch. It has a relatively high cross-grain porosity and rots readily.
"Old Growth" redwood has over thirty growth rings to the inch, generally, and has pretty good rot resistance. When the railroads came out west they had a spec of 30-40 or thereabouts growth rings to the inch, and used that wood for their ties and trestles, as I heard the story. The wood that did not meet the railroad spec got used for houses and commercial property along the way. Many such buildings in Sacramento and the San Francisco bay area are built of such wood and doing very well almost a hundred years later.
You MIGHT be able to build a boat out of THAT wood, if you could find any.
Other woods have adequate or better rot resistance and strength-to-weight ratios. You should consult the Wood Handbook, published by the Forest Products Lab, U. S. Department of Agriculture. It's on-line or can be bought for about fifty bucks.
Todd Bradshaw
07-13-2002, 04:16 AM
If you're talking about strip construction as in big boat strip building, I think you would find it somewhat flimsy. For the type of wood-strip/fiberglass construction used on canoes and kayaks, it works fine. I've built several with it. The color tends to be somewhat less interesting than cedar, but the wood works fine.
Todd Bradshaw
07-13-2002, 04:16 AM
If you're talking about strip construction as in big boat strip building, I think you would find it somewhat flimsy. For the type of wood-strip/fiberglass construction used on canoes and kayaks, it works fine. I've built several with it. The color tends to be somewhat less interesting than cedar, but the wood works fine.
Todd Bradshaw
07-13-2002, 04:16 AM
If you're talking about strip construction as in big boat strip building, I think you would find it somewhat flimsy. For the type of wood-strip/fiberglass construction used on canoes and kayaks, it works fine. I've built several with it. The color tends to be somewhat less interesting than cedar, but the wood works fine.
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