what wood is this?

[Aaron Liebling]

Posts for the covered porch on our new house in Santa Fe, NM. I need to add a few more posts and want them to match. 20240520_152609.jpg

[Lee Schierer]

It looks like pine, probably from local trees.

[Aaron Liebling]

Thanks, that was my assumption

[Jim Becker]

I'll agree with Lee...softwood for sure; some variety of pine, fir, etc..probably mixed species and generally always locally sourced.

[stephen thomas]

More a historical note than an ID....but....

How close to the Kaibab plateau in AZ is your NM house?
For a while during the 80's the Forest Service was clearing on the plateau to try to minimize the options for wildfires, IIUC.
At the time, "Kaibab pine" was something of a commodity, from the culls. (Basically Ponderosa pine, but an anomally on the market from the briefly concentrated efforts at the time)
Your boxed heart posts and beams could have been the remainders of the lumber conversion process. They do look to be older growth (somewhat finer/milder grain than current typical big-box store lumber 6 x 6's, say)

Or not.


During that time, i had a contract to fit out 33 offices of a lumber lobby group in DC.
They had 33 member mills from all around the country send sample piles of their product, and we used one product as a complete wall treatment on one wall of each office, plus some other millwork in the building.

A budding biologist friend of an employee stopped by and asked me about some of the things we were working. "Kaibab" pine had just come in on a trailer that morning so i showed it to him. I had no clue that it was other than perhaps some made up marketing name to make it a little more special for sales. To my surprise he knew all about it, and said "from the Kaibab plateau!" "in AZ!" and told me the story . Hope i remembered the details well enough.


smt

[Aaron Liebling]

Very cool! The timing matched, but the kaibab plateau is half way across AZ. Not impossible, but there's enough old forest around Santa Fe proper that I'm guessing it's something local. I think I'll just have to talk to some of the suppliers and see if anyone has something that will match nicely. I just need two additional supports.

In other news, architectural plans for the new shop are almost ready. Once they're approved we'll start on the foundation!

[Mick Simon]

Take the photo to Builders First Source on Siler Road. I've replaced a few posts and vigas from there. Good folks to deal with. Also, Alpine Builders on Water Street, talk to Jamie.

[Aaron Liebling]

Thank you, Mick! Just the kind of advice I was looking for. I'll let you all know how it goes!

[Aaron Liebling]

I ended up going to Hansen Lumber (conveniently just down the street from me) and got some gorgeous local pine. The original wood is raised up on bricks - presumably to help keep the water out. From the photos above would anyone hazard a guess how it is finished (or whether it's finished at all)? The structure does get some sideways rain exposure during big storms, but that's it.