Knotty red alder?

[Larry Edgerton]

I have a kitchen coming up with Knotty Red Alder and have never worked with it so am looking for some insight as to what to expect and what if any losses to expect in regards to order quantity as I have to have it shipped in. Finishing tips?

Thanks, Larry

[peter gagliardi]

Pretty much the same as any lower grade wood-more tension, and movement, and some open holes in knots.
Figure at least 15-20% more for defecting, and cut all parts to rough size, and then mill to finish size carefully.
It is about the density of poplar, some slight tearout around some knots is inevitable. It sands and finishes well, but can be "thirsty" with the changing grain patterns.

[Edwin Santos]

In the Southwest, Alder coming out of the PNW is common and fairly inexpensive, so it is the go-to species for stain grade work. Cabinet shops go through a ton of it.

My finishing schedule is as follows: Dye stain (like transtint), followed by a seal coat of shellac, then wiped on glaze, then topcoat.
Alder takes stain very well IMO. I happen to like dye stain, but many people use common oil based pigment stain with good results.

I have not experienced issues with tension and movement, but I agree with minor tearout occurring around knots and changing grain. I agree taht 15-20% is a good allowance for waste. My supplier offers three grades; knotty, clear and an in-between they call cabinet grade. The in-between will have knots, just smaller, tighter and less of them. If you encounter tension issues with Alder, I would suspect deficiencies in the kiln drying.

[J.R. Rutter]

Here in the PNW, we have access to a wide range of grades (that are specific to alder). Here is info from the largest supplier around here:

https://northwesthardwoods.com/products/western/alder/

If you can get it, SUP 1 Face has smaller tight knots on one face of the board. This lets you maintain structural integrity and still have a rustic look. Premium has more knots, but also includes the pith in a good proportion of boards. Depending on the job, I will mix Premium (for the panels) with a better grade (for the rails/stiles). I end up filling knot gaps larger than about 1/8" with a dark filler. It is one of those things where you will want clear communication with the customer on exactly how rustic they want it.

[Günter VögelBerg]

When I use it I fill the knots with tinted epoxy. I love finishing it with waterlox. I've never stained it. As it ages it gets a nice amber hue. Out west here it is pretty popular in kitchens. I don't personally care for it, but it is pleasant to work with if you get good stock that has been properly kiln dried. It is less stable than, say, oak. Treat it more as a soft wood. It is a joy to work with hand tools and smells nice when cut.

[Jamie Buxton]

The knots beat the heck out of my planer blades. I much prefer the clear stuff.

[Neil Gaskin]

As mentioned order 20% extra. Around here it’s less than $2/BDFT.

I enjoy joy working with it, it works well. It is relatively soft.

I think it it finishes well.

You our might want to order a bit of clear for any critical pieces.

[Joe Calhoon]

JR has good advice on the grades. We ran miles and miles of K Alder back in the day. Easy to work with Tersa knives and insert tooling. It will nick the HSS Tersa in short order. It’s what drove us to carbide on the planing machines. In part because it comes abrasive planed.

I have found for being a weed wood it is fairly stable. When building cabinetry and finishing we found Benite made a good wood conditioner for the dark stains.

[Larry Edgerton]

Thank you for the reply's gentlemen. Nice to have an idea what I am in for. I'm still trying to talk them in to something else but so far no luck.

[Steve Rozmiarek]

I'm stuck with 10' length maximum and 6-7" width from my supplier. Just finishing a house that we'd built all the millwork out of alder in, so the waste is higher for this project. Wouldn't be as bad in a kitchen, but you'll still be cussing the width some. Maybe you guys have better sources though.

Got that Lamello sample, I'm impressed! Thanks for sending.

[Larry Edgerton]

You are welcome Steve, no problem. Debating still, new adventure bike or Lamello. :D