Western Red Cedar (Thuja plicata)

Western red cedar grows at low-to-mid elevations along the Coast and in the wet belt of the Interior, where the climate is cool, mild and moist. It is a large tree, up to 60 metres tall when mature and 2.5 metres in diameter. It is rarely found in pure stands and is often mixed with Douglas-fir, Sitka spruce, black cottonwood and red alder. Western red cedar makes up approximately 8% of British Columbia’s total growing stock, and is one of the most commercially valuable species.

Common Uses

Due to the unique properties of western red cedar, have been developed for a variety of different applications. The main attribute of western red cedar is its excellent durability and dimensional stability, leading to uses such as roof shingles, exterior siding, exterior cladding, decking, weather boarding, greenhouses, portable buildings, bee-hives, poles, posts, fences, ship and boat building, as well as boxes and crates. Red cedar is a popular wood for outdoor furniture and playground equipment.

Western red cedar is an attractive wood that is also used in interior applications. This wood is popular for sashes, doors and windows, ceiling and wall panelling, as well as for millwork. Due to its dimensional stability it is perfectly suited to uses such as sauna panelling, mouldings and window blinds. Red cedar is also a good choice for musical instruments due to its superb acoustic resonance properties.

Physical Properties

Density (kg/m3)	Green	330
	Air Dry	339
Specific Gravity (12% M.C.)	Standard	0.33
Hardness (N)	Side	1470
	End	3000
MOE (Mpa)	Green	7240
	Air Dry	8270
MOR (Mpa)	Green	36.5
	Air Dry	53.8
Compression Parallel (Mpa)	Air Dry	33.9
compression Perpendicular (Mpa)	Air Dry	3.43
Shear (Mpa)	Air Dry	5.58
Cleavage (N/mm Width)	Air Dry	25.4
Shrinkage OD=oven dry air=air dry 12%	Radial (OD)	2.1%
	Tangential (OD)	4.5%
	Volumetric (OD)	7.8%
	Volumetric (air)	4.8%
	Tang / Rad ratio	2.1

Working Properties

Western red cedar is a fairly lightweight wood, which is moderately soft and low in strength. It is known for its excellent working properties, and its ability to take a smooth, satiny finish with sharp tools. It is relatively easy to work, with good machining qualities. It planes and shapes well and can be sanded to a smooth finish. The wood glues easily, has moderate nail and screw holding ability, and takes a good finish.

Process	Performance	Comments
Machining
Planing	Moderate to good	Recommended planer settings: 20° hook and 20 kmpi (knife marks per inch). Wood is subject to compression during planing. Must use sharp cutting tools. Wood is somewhat brittle and splintering is common.
Turning	Medium to low surface quality	Common defects: torn out grain.
Sawing	Easy to work with tools	Easy to saw because of its low density. Corrosive properties can be damaging to cutting blades.
Boring	Good to medium	Good boring quality with brad point bits and moderate quality with single twist bits.
Mortising	Moderate	Better mortising quality is found with a hollow chisel mortise.
Shaping	Good shaping quaility	Splintering on the end-grain may be an issue. Recommended: The use of a counter piece for end-grain shaping.
Veneering	N/A
Sanding	Excellent
Fastening
Screwing	Low to moderate	Average screw retention: 308 lb.
Lateral Nail Holding	N/A
Nail Retention	Low to moderate	Due to the acidic properties of its extractives this wood tends to accelerate the corrosion of metals, particularly when in contact with unprotected ferrous metal. Hot-dipped galvanized nails are recommended. It is essential that stainless steel, brass, aluminium, copper or metals with a protective coating be used when applying fittings, fixtures or fasteners.
Gluing	Easy	Bonds very easily with adhesives of a wide range of properties and under a wide range of bonding conditions.
Finishing
Staining	Easy	Very smooth texture achieved, but sometimes difficult to hide natural texture of wood. Very soft wood that loses some grain design as stain becomes darker. Some wild grain was present in Interior red cedar.
Painting	Moderate to good paint holding ability
Lacquering	Good	Clear coats with little difficulty. A high build clear coat works best for the coastal wood while it was recommended for Interior red cedar to use a clear finish, nitrocellulose/alkyd sealer and finish system. Performed well in the tape test (i.e. small flakes of the coating were detached along edges and at intersections of cuts) and in the pull-off test (i.e. average strength of 25 kg/cm2).
Waxing	Good	Good results are obtained when using light-, medium- or dark-coloured waxes (e.g. Mellow Pine, Chestnut or Jacobean).
Drying
Ease of Drying	Moderately easy to difficult	The drying of thin boards is generally easy with little degrade occurring. As red cedar tends to hold its moisture at the centre, care is required when drying thicker stock as internal honey-combing and collapse are common defects. Longer drying times are required.
Durability
Natural Decay Resistance	Durable	Appropriate for outdoor usage.
Treatability	Impermeable to extremely impermeable	Can be improved by incising.

