Juniper for cabinets?

[Tim Bueler]

One of the builders I make cabinets for has access to several log truck loads of juniper. He wants to use some for posts/interior feature logs and turn the rest into cabinets. I don't know the specific species but since we live in north central Idaho I would assume it to be Western Juniper (Juniperus occidentalis). I haven't seen them but the logs are supposedly up to 30" diameter and harvested as dead standing. FDMC had a good description but I'm wondering if anyone here has experience using juniper in a cabinet atmosphere? Cutting, planing, gluing, sanding, finishing? Resinous or not? Dimensional stability in wider boards and, since I won't be able to get a juniper faced plywood, glued up panels?

Comments and suggestions are appreciated.

[Dick Brown]

Have worked with juniper a bit. Just make sure you have about twice the amount of stock that you think you will need. Cut a bit oversize on all your parts and then trim as it is real bad to change shape when cutting. Makes beautiful pieces when done though.

[Joe Kaufman]

About 10 years ago or so, I was in a new custom house and Juniper was used for all the cabinets and a big dining room table and chairs. As I remember the story, the juniper was harvested from a wildfire area on federal land in N.E. Arizona. Similar story in that truckloads of Juniper logs 2' + in diameter were harvested (legally). As I remember, the dining room table was 10-12' long from 2 slabs of Juniper. I had no idea that Juniper got that big. I believe the cabinets and table were made in a custom cabinet shop around or in Flagstaff AZ. You might try contacting custom cabinet shops in that area for answers to your questions.

[Paul Girouard]

Google Sustainable Northwest Wood.com , they have a nice web page that addresses your questions.

[daryl moses]

Dead standing will still be "green" [full of moisture] or it always has been in my experience. It still draws moisture from the ground. It probably wont have as much moisture as a freshly cut live tree but will still "probably" have a M/C greater than 15%. How much moisture depends on how long it has been dead standing.

[Tim Bueler]

Thank you all. Someone else must have already told my builder how much extra to allow for Juniper as he wasn't at all surprised when I told him how much I would need. Thanks too, daryl, for that reminder on checking moisture even in dead standing harvests. I've been surprised by that before. The builder, the sawyer and myself all have moisture meters.:)