Growth ring contest

[Cameron Wood]

Some offcuts of DF construction lumber. 6x6 and 6x8- over 70 growth rings per inch.

497880

[Andrew Hughes]

That’s a good one. I offer this for your consideration Alaskan yellow cedar. This was a great board.
I think your fir beats mine.

[John Kananis]

That Doug fir would quickly become, not construction lumber in my shop. Very nice.

[Cameron Wood]

That Doug fir would quickly become, not construction lumber in my shop. Very nice.

I measured the rings on a scrap, but there's a 6x8x8' piece of the same stuff. Heavy!!

[Andrew Hughes]

I once reclaimed some fir from a house built in the 1920s it was similar the old growth wood you have except it was very dry. I remember it to be extra stable it had no stress of fight left in it.
I built a hall table and entered it in woodworking competition.I don’t remember what I placed but got lots of compliments.
Here a pic.

[jack dempsey]

Andrew, That is a gorgeous table. Jack

[Cameron Wood]

Yes, beautiful table. The piece I have is also dry- indoors since 2006. There is also some 4x12 with 40 rings/inch, and redwood 6x6s with 50 rings/inch. Hope to make a bench from the 4x12.

[John Kananis]

Garrett Hack would be all over that stuff. He uses lots of df in his furniture.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I once reclaimed some fir from a house built in the 1920s it was similar the old growth wood you have except it was very dry. I remember it to be extra stable it had no stress of fight left in it.
I built a hall table and entered it in woodworking competition.I don’t remember what I placed but got lots of compliments.
Here a pic.

Andrew, If you did not get first place shame on the judges. It is lovely!

I have some reclaimed bits of 100+ year old construction lumber, some that was buried until recently. I have to get a jewelers loupe to count the rings, then figure out how to take a picture...

[Maurice Mcmurry]

I remember reading in Smithsonian magazine in the 1980's about trees in Canada that were puzzling scientists because they had no growth rings. Turns out they just needed more magnification. These were small trees about the size of a baseball bat.

Ontario's oldest trees - Ontario's old growth forests (http://www.oldgrowth.ca/oldtrees/)



White Cedar Thuja occidentalis
1316
Niagara Escarpment
Dwarfed cliff cedar, germinated 688 AD. Kelly and Larson 2004, Kelly and Larson 2007, Larson 2005. Photo (https://i2.wp.com/www.oldgrowth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/LastStandPg137AncientOne.jpg?w=467)



1890
Niagara Escarpment
This ancient cliff cedar had been dead for centuries but was preserved under a rock overhang. 1567 rings were counted, estimated age 1890 years. Larson 2001, Larson 2005, Kelly and Larson 2007



1653
Niagara Escarpment
1653 rings were counted on a dead trunk. This is the longest complete ring count on an ancient cedar in Ontario. Kelly and Larson 2007

[Bill Dufour]

a young one
Bill D.

https://www.google.com/search?q=redwood+slab+label%3Bed+dates&sxsrf=AJOqlzWh9lj8SZUjEOl4u3ebltkxRctwUA:167919831 9018&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwig4L-ajef9AhWkiO4BHVdjARkQ_AUoAXoECAEQAw&biw=1366&bih=600&dpr=1#imgrc=2BBl8LQri2WDrM&imgdii=mmP0gws9HuJ6PM

[Greg Quenneville]

I bought some Sitka spruce from Aircraft Supply in ‘78 that had 130 rings per inch. I have some Western Red Cedar here now with about 45/inch which seems like old growth gold now.

[roger wiegand]

I recently acquired several DF boards with vertical grain and ring counts similar to what you show. Definitely didn't pay construction lumber prices for it! I'm in the process of building organ pipes from it. I'm wondering about its properties as a soundboard or guitar top. Spruce, whether Sitka or norther European, seems to be the standard; not sure I've ever seen a guitar with a DF top. Are the acoustic properties a lot different? It sure looks great.

[Mark Hennebury]

Nice work Andrew!


I once reclaimed some fir from a house built in the 1920s it was similar the old growth wood you have except it was very dry. I remember it to be extra stable it had no stress of fight left in it.
I built a hall table and entered it in woodworking competition.I don’t remember what I placed but got lots of compliments.
Here a pic.