Douglas Fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii)

Douglas fir is one of the best known wood species in the world. Douglas-fir is a large tree reaching heights of 85 metres.

Common Uses

Douglas-fir is primarily used for building and construction purposes due to its strength advantages and availability of large dimensions from old-growth trees. It is one of the finest timbers for heavy structural purposes, including laminated arches and roof trusses. Structurally, it is used in the form of lumber, timbers, pilings and plywood.

Douglas-fir is seen as a first class wood for the manufacturing of sashes, doors and windows. The wood is also used to produce a wide variety of products including general millwork, flooring, furniture, cabinets, veneer, vats, ship and boat construction, transmission poles, and marine pilings.

Douglas-fir lumber is dried according to end-use and customer specifications. Kiln drying inhibits natural staining of the wood, improves its strength and stiffness, enhances its appearance, and increases its resistance to decay and attack by insects.

Physical Properties

Density (kg/m3)	Green	450
	Air Dry	487
Specific Gravity (12% M.C.)	Standard	0.45
Hardness (N)	Side	2990
	End	4020
MOE (Mpa)	Green	11100
	Air Dry	13500
MOR (Mpa)	Green	52.0
	Air Dry	88.6
Compression Parallel (Mpa)	Air Dry	50.1
compression Perpendicular (Mpa)	Air Dry	6.01
Shear (Mpa)	Air Dry	9.53
Cleavage (N/mm Width)	Air Dry	38.9
Shrinkage OD=oven dry air=air dry 12%	Radial (OD)	4.8%
	Tangential (OD)	7.4%
	Volumetric (OD)	11.9%
	Volumetric (air)	7.0%
	Tang / Rad ratio	1.5

Working Properties

Douglas-fir has excellent strength properties and is well known for its workability. The wood dries rapidly with small dimensional movement and little tendency to check. It is relatively easy to work, with good machining qualities. It turns, planes and shapes well and can be sanded to a smooth finish. The wood glues moderately easily, has moderate nail and good screw holding ability, and takes a good finish.

Process	Performance	Comments
Machining
Planing	Good planing quality	Good surface quality. Typical defects are raised grain and fuzzy grain.
Turning	High surface quality	Very good surface quality.
Sawing	Easy to work with tools	Easy to work with both hand and power tools. Moderate to severe blunting effect. Resin build up on cutters may cause problems.
Boring	Good	Very good boring quality.
Mortising	Excellent	Excellent mortising quality with both chain mortise and hollow chisel mortise.
Shaping	Excellent shaping quality
Veneering	Excellent	Important plywood species.
Sanding	Good	Very good sanding properties.
Fastening
Screwing	Good	Very good holding. Excellent resistance to splitting. A verage screw retention: 494 lb.
Lateral Nail Holding	Good	Good holding. Excellent resistance to splitting.
Nail Retention	Good
Gluing	Glues to moderate	Bonds well with a fairly wide range of adhesives under a moderately wide range of bonding conditions.
Finishing
Staining	Easy	Old-growth: Smooth finish. Grain becomes wild and pronounced with dark stain. A clear coating works the best. Second-growth: Stainability is average for light colours, poor for dark ones. Good results with light stain or clear finish followed by nitrocellulose alkyd clear sealer and finish. Rotary cut veneers are reported to display such strong natural color that staining is sometimes unnecessary.
Painting	Average to good paint holding ability	Satisfactory to good results.
Lacquering	Excellent results
Waxing	Good	Very good results are obtained when using light- to medium-coloured waxes, such as Mellow Pine and Chestnut.
Drying
Ease of Drying	Easy to moderately easy	A relatively easy wood to dry with little trouble occurring from checking, warping and splitting. Lower grades require more care.
Durability
Natural Decay Resistance	Moderately durable	Should not be used in applications with prolonged ground contact without treatment.
Treatability	Impermeable to extremely impermeable

