Posted by Sherman in Idaho [108.162.245.19] on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 at 11:24:31 :
In Reply to: Re: Understand posted by Jerry in Idaho [162.158.68.47] on Wednesday, April 27, 2016 at 10:47:02 :
That's interesting about local beams being twistier. Did you every buy from Whiteman's in Cataldo? They are our local mill and their main thing is high-end custom timbers for timber-framed homes. They will cut any size and plane them as well. They also cut mine timbers and other rough stuff and do small orders. I get all my timbers there, but I've only bought rough #2 green fir.
If you have trouble with pitch weeping it's because the timbers weren't dried. Drying sets the pitch. It can take a couple years out in the air, or you can have it done by the mill if they have a dry kiln. I've heard of microwave drying being used on big timbers because it's quicker and reduces checking. I know Whiteman's has a way to dry them if you pay extra for it, but I'm not sure how they do it. Most small mills don't.
Coastal old-growth fir used to have some huge pitch pockets. My grandpa spoke of bark a foot thick and gallons of pitch sometimes. One of the first men whose attempt to cut a big old-growth fir was document (near Astoria), wrote that "near a hogshead" of pitch ran out. Of course now it's all plantation grown and it does tend to be clearer that most of ours because it grows in denser forests, but I'm surprised you couldn't order #1 or better around here.
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