# Knotty Alder



## 308Gap (Mar 6, 2010)

I want to TRY a project with knotty alder, my wife wants bedroom furniture with that look. I'm thinkin the finish will be a clear no stain look. I found a local supplier that has it in both mill lumber and veneer ply. I am very new at woodworking so here goes, I just dont want waste money on the ( if I had only known ) problems.

What do I need to DO and NOT DO while working with knotty Alder ?


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## LeeBarker (Aug 6, 2010)

The only outstanding caution would be about stain blotching, and you're past that one, so get to cutting!

Kindly,

Lee


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## 308Gap (Mar 6, 2010)

Excellent . The wife likes figured maple and love knotty alder. I just need to make some saw dust. Does alder prefer to sanded or scraped for final.


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## Sawkerf (Dec 31, 2009)

I use quite a bit of alder and really like the way it mills. It's a bit on the soft side, but a good, durable, finish should work well.


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## wseand (Jan 27, 2010)

I have milled about 800 BF of it in the last year and at least for me it tends to tearout easily while jointing and routing. When you joint/rout the edges take it in small amounts and it shouldn't be a huge problem. If you decide to stain, I wipe it down with "green" mineral spirits first and then apply the stain when the wood is still moist. This has always helped me with the blotching problem, although I only stain it if the customer demands it. I don't use a scraper but I have heard it works well. I use 150 than 220 with ROS than wipe with water and let dry to raise the grain then finish with 320 by hand.


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## 308Gap (Mar 6, 2010)

Thanks guys this should save me time and money.


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## cabmaker (Sep 16, 2010)

Two species have the highest waste factor for me anyway. 1) knotty pine 2) knotty alder I have had batches in the past that yielded 40-45% waste FWIW


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## StumpyNubs (Sep 25, 2010)

I find that, with knotty alder, it is always best to make the piece EXACTLY as your wife wants it. Otherwise you'll end up with a knotty head…

...wow, that was terrible… ye't I can't bring myself to delete it…


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## wseand (Jan 27, 2010)

Stumps, it takes an incredible bold man to make such a statement and then stand by it, I applaud you. Bravo good Sir, Bravo.


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## DLCW (Feb 18, 2011)

Be careful on the knotty alder. There are two grades - lightly knotty (no holes or knots falling out) and heavy knotty (holes and knots falling out). If you use the light knotty, be careful when milling as it has a tendency to blow out like hickory. On the heavy knotty be careful in that you can have chunks of wood and knots flying around when cutting and milling (don't ask how I know this).

The stuff doesn't stain were beans. It's like maple and cherry. If you want to lightly color use a clear shellac slightly tinted to the color you want. Even dyes tend to blotch some in this wood. I would recommend a finish that will provide a little amber coloring to the wood beacuse it doesn't have much color or warmth to it. Clear poly makes it look dull. Lacquer does the same thing. I use ML Campbell Duravar conversion varnish that adds a slight amber tone and really makes the finished product warm and inviting.


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## KentS (May 27, 2009)

I love knottey Alder. We used it in part of my store. 
I finished with semi-gloss lacquer using an airless paint gun (no stain)


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## 308Gap (Mar 6, 2010)

Ya the clear finish has a nice look, and I think I found some of the better grade here locally. I may try the deft brushing lacquer, or that em6000. Thanks for all the input folks, it really helps.


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## Flocktothewall (Jan 16, 2011)

I have a dining room table made from Knotty Alder, beautiful. I love the rustic look. (I know that doesn't help with questions)


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## Ken90712 (Sep 2, 2009)

I'm at the end of building and Entertainment Center out of it. I bought Charles Niel Blotch Control and it works amazinly well. Easy wood to work with and sand. I use epoxy with a dye added to it to fill in the knots. I highly recommend using a dye stain if you choose to change your mind and not leave it clear. Good luck.


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## 308Gap (Mar 6, 2010)

I wonder if blotch control is the same as stain sealer?


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## 308Gap (Mar 6, 2010)

Luke lets see a pic!


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## CraigHaggarton (Jun 28, 2011)

I built all my bedroom furniture with Knotty Alder. I chose knotty mainly because of the price, but I wasn't necessarily going for the rustic look. Now I'm glad because after finishing, the wood had so much more character than clear Alder, and I realized that knotty doesn't necessarily mean 'knotty'. It means that where there are knots, there is some figure.

I used a very broad raised-panel design. Because of the softness of the wood, I had to do several passes at very slow speed on the router while gradually increasing the depth of the raised-panel bit. I noticed that low speed and patience is worth it in the final outcome. Even though it is rustic lumber, I couldn't classify my final product a a rustic style.

Knotty Alder = good choice.


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## Blackie_ (Jul 10, 2011)

Most of my experience has been with maple, have yet to venture out, about to do a project for a customer, hope chest from Knotty Alder, so my question is would Minwax wood conditioner aid against the blotching?

Thanks


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## Woodster73 (Jun 16, 2015)

I know this is an older thread, but I am working on a dining table in knotty alder and was wondering if most everyone fills the area around the knots. If so, what do you like to use?


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## jmartel (Jul 6, 2012)

When I did my blanket chest in Alder, I filled in the cracks with clear epoxy.


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