Douglas Fir maybe?

Greenman · #1 09-08-2007, 02:58 PM

They changed a few powerline polls up near my hunt camp and was wondering if it may be Douglas fir. I did not have my camera at the time so no pics yet. It dosn't seem to be Cedar because I already got one before and this seems different.
It's at least 24" at the butt and about 90 feet long. Am I looking at tons of body core wood?
Your thoughts.

bassteban · #2 09-08-2007, 03:30 PM

A friend gave me a couple of pieces of clear doug fir- like 92" long X 10" wide. I edge-glued two pieces 24" long & voila: Semi-hollow EUB tops! The fir seems soft, but no more than alder or poplar, & it looks very nice. It actually resembles spruce to me, so I'm hopeful it will sound good too. Sorry no pics- we're stuck w/dialup for a few more days so pics are difficult to load.
I'd say grab some of that stuff, though. You could certainly make something out of it!

Greenman · #3 09-08-2007, 04:10 PM

I'll have to bring in my big chainsaw and get a couple of chunks with my ATV. I can't get my truck near the place. I'll post some pics and if is good I will have to bring it out piece by piece.

Yellow · #4 09-09-2007, 01:43 AM

Some old growth Doug Fir is incredibly tight grain, once it is fully dryed it hardens as a rock, it is by the way the hardest of soft woods and is much harder then Alder which is softest of hardwoods. Doug Fir has been used before for instruments and has a lively tone. It is so full of sap and resins that it gummes up tools spits, burns etc etc, very stable when dryed and finished, gorgeous colour when finished with oil darkens with time.
Poles are more often cedar, around here in BC anyway, have not seen much fir ones other then old ones treated with creosote.

Love the look of it and qualities, but dont enjoy working with it personally.

62bass · #5 09-09-2007, 08:49 AM

Yes, it would be strange to find Douglas Fir used in Ontario, but I suppose it could be possible.

Some Douglas Fir is indeed vey hard. I refinished an old staircase that was from the 1930s and in fir. Hard as a rock and it wears like iron.

Greenman · #6 09-09-2007, 09:41 AM

Thanks for the input folks. The last one we got for firewood and smelled like pencils and this one does not. It is very dry and probably treated when it was new(30 to 50 years old).
I'll repost when I get back up to camp.

Larry Davis · #7 09-09-2007, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Yellow

Some old growth Doug Fir is incredibly tight grain, once it is fully dryed it hardens as a rock, it is by the way the hardest of soft woods and is much harder then Alder which is softest of hardwoods.

A bit of research will disclose that Pacific yew is much denser and wear resistant than Doug Fir. Aspen is much softer and less dense than Alder. These are only two examples of commercial timbers...there are other examples.

Greenman, fir power poles are almost always impregnated with preservatives to stand against the elements in service. You should detect some sort of odor. Bad stuff!!!

Greenman · #8 09-09-2007, 11:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Larry Davis

Greenman, fir power poles are almost always impregnated with preservatives to stand against the elements in service. You should detect some sort of odor. Bad stuff!!!

The last pole I cut up looked like the preservative penetrated about 1 to 1.5 in. into the wood. These poles are very dry on the exterior and no odor is present. Man I wish I brought my camera!

**Marcus Willett** · #9 09-09-2007, 11:34 AM

I have had two bass necks made of douglas fir by Dave Wendler of Electrocoustic.com. About 5 years ago mostly as an experiment. Actually worked out well...quite light and very acoustic quality to the tone on both the maple FB and rosewood. The idea came from trying to make a lighter bass and seeing that at a certain point, the neck weight became a hinderance. Dave found a nice batch of very old fir that had been used in wine casks and was tight-grained and resonant.

(Here's the ironic part)

As fate would have it I have one I'm not using now, feel free to PM if interested.

#include <MK> · #10 09-09-2007, 10:02 PM

I'm currently building a guitar, as a side project to the bass I'm working, which I used a douglas fir body. The piece was given to me by a friend who found it, it was part of some sort of bench. The thing was totally black when I got it, but it cleaned up so nice that I had to use it. It's not finished yet, so I cannot comment on the sound but it has a really nice pattern and is harder than alder as mentioned above. The only issue is that it seems that there is more moisture in this than alder, so we'll see how it goes.

iamlowsound · #11 09-09-2007, 10:22 PM

Where is your hunt camp? Is it near Berks Falls by any chance? I was up there a few weeks ago and saw a bunch of poles being replaced.

lowsound

Moreau · #12 09-09-2007, 10:28 PM

Burkes Falls? My moms BF is from those parts. Got a hunt camp too. Wish he was cool enough to play bass

Greenman · #13 09-09-2007, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by iamlowsound

Where is your hunt camp? Is it near Berks Falls by any chance? I was up there a few weeks ago and saw a bunch of poles being replaced.

lowsound

Half way between Wawa and Chapleau on the 101 highway. 5 Km. south at Kinawabi Lake.