Respect your alders: whether it is knotty, curly or bird's eye, alder's variety of looks have found a home throughout the industry.Family Name Alnus rubra Noun 1. Alnus rubra - large tree of Pacific coast of North America having hard red wood much used for furniture Oregon alder, red alder Alnus, genus Alnus - alders of the Family Betulaceae Common Names Alder alder (ôl`dər), name for deciduous trees and shrubs of the genus Alnus of the family Betulaceae (birch family), widely distributed, especially in mountainous and moist areas of the north temperate zone and in the Andes. , red alder Noun 1. red alder - large tree of Pacific coast of North America having hard red wood much used for furniture Alnus rubra, Oregon alder Alnus, genus Alnus - alders , Western alder, Oregon alder Noun 1. Oregon alder - large tree of Pacific coast of North America having hard red wood much used for furniture Alnus rubra, red alder Alnus, genus Alnus - alders , knotty knot·ty adj. knot·ti·er, knot·ti·est 1. Tied or snarled in knots. 2. Covered with knots or knobs; gnarled. 3. Difficult to understand or solve. See Synonyms at complex. alder and bird's eye alder Height/Weight Average height is 90 feet but trees can grow to 120 feet. Average weight is 33 pounds per cubic foot. Properties Alder dries easily and fairly rapidly. Wood has medium density, low bending strength and shock resistance. Medium crushing strength. Wood works well with hand and machine tools. Experts recommend a reduced cutting angle when planing to avoid problems and sharpened tools to avoid blunting effect on cutting surfaces. Wood nails, screws and glues well. Wood can be sanded, painted or stained to a good finish. Alder is one of those woods that offer users a variety of looks. The freshly cut wood is a pale color, which turns to a light brown, orange-brown or red upon exposure to the elements. While alder is said to lack a distinctive figure, especially with the "clear" grade, its multitude of appearances includes the popular knotty look, also commonly called rustic or character alder. It also has a few rare figures common to woods like maple and cherry. Jim Dumas of Certainly Wood Inc., East Aurora, NY, said he has a standing order from two saw mills for bird's eye alder when they find it, and he is thrilled to find the rare curly alder, a look that is similar to the curly cherry. "The same two mills that save clear alder for us save bird's eye alder," Dumas said. "With our clients, bird's eye sells faster than the other alder looks." Dumas has also found a figured alder that combines knotty with curls. "It looks like champagne bubbles or little trails. I call it effervescent ef·fer·vesce intr.v. ef·fer·vesced, ef·fer·vesc·ing, ef·fer·vesc·es 1. To emit small bubbles of gas, as a carbonated or fermenting liquid. 2. To escape from a liquid as bubbles; bubble up. 3. or fizzy fizz intr.v. fizzed, fizz·ing, fizz·es To make a hissing or bubbling sound; effervesce. n. 1. A hissing or bubbling sound. 2. Effervescence. 3. An effervescent beverage. alder. No other species that I know of has this particular 'trail of bubbles' or bird's eyes lining up like a little daisy chain Connected in series, one after the other. Transmitted signals go to the first device, then to the second and so on.  A SCSI Daisy Chain Both internal and external SCSI devices are daisy chained together. ." Dumas said the bird's eye look, so closely associated with maple, is actually found in approximately 12 to 15 woods that he knows of, including walnut, cordia, white and red oak. Jerry Beyer, president and owner of Beyer Cabinets in West Salem West Salem may refer to:
Beyer said he works with clients to find the right color and also the right combination of character or knottiness knot·ty adj. knot·ti·er, knot·ti·est 1. Tied or snarled in knots. 2. Covered with knots or knobs; gnarled. 3. Difficult to understand or solve. See Synonyms at complex. in the wood for cabinetry in their homes. "Rustic alder has a real warmth to it," he said. David Sweitzer, secretary/manager of the Western Hardwood Assn., said alder is being used for a variety of applications, including furniture, kitchen cabinets, doors, shutters, mouldings, turnery, carvings and decorative veneer. "Approximately five to 10 percent of alder is sliced into veneer while 10 to 20 percent of the green alder Noun 1. green alder - North American shrub with light green leaves and winged nuts Alnus crispa, Alnus veridis crispa Alnus, genus Alnus - alders , wood that hasn't been kiln dried, is used in pallet production. Most of the green pallets are used in transporting produce and other applications." The rest of the alder is kiln dried and used for furniture and other uses, including plywood veneer, utility plywood, woodenware and laminated articles. Alder is also traditionally used for craft and small industry purposes, such as broom backs, handles and toys. While alder is accepted as an important Pacific coast commercial timber, Sweitzer said it is important to remember that alder is solidly established as a specialty product as opposed to a commodity, like Douglas fir Douglas fir: see pine. Douglas fir Any of about six species of coniferous evergreen timber trees (see conifer) that make up the genus Pseudotsuga, in the pine family, native to western North America and eastern Asia. . Sweitzer said the price for alder lumber and logs has increased at a steady rate and the trend is expected to continue for many years. Alder will likely face problems with people who want to limit its logging, Sweitzer added. "Alder matures more quickly than a lot of trees and has a relatively short life span. It is merchantable Salable; of quality and type ordinarily acceptable among vendors and buyers. An item is deemed merchantable if it is reasonably fit for the ordinary purposes for which such products are manufactured and sold. For example, soap is merchantable if it cleans. in 25 years, but over the age of 50 or 60 a standing alder is likely to degenerate and fall over." Alder, also known as red alder, Oregon alder and Western alder, grows in the Pacific Northwest, where it is a rarity of sorts: a commercial hardwood in an area known for softwoods. Alder's champions have had to fight for for the wood's respect in the region, as it is typically overshadowed by the more well-known softwoods like Douglas fir and hemlock hemlock, any tree of the genus Tsuga, coniferous evergreens of the family Pinaceae (pine family) native to North America and Asia. The common hemlock of E North America is T. . At one time, alder was even considered a nuisance, and burned or bulldozed to make room for the commercially valuable softwoods. "Formerly, red alder was considered by lumbermen fit only for fuel (it is a good one) but the Northwest furniture companies began ... to realize that they need not import eastern hardwoods for all of their work and today more red alder is cut than any other Northwest hardwood, including oak, birch, maple and poplar," wrote Donald Culross Peattie in his book, A Natural History of Western Trees. Alder's range extends from Alaska through Canada to the Redwood belt of California, and it is a tree that thrives near water, whether streams, creeks, rivers or the Pacific Ocean. One of its most famous uses is as coal for cooking. Alder smoked salmon is a great delicacy in the Pacific Northwest and as common a use as hickory for smoking ham. Editor's note: 133 Wood of the Month articles are now online, with more coming soon. Visit the Wood of the Month archive at www.iswonline.com |
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