Engelmann Spruce (Picea engelmannii)

Engelmann spruce occurs at high elevations and interbreeds with white spruce in areas where their ranges overlap, and they are referred to as Interior spruce.

Common Uses
Engelmann pruce wood is highly valued for lumber, plywood and pulp production. As dimension lumber, Engelmann spruce is extremely versatile because of its high strength-to-weight ratio. It is used in building construction (framing, sheathing, roofing, sub-flooring), general millwork, interior finishing, boxes and packing cases. Its dimensional stability and superior gluing properties make it popular in the prefabrication industry. Engelmann spruce is used in the manufacture of modular houses, trusses, and other structural components that specify kiln-dried SPF wood. As a premier pulpwood, the species is used in the manufacture of newsprint and bleached Kraft pulps. It is also used in the manufacture of medium density fiberboard (MDF), paperboard and felt, and it is a major species used in Canadian softwood plywood. Other uses of white spruce include: sounding boards in musical instruments from select materials, food containers (because it is almost colourless and odourless when dried), paddles and oars, cooperage, organ pipes, shelving, and ladder rails.

Physical Properties

Density (kg/m3)	Green	306
	Air Dry	390
Specific Gravity (12% M.C.)	Standard	0.36
Hardness (N)	Side	1880
	End	2470
MOE (Mpa)	Green	7930
	Air Dry	9930
MOR (Mpa)	Green	35.2
	Air Dry	62.7
Compression Parallel (Mpa)	Air Dry	36.9
compression Perpendicular (Mpa)	Air Dry	3.45
Shear (Mpa)	Air Dry	6.79
Cleavage (N/mm Width)	Air Dry	38.7
Shrinkage OD=oven dry air=air dry 12%	Radial (OD)	3.2%
	Tangential (OD)	6.9%
	Volumetric (OD)	11.3%
	Volumetric (air)	6.8%
	Tang / Rad ratio	1.6

Working Properties
Spruce has a high strength-to-weight ratio and is well known for its working properties. The wood dries rapidly with small dimensional movement and little tendency to check. It is relatively easy to work, with good machining qualities. It turns, planes and shapes well and can be sanded to a smooth finish. The wood glues moderately easily, has moderate nail and screw holding ability, and takes a good finish.

Process	Performance	Comments
Machining
Planing	Easy. Good quality	Good planing quality. Typical defect is raised grain. Recommended planer settings: 12° or 20° hook angle and 20 kmpi (knife marks per inch).
Turning	Satisfactory	Satisfactory surface quality when using rotary-knife lathe and poor when using a single point lathe. Common defect: torn out grain.
Sawing	Good	Easily worked with hand and power tools. Slight to moderate blunting effect. While knots can sometimes be a problem, the wood can be sawn cleanly, with sharp cutting edges
Boring	Medium quality	Medium boring quality using brad point bits.
Mortising	Good	Very good mortising quality using both a hollow chisel and a chain mortise.
Shaping	Good	Good shaping quality. Common shaping defects in the order of frequency: splintering at the corner, rough end-grain, fuzzy grain, raised grain, and torn grain. Recommended: the use of a counter piece for end-grain shaping.
Veneering	N/A
Sanding	Very good
Fastening
Screwing	Satisfactory to good holding	Very good resistance to splitting. Average screw retention: 347 lb.
Nailing Retention	Satisfactory to good holding	Very good resistance to splitting.
Lateral Nail Holding	Moderate
Gluing	Moderately easy to glue
Finishing
Staining	Good	Good staining properties. A smooth finish is achieved. A natural finish (clear coat) or a light stain looks the best.
Painting	Satisfactory
Lacquering	Good	Good results. Performs very well in the tape test (i.e. small flakes of the coating were detached at intersections of cuts, less than 5% of the area affected) and well in the pull-off test (i.e. average strength of 31 kg/cm2).
Waxing	Good	Easy and with good results. Best when using light-coloured waxes (e.g. Mellow Pine).
Drying
Ease of Drying	Easy to moderately easy	Spruce dries faster than pine and is not adversely affected by severe high-temperature schedules.
Durability
Natural Decay Resistance	Non-resistant to heartwood decay
Treatability	Very resistant to impregnation with preservatives

