What do you think of this narrow rough sawn stock? (Beech I think?)

[Eoin Ryans]

Hi,

I have the opportunity of purchasing some rough sawn narrow stock as shown below. Ive been told it is probably beech.
Do you think this stock would be of much use? Thanks
?254907254908

[Jim Matthews]

I'm not entirely sure what can be done with what appears to be entirely heartwood.

These look like fence post or spindle stock, at best.
I prefer to use lumber from a little farther out on the tree...

http://archtoolbox.com/materials-systems/wood-plastic-composites/86-woodlumbercuts.html

[Joe Angrisani]

....These look like fence post or spindle stock, at best....

Like Jim said: Fence posts AT BEST.

Can you say "Pith"?

[David Weaver]

If it's beech, garden wood (like if you need to make posts and don't care if they rot) or firewood. You only want quartersawn or riven beech. Nothing else. Not flatsawn and not pith. Its behavior with changing absolute humidity is never good.

[Kevin Bourque]

It looks like it's all fence material. You might be able to sell it to Budweiser.

[HANK METZ]

Heavy equipment cribbing and pallet stock, really. These look like mill ends after the good stuff has been sawn off.

- Beachside Hank
Improvise, adapt, overcome; the essence of true craftsmanship.

[Mark Bolton]

They look like extremely tiny trees to me rather than anything that came off a mill. Most all of them still have wain on them like the trees were barely large enough to get what you see. The fence post seems like the best guess. Like someone cut/cleared a bunch of very small trees and just squared them for posts. Its kind of odd if it is beech because around here at least small beech are often not very straight. To get full posts out of such small trees it must have been a unique stand of beech.

We've bought a bunch of 4/4 2C KD beech here for 350/MBF ($0.35/bf) but this would basically be free for getting it out of there if it were me. I think the reply about cribbing is a good one, but you'd need a bunch. Hah.

[Mark Bolton]

You only want quartersawn or riven beech. Nothing else. Not flatsawn and not pith. Its behavior with changing absolute humidity is never good.

Thats interesting, we have used Beech many times and not found it to be an issue although what a change in humidity "is" may be a factor. We have used it in countless pieces of furniture, mantles, and even for decorative work though a lot of selecting for color. Thats always our biggest issue with Beech, color variation and blotchy-ness. Its used every day in stair case construction sold commercially for, newels, hand rail, and so on and I dont believe any of it is more than flat sawn. Quartersawn is of course stunning. I have always considered Beech a Chameleon, it can look like many other common hardwoods.

Dont know if this will work but, this staircase is entirely Beech (except for the walnut and riffle barrel balustrade)

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-E24RwR2Y3nQ/USUKs4wjN9I/AAAAAAAABRE/yEhshqjUg5g/s861/IMG_00015.jpg
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-ODwJP_ZIHDc/USUK8VkS-SI/AAAAAAAABQs/UcKAAvSkic4/s861/IMG_00016.jpg
https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-5XPphkRAhlk/USUKfsJpKqI/AAAAAAAABQc/EnRkleVfp98/s861/IMG_00014.jpg

We've used it for years and the only problems Ive had is color but everything we use is not steamed.