which wood

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walleye
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2012 4:29 pm

which wood

Post by walleye »

I'm in the process of setting up to build my first strip wood conoe. I can't locate any clear ceder in my area for a resaonable cost . with this being my first attempt not want to kept the cost down . so my options are aromatic ceder which has knots , ash , but Im not sure of the of the weight ,and poplar which I'm not crazy about the color. so guess I'm asking for suggestions.

Thanks
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Glen Smith
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Joined: Sat May 08, 2004 9:08 am
Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada

Re: which wood

Post by Glen Smith »

Where are you located? Maybe someone here knows of a good source of suitable lumber near you.
wb9tpg
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Joined: Thu Feb 10, 2011 7:01 pm
Location: Versailles, KY
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Re: which wood

Post by wb9tpg »

I used western red cedar from Lowes 1 x 4" x 12' was cheap. ~$100 bucks for enough to do the entire canoe. I spent several days cutting out knots/defects and scarfing the strips together to make 16' strips.
walleye
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2012 4:29 pm

Re: which wood

Post by walleye »

I live in central ny. I can get spanish ceder but they want $6 a board ft which is little costly . Lowes has ceder but its really not very good at all.
wb9tpg
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Location: Versailles, KY
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Re: which wood

Post by wb9tpg »

walleye wrote:Lowes has ceder but its really not very good at all.
I believe that, I started picking through the pile and finding the best boards I could from it. I still have to cut out a large number of knots and scarf the joints. I still have a waste basket full of cutoffs I use to start the fireplace in the winter. :laughing
walleye
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2012 4:29 pm

Re: which wood

Post by walleye »

I went back to differant lowes and did find some decent ceder, but the thickness is 5/8 not 3/4 . will that make a differance?
Rod Tait

Re: which wood

Post by Rod Tait »

Is the spanish cedar in full lengths, because if it is then the price is not that bad. Clear western red cedar full length (18 - 20 ft) straight from a mill here in B.C. Canada (home to red cedar) is around $4.50 bdft.
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Glen Smith
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Location: Baie-St-Paul, Quebec, Canada

Re: which wood

Post by Glen Smith »

It is OK to use 5/8" for the strips. It will just require a bit more strips so buy a few more boards to make up for it.
walleye
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Aug 10, 2012 4:29 pm

Re: which wood

Post by walleye »

I went with ceder from lowes. The spanish ceder was not in full lengths.thanks for all of the help.
just recieved the dvds from bear montainhe next few months will be interesting. :laughing
KenC
Posts: 190
Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2004 10:42 pm
Location: Oakville, ON

Re: which wood

Post by KenC »

Sounds like you're all set for this one. Here's something to keep in mind for the next one ...

For some reason, in the big-box stores near me, there seems to be a lot better stock in the 4x4 pile than in the 2x or 1x piles. I also pick through the fence-boards (the ones that are only 5/8" thick) for clear stock, though I have a different use for those. I have found numerous almost-clear 4x4s, with tight grain, and a dark chocolaty color. I use them to carve greenland paddles, but I've often thought they'd yield a lot of strips for my next canoe/kayak project. Particularly for the deck of a kayak, where full-length strips aren't necessary. If you have the equipment to mill strips out of a 4x4, that may be an alternative.

Good luck & have fun with the build.
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