Sitka Spruce (Pinus sitchensis)

This tree is the largest of the spruces and grows up to 70 metres tall and 2 metres in diameter.

Common Uses

Sitka spruce is used in a variety of structural products. High grades of Sitka spruce are popular for specialty marine applications such as masts, spars and deck beams, and for ladder stock and industrial equipment where a high strength-to-weight ratio is desired. During the First World War this species assumed great importance for airplane construction.

Clear grades are used in fine interior finishing such as sliding screens, mouldings, joinery and trim. It is particularly popular when an even-coloured natural wood finish is desired. The top grade clear wood is used for piano and guitar sound-boards as it has excellent resonating properties.

Sitka spruce lumber is dried according to end-use and customer specifications. Kiln drying inhibits natural staining of the wood, improves its strength and stiffness, enhances its appearance, and increases its resistance to decay and attack by insects.

Physical Properties

Density (kg/m3)	Green	347
	Air Dry	387
Specific Gravity (12% M.C.)	Standard	0.35
Hardness (N)	Side	2200
	End	3090
MOE (Mpa)	Green	9450
	Air Dry	11200
MOR (Mpa)	Green	37.4
	Air Dry	69.8
Compression Parallel (Mpa)	Air Dry	37.8
compression Perpendicular (Mpa)	Air Dry	4.10
Shear (Mpa)	Air Dry	6.78
Cleavage (N/mm Width)	Air Dry	38.0
Shrinkage OD=oven dry air=air dry 12%	Radial (OD)	4.6%
	Tangential (OD)	7.8%
	Volumetric (OD)	11.7%
	Volumetric (air)	6.0%
	Tang / Rad ratio	1.7

Working Properties

Sitka spruce has a high strength-to-weight ratio and is well known for its working properties. The wood dries rapidly with small dimensional movement and little tendency to check. It is relatively easy to work, with good machining qualities. It planes and shapes well and can be sanded to a smooth finish. The wood glues easily, has moderate nail and screw holding ability, and takes a good finish.

Process	Performance	Comments
Machining
Planing	Excellent planing quality	Recommended planer settings: 12ohook angle and20 kmpi (knife marks per inch). Takes a smooth silky finish provided sharp tools are used.
Turning	Medium to low surface quality	Common defects: torn out grain.
Sawing	Easy to work with tools	Easy to work provided cutting edges are kept sharp and the wood is free of knots.
Boring	Medium	Medium to good boring quality with brad point bits and lower quality with single twist bits.
Mortising	Good	Good mortising quality when using both chain and hollow chisel mortises.
Shaping	Good shaping quality	Recommend the use of a counter piece for end-grain shaping.
Veneering	Good
Sanding	Good	Excellent sanding quality.
Fastening
Screwing	Moderate	Average screw retention: 402 lb.
Lateail Holding	N/A
Nail Retention	Good
Gluing	Easy	Bonds very easily with adhesives of a wide range of properties and under a wide range of bonding conditions.
Finishing
Staining	Easy to moderate	Smooth finish achieved. Light stains work well but dark stains magnify the uneven colours produced by different textures in wood. A wash coat would even out the colour.
Painting	Average to good paint holding ability
Lacquering	Good
Waxing	Good	Best results are obtained when using light-coloured waxes (e.g. Mellow Pine).
Drying
Ease of Drying	Easy to moderately easy	Dries rapidly and quite well, but care is required to reduce warping, splitting and loosening of knots.
Durability
Natural Decay Resistance	Slightly durable	Not appropriate for prolonged outdoor exposure.
Treatability	Impermeable	Can be improved by incising.

