Strength to weight ratio for woods

Oh, man. I used to have just such a link but it is entombed on the hard drive of a dead PC. I’ll try to find it again. There is also a little book I have seen in bookstores that has all kinds of info by species. It may be The Wood Bible but not sure about that.

-- Jeff, St. Paul, MN

I think Obi posted something once.. or maybe it was Karson.. or Dick.. or .. hmmm a LumberJock?? :)

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

http://www.woodbin.com/ref/wood/strength_table.htm

There are other charts on the web.

I’m guessing that your really more interested in bending stiffness (modulus of elasticity “E”) than strength. There isn’t much variance between the species.

-- Che.

here’s a few that are from a water related site:

timber list

density vs strength correlation

design calculations - wood strength

and if you’re wondering why i link that particular site? let’s just say my next board is gonna be a big one… erm, a real big one!

-- whoever invented the hole... knew nothing.

how big is big????

-- ~ Debbie, Canada (http://www.execulink.com/~yohan)

heheheh… guess that depends on the mountain i put it on.

-- whoever invented the hole... knew nothing.

Excellent , excellent…..thanks all…exactly what I was looking for.

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

interestingly enough, i’ve just recently reconnected with a source that can provide me with reasonable quantities of recovered sunken lumber such as five-hundred-year-old premium hardwood including oak, maple, bird’s eye maple, beech and birch as well as premium softwood including red pine, hemlock and white pine… the recovery process is ecologically driven for minimal impact to the environment.

click on the links for a choice of either windows media or quicktime links to a video of the recovery process.

what they have to offer is old growth lumber which has been cured in an oxygen free environment for over a century. the predominant qualities are that the colors are brilliant and the woods are quite a bit more rigid than the norm. déjà vu?

-- whoever invented the hole... knew nothing.

Sounds really interesting shape. I’ve heard of a number of operations doing this. There is one that is actually using an underwater chainsaw to cut down flooded trees in reservoirs.

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

Sounds really interesting shape. I’ve heard of a number of operations doing this. There is one that is actually using an underwater chainsaw to cut down flooded trees in reservoirs. Video is stopping shortly after its starts for me. Are these folks doing that as well or are these sunken logs from floating them downstream.

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

you’re right bob. same thing happens for me. probably because i may have transposed the quicktime link with the windows media or something. maybe you can try the other link to see if it works for you. it’s what worked for me anyway.

i think i know what you are talking about… there’s those logging operations which harvest using a robotic submersible from reservoirs created when dams flood old growth forests. i believe that the ones available to me are the logs that have fallen off of barges and sank in the great lakes a long time ago. half the work has already been done for them, the loggers just have to find them and bring them to the surface. my friends buy these logs and cut them into veneer at this small inner-city lumber mill but if i ask them kindly they would gladly reserve some thicker material to form the paddle shafts for our specific purposes.

unrelated and not available through these folks are the ancient buried kauri wood which is mined in new zealand. pretty neat stuff that comes at a hefty price. just thought i’d mention them here since we’re on the topic of alternately sourced materials.

-- whoever invented the hole... knew nothing.

That’s the one. The robotic saws are intersting in themselves.

Wow….that kauri wood operation is amazing.

-- Bob, Carver Massachusetts, Sawdust Maker http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org

Lucky you!
What I’ve seen on recovered wood is prices in the multiple tens of dollars per board foot, some as high as $150/bdft.
Veneer has got to be the way to go at that price.

-- No piece is cut too short. It was meant for a smaller project.