# milling hemlock



## Adkpk (Dec 11, 2006)

Dead men







Grain, hemlock.






Fisrt slice.






Cants






Stacked and stickered.






I am going to use these boards for interior siding in my new shop. I cut them at 3/4" hoping it will dry at 5/8ths. I need plenty more. Another day for that.


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## dustytools (Dec 11, 2006)

Nice pics. I love the grain patterns in that hemlock. Correct me if im wrong but it is a softwood right? I think I recall my father-in-law talking about using hemlock one time for barn boxing.


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## timberwolf (Dec 11, 2006)

Nice pics.

Hemlock is very rot resistant when it comes to barn floors. I found it likes to twist like crazy as it drys, might want to make sure it is held in place for drying, even add some more weight or a tie stap or two.


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## hautions11 (Dec 11, 2006)

Great looking wood. We have a lot of hemlock's in my neighborhood. The big owls love to nest in them. Keep on millin!:greenchainsaw:


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## woodshop (Dec 11, 2006)

Nice hemlock adrpk... I like that dark reddish wood. The little hemlock I milled years ago, was more whitish, no reds in the heartwood, but I hear there is a lot of variation in them. Also, I didn't have trouble drying it as timberwolf did, but again, could have just been the variations between his and my wood.


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## Husky137 (Dec 11, 2006)

dustytools said:


> Nice pics. I love the grain patterns in that hemlock. Correct me if im wrong but it is a softwood right? I think I recall my father-in-law talking about using hemlock one time for barn boxing.



Definitely a softwood, but very dense, sometimes heavier than oak when you get into the bigger stems.


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## Forest Steward (Dec 11, 2006)

dustytools said:


> Nice pics. I love the grain patterns in that hemlock. Correct me if im wrong but it is a softwood right? I think I recall my father-in-law talking about using hemlock one time for barn boxing.




Yea, hemlock is a softwood. That whole distinction between hardwoods and softwoods isn't actually determined by their wood density. It's actually their means of reproduction. Softwoods are conifers (cone bearing) and harwoods are trees that flower. There are definitely some hard softwoods (i.e. spruces) and soft hardwoods (i.e. birches). I pretty sure that's the gist of it, but anyone else please add if necessary.

The vast majority of framing lumber we saw out is hemlock. Pretty sturdy stuff as long as you can stay away from the ring shake.


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## Adkpk (Dec 11, 2006)

timberwolf, now that you mentioned it, I remember someone a while back telling me that hemlock is warpy. Thanks, I get more wieght on the stack. 

woodshop: There's some more red for you. 






I cut down two other tree of the same size. Found the wood in the trunk is rotten. Anybody know what that is about. Granted one was leaning and dead but the other, although broken about 15' up, it still had neddles in it. And then another dead on the ground with no bark, had hard heartwood to it.


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## SRT-Tech (Jan 24, 2007)

NICE! Love that grain pattern

i milled some hemlock roughcut stair risers (steps?) today. (only 2) got a nice 6" x "x 6' beam, the two risers, and a misc small piece.


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