Amabilis Fir (Abies amabilis)

Amabilis fir is a tall straight tree that can reach 50 meters in height and 1 meter in diameter, and is a shade-tolerant species.

Common Uses

Amabilis fir is used in structural products, due to its strength properties. Widely used in a range of residential and commercial construction in applications such as framing, sheathing, sub-flooring, concrete forms, decking, planking, beams, posts, and prefabricated buildings. Low-grade wood is used in both pulp and paper products, as well as for boxes and crates.

High-grade Amabilis fir is used in interior applications as it is an attractive species with good working properties. Because of its light weight and colour and its clean appearance, the wood is used for doors and windows, furniture parts, mouldings, sauna panelling, and food containers.

Research has shown Amabilis fir to be among the most treatable wood species in Canada. This provides an opportunity to add value to the species through pressure treating.

Amabilis fir lumber is dried according to end-use and customer specifications. Kiln drying inhibits natural staining of the wood, improves its strength and stiffness, enhances its appearance, and increases its resistance to decay and attack by insects.

Working Properties

Amabilis fir has a high strength-to-weight ratio and is well known for its working properties. The wood dries moderately quickly with small dimensional movement and little tendency to check. It is relatively easy to work, with good machining qualities. It planes and shapes well and can be sanded to a smooth finish. The wood glues easily, has a moderate nail and screw holding ability, and takes a good finish.

Process	Performance	Comments
Machining
Planing	Fair to good results	Recommended planer settings 20ohook angle and 20 kmpi (knife marks per inch). Typical defects: Fuzzy grain, raised grain, and torn grain. Sharp tools are needed in order to overcome the tendency for grain tearing.
Turning	Moderate to poor surface quality	Much better surface quality when rotary-knife lathe is used.
Sawing	Variable	Slight to moderate blunting effect
Boring	Medium	Medium boring quality with brad point bits and poor quality with single twist bits.
Mortising	Moderate to good	Good mortising quality when using a hollow chisel mortise
Shaping	Good shaping quality	Recommended: The use of a counter piece for end-grain shaping.
Veneering	N/A
Sanding	Good	Sands smoothly
Fastening
Screwing	Moderate	Average screw retention: 366 lb.
Nail Retention	Moderate to good	Good holding.
Lateral Nail Holding	N/A
Gluing	Glues easily	Bonds very easily with adhesives of a wide range of properties and under a wide range of bonding conditions.
Finishing
Staining	Average to good	Wood is soft and produces a grainy appearance. Natural and light stains look the best. Dark stains appear blotchy.
Painting	Average to good paint holding ability
Lacquering	Good	Multiple coats of clear or a clear coat with a high build is recommended.
Waxing	Good	Good results. Best results are obtained when using light-to-mid coloured waxes (e.g. Mellow Pine, Chestnut).
Drying
Ease of Drying	Moderately easy to mederatly difficult	There is a wide variation in the moisture content of green western hemlock. Best results are obtained when sorting by moisture content of this wood, longer kiln drying times are required. When dried at high temperatures sapwood can turn a brownish colour.
Durability
Natural Decay Resistance	Non-durable to slightly durable	Not appropriate for prolonged outdoor exposure.
Treatability	Moderate

Western Hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla)

On average it typically grows 30 to 50 metres tall and 1 to 1.5 metres in diameter.

Common Uses

Western hemlock is used for general construction, roof decking and plywood. It is used for laminating stock and the production of glue laminated and solid beams. Hemlock can also be used for pulp and newsprint.

Western hemlock is firmly established as an outstanding wood for mouldings and is also used for interior woodworking. Other uses include: doors, windows, interior finish, floors, suspended ceilings, ladders, and other purposes where a high-grade softwood is needed.

Western hemlock lumber is dried according to end-use and customer specifications. Kiln drying inhibits natural staining of the wood, improves its strength and stiffness, enhances its appearance, and increases its resistance to decay and attack by insects.

