doug fir beam

I would like to find a place to get a piece
of douglas fir beam. Something like
6"x12"x40". Does anyone have an idea who
would sell this to me. I've tried a local
timberframer with no luck, john

Try to locate some local sawmills in your area and ask them for it. Fir is
relatively common and you should be able to find someone who has a big piece
of it or can get it for you. Most fir gets cut and processed into framing
lumber sizes, so you may need to find someone who is about to begin cutting
up some fir in order to get them to save a piece that thick for you and you
may have to buy more than you need to make it worth their time. Make sure
that they sell you a piece that has been properly kiln dried or you will
have major problems with it. Sawmills usually cut the wood in a green (wet)
state and you don't want it green. In some areas there are people who have
portable sawmills and do contract sawing on the jobsite. These people
frequently work for a share of the lumber that they cut. They have all kinds
of wood in storage (frequently in large sizes) that they are looking to
sell. If you don't find any near you, try to contact Woodmizer, a company
who makes these portable sawmills, and ask them for a list of owners in your
area that you can call. Again, be careful to make sure that you get kiln
dried wood.

You might also be able to find a piece of a beam from an old demolished mill
or barn at a demolition company. If you can find one this way it will be
very dry and stable, but be very careful to find a piece that has no metal
in it or you may damage your carving tools.

Are you sure that you want a single piece that size? It would be more stable
if you made a glue-up from several boards to arrive at the size that you
want. It would be much less likely to check and crack over time if the grain
in the pieces is properly oriented during the glue-up. As a carver, I know
that this is less desirable if the appearance of the grain will be visible
in the final piece, but if it isn't, it's a much better way to go, and fir
in framing lumber dimensions (2x4, 2x6, 2x8, etc.) will be much easier to
locate.

--
Charley


John wrote in message ...
I would like to find a place to get a piece
of douglas fir beam. Something like
6"x12"x40". Does anyone have an idea who
would sell this to me. I've tried a local
timberframer with no luck, john