Gloat.......local lumber yard find.....

[Jim Fox]

Stopped at the lumber yard today to pickup some rough sawn red oak. Now, this lumber yard is just a typical lumber yard.........not one that carries fancy woods, etc. Just your typical woods like, Oak, Cherry, Brazillian Cherry, Poplar, Maple, etc.

So, I'm looking around and this board catches my eye. I just had to buy it. Not sure what it will become, but I didn't wanna leave it. Basically I just got lucky, cause they don't stock fancy stuff and this was on the top with all the other birch boards.

Shall we call it.........Tiger Birch? Measures 7.25"x96"x1"(Thick).........it's S4S.

http://www.planesnsuch.com/Woodworking/birchboard.jpg

[Pete Brown]

It's called Flame Birch (http://www.hearnehardwoods.com/Inventory/birch.html), and is very nice, but (as I understand it) a little difficult to work.

I've seen some beautiful pieces made from that. Nice find!

Pete

[Don Bullock]

Very nice find indeed. I'm sure you'll find a good project for it.

[Jim Becker]

Excellent find. And I'm glad you bought it. When you see something you really like and you have the money for it, buy it even if you don't have an immediate project. It will keep...and should you even get in tough straights, a good board will likely sell for as much, if not more than you originally paid for it. I have a few 13" wide 5/4 cherry boards that I bought in 2000 hanging out, just waiting for "the project" that will make them shine. I know they are worth a lot more now, too.

[glenn bradley]

You are a lucky dog. Must be that clean livin'. Just set it in the shop and stare at it for awhile. A project will come to you. Congrats!

[Jim Fox]

Now I need a bandsaw to cut it for a book match?

[Dan Forman]

Sure is pretty, but book matching can be tricky with curly woods. Sometimes the chatoyance (shimmering effect) is only present or dominant on one of the pieces, due to the way the grain lines up, as the matched piece is backwards, so to speak, and won't reflect light from the same direction the same way the first piece does. You might still want a bandsaw to make some veneer though, to make the board go farther. Could make some nice drawer fronts, table top, or whatever. Don't know if this is always the case, so stay tuned and see what others have to say.

Dan