[John Kananis]

Andrew, I didn't notice the pics at first, nicely done. I especially like the "Maloof-type" details in some of the joinery and the ogee design in the retention rail (proper term?) running the outside perimeter of the top.

[Cameron Wood]

I remember reading in Smithsonian magazine in the 1980's about trees in Canada that were puzzling scientists because they had no growth rings. Turns out they just needed more magnification. These were small trees about the size of a baseball bat.

Ontario's oldest trees - Ontario's old growth forests (http://www.oldgrowth.ca/oldtrees/)



White Cedar Thuja occidentalis
1316
Niagara Escarpment
Dwarfed cliff cedar, germinated 688 AD. Kelly and Larson 2004, Kelly and Larson 2007, Larson 2005. Photo (https://i2.wp.com/www.oldgrowth.ca/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/LastStandPg137AncientOne.jpg?w=467)



1890
Niagara Escarpment
This ancient cliff cedar had been dead for centuries but was preserved under a rock overhang. 1567 rings were counted, estimated age 1890 years. Larson 2001, Larson 2005, Kelly and Larson 2007



1653
Niagara Escarpment
1653 rings were counted on a dead trunk. This is the longest complete ring count on an ancient cedar in Ontario. Kelly and Larson 2007




I'll bet bristlecone pine would be like that- supposedly some of the oldest living things. In the white mountains (CA), the forest service cut a lot of them to make sign posts.

[Mark Hennebury]

"Maloof- Type" details? what exactly are you referring to? Can you explain?


Andrew, I didn't notice the pics at first, nicely done. I especially like the "Maloof-type" details in some of the joinery and the ogee design in the retention rail (proper term?) running the outside perimeter of the top.

[John Kananis]

Look where the apron is joined to the leg.


"Maloof- Type" details? what exactly are you referring to? Can you explain?

Edit: Andrew did it differently, his design is more linear in the joinery, just reminded me of how Sam Maloof would 'bury' one component into the other.

[Mark Hennebury]

I saw that.
You should know that joint is a standard joint and has been around for a thousand years before Maloof ever existed. It is in no way attributable to Sam Maloof!


Look where the apron is joined to the leg.

[John Kananis]

I'm aware. Nobody has used it as prominently in their work as he has though (as far as I know).


I saw that.
You should know that joint is a standard joint and has been around for a thousand years before Maloof ever existed. It is in no way attributable to Sam Maloof!

[Andrew Hughes]

I saw that.
You should know that joint is a standard joint and has been around for a thousand years before Maloof ever existed. It is in no way attributable to Sam Maloof!

Too me the joint is called a masons miter or gunstock joint. Very fun to make due to high challenge
I saw it on Edward Barnsleys work. One of my favorite woodworking craftsman

[Mark Hennebury]

It is a nice joint that requires precision to fit.

It has many applications in furniture, windows, doors and timber framing.

You did a fine job on that piece!

I also like Barnsley's work.


Too me the joint is called a masons miter or gunstock joint. Very fun to make due to high challenge
I saw it on Edward Barnsleys work. One of my favorite woodworking craftsman

[Mark Hennebury]

You don't need a full tank of gas to drive that far.


(as far as I know).

[John Kananis]

My original comment was meant to be a compliment. That said, quite witty (and rude) post.


You don't need a full tank of gas to drive that far.

[Dave Zellers]

Whoever was the first to do it, whatever it's called, it was the first thing I noticed when I zoomed in on the pick. And it was beautifully done!

[Rob Luter]

This is from a cedar 2 x 4 I found in my basement. It’s perfectly quarter sawn.

https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/52527420849_ebe88c3d20_b.jpg

[Cameron Wood]

Nice. I count just over 50. Might be more measured directly across the vertical grain.

[Scott T Smith]

About ten years back we milled up a cypress log that had over 1000 growth rings in it. It was around 35" diameter and came from a section of the tree that was around 60' above the ground.

The project that it was for is detailed in this post.

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?194697-A-very-uncommon-project

Here is a close up of some of the grain. I counted 88 growth rings per inch. Due to the close proximity, I had to magnify the photo on my computer screen in order to count them.

498191

[Mike Henderson]

Wow, Andrew, that's a beautiful table. I was going to show a picture of a bench I made from quarter sawn construction material but not after you posted that table:)

Mike

[Cameron Wood]

About ten years back we milled up a cypress log that had over 1000 growth rings in it. It was around 35" diameter and came from a section of the tree that was around 60' above the ground.

The project that it was for is detailed in this post.

https://sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?194697-A-very-uncommon-project

Here is a close up of some of the grain. I counted 88 growth rings per inch. Due to the close proximity, I had to magnify the photo on my computer screen in order to count them.

498191


Ding Ding... we have a front-runner!

[Andrew Hughes]

Wow, Andrew, that's a beautiful table. I was going to show a picture of a bench I made from quarter sawn construction material but not after you posted that table:)

Mike

Thanks Mike .
I believe I’m in 3 or 4 place on ring count. Scott’s winning with his 1000 ring wood.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

Here are some scraps from instrument tops that are fairly nice.

498242 498243 498244

[Bruce Page]

This “log” was given to me many years ago. It’s ~ 4” diameter x 6” long and heavy for its size. The black center is end to end. No idea what kind of wood it is.

[Maurice Mcmurry]

This “log” was given to me many years ago. It’s ~ 4” diameter x 6” long and heavy for its size. The black center is end to end. No idea what kind of wood it is.

I have never seen wood like that. I am very curious....

We have the national champion wild plum in a little park on the east side of town. It should be in bloom next week. I am going to see if I can hunt it down for a photo. There is a fun list of champion trees on the web.

Champion Trees Registry - American Forests (https://www.americanforests.org/champion-trees/champion-trees-registry/)

[Mark Hennebury]

I used to make business card holders out of various woods, and some Hemlock had small growth rings, but the smallest was Yellow Cedar.
The third and fourth photos show the edge of the card boxes; Yellow Cedar on the left and Hemlock on the right.

498298 498301 498300 498302

[Maurice Mcmurry]

We have the national champion Goose Plum in a little park on the east side of town. It should be in bloom next week. I am going to see if I can hunt it down for a photo. There is a fun list of champion trees on the web.

Champion Trees Registry - American Forests (https://www.americanforests.org/champion-trees/champion-trees-registry/)

It is a very humble champion.
It is in Eastport Park, 5620 Murfreesboro Dr, Columbia, MO 65201

499013

[Cameron Wood]

Here's a piece of 6x8 (5 1/8"x7") DF. This was construction lumber.

319 growth rings, about 45/inch average. Tightest 1" section 84 rings. Counted with 12x loupe and needle probe.

505225

[Rob Luter]

Wow. I’d like to see the end of the whole log.

[Edward Weber]

I don't think I have anything that could compete with that. I'm also not going to look through my entire stash, just sayin.
I'll go the opposite direction.
Monterey Pine.
These trees don't go dormant, they continue to grow during the winter, so this tree is quite young.
32" diameter, about 40 years old
505252

[Cameron Wood]

I don't think I have anything that could compete with that. I'm also not going to look through my entire stash, just sayin.
I'll go the opposite direction.
Monterey Pine.
These trees don't go dormant, they continue to grow during the winter, so this tree is quite young.
32" diameter, about 40 years old
505252



My grandmother planted some in the late '50s. They were cut down maybe 2010 at a cost of many thousands of $. At least 5' diameter at the base. The stumps are still there, I could check. They have a limited, rather short lifespan.

[Dave Zellers]

Some of the growth rings in the plantation grown SYP PT 2x's I see are 1/2" across.

Back to the point of the thread, when I would remodel a small house built in the 40's and 50's, the door rails and stiles were usually solid pine and often obviously milled from virgin timber with growth rings evenly spaced 1/32 to 1/16 inch apart. Sometimes perfectly quarter sawn. All were saved (we're not talking about any huge amount, but still...) and used in various aspects of our house that we built decades later. A small but nice perk.