Physical Properties

Density (kg/m3)	Green	420
	Air Dry	429
Specific Gravity (12% M.C.)	Standard	0.42
Hardness (N)	Side	2740
	End	4410
MOE (Mpa)	Green	10200
	Air Dry	12300
MOR (Mpa)	Green	48.0
	Air Dry	81.1
Compression Parallel (Mpa)	Air Dry	46.7
compression Perpendicular (Mpa)	Air Dry	4.53
Shear (Mpa)	Air Dry	6.48
Cleavage (N/mm Width)	Air Dry	37.5
Shrinkage OD=oven dry air=air dry 12%	Radial (OD)	5.4%
	Tangential (OD)	8.5%
	Volumetric (OD)	13.0%
	Volumetric (air)	8.1%
	Tang / Rad ratio	1.6

Working Properties

Western hemlock has a relatively good strength-to-weight ratio and is known for its working properties. The wood requires special care when drying but yields a quality product. Western hemlock is known for its even density which provides for excellent machining properties. It turns, planes and shapes well and can be sanded to a smooth finish. The wood glues satisfactorily, has moderate nail and screw holding ability, and takes a good finish.

Process	Performance	Comments
Machining
Planing	Fair to good results	Typical defects: Fuzzy grain, raised grain, and chip marks.
Turning	Good surface quality	Easy. Good results.
Sawing	Easy to difficult	Varies from difficult to easy. Slight to moderate blunting effect.
Boring	Good	Responds well to boring operations.
Mortising	Good	Easy. Finishes well.
Shaping	Moderate shaping quality	Easy, with moderate surface quality.
Veneering	Good
Sanding	Good	Good sanding finish.
Fastening
Screwing	Moderate	Intermediate holding. Tendency to split. Good results if pre-drilled. Average screw retention: 470 lb.
Lateral Nail Holding	Good	Tendency to split.
Nail Retention	Good
Gluing	Glues satisfactorily
Finishing
Staining	Average to good	Old-growth: Smooth texture achieved. As stain gets darker, prominent wild grain is visible. A wash coat would even out the colour. Second-growth: Stainability is average for light colours, poor for dark. Best finish is with light stain or clear finish followed by nitrocellulose alkyd clear sealer and finish.
Painting	Average to good paint holding ability	Satisfactory paint holding ability.
Lacquering	Good	Old-growth: Natural finish (clear coat) looks best. Satisfactory results. Second-growth: Excellent results with clear coat.
Waxing	Good	Good results. Best results are obtained when using light coloured waxes (e.g. Mellow Pine).
Drying
Ease of Drying	Moderately easy to moderately difficult	There is a wide variation in the moisture content of green western hemlock. Best results are obtained when sorting by moisture content is done. Due to the high moisture content of this wood, longer kiln drying times are required. When dried at high temperatures sapwood can turn a brownish colour.
Durability
Natural Decay Resistance	Slightly durable	Not appropriate for prolonged outdoor exposure.
Treatability	Impermeable	Can be improved by incising.

Subalpine Fir (Abies lasiocarpa)

It is a medium-sized tree, on average 20 to 35 metres in height and 30 cm in diameter.

Common Uses

Subalpine fir kiln dried lumber is used as a structural framing material in all types of residential, commercial, industrial and agricultural building applications. Kiln dried SPF lumber is also used extensively in the manufacture of prefabricated housing, trusses and other structural components.

This wood is also used for plywood veneers, planing-mill products, crates and boxes, sashes, doors, frames, food containers, pulpwood and general millwork. Subalpine fir is used with spruce and lodgepole pine for producing 100% bleached Kraft pulp and chemi-thermo-mechanical pulp (CTMP).

Subalpine fir lumber is dried according to end-use and customer specifications. Kiln drying inhibits natural staining of the wood, improves its strength and stiffness, enhances its appearance, and increases its resistance to decay and attack by insects.

Physical Properties

Density (kg/m3)	Green	331
	Air Dry	351
Specific Gravity (12% M.C.)	Standard	0.33
Hardness (N)	Side	1557
	End	n/a
MOE (Mpa)	Green	8690
	Air Dry	10300
MOR (Mpa)	Green	35.6
	Air Dry	55.2
Compression Parallel (Mpa)	Air Dry	35.4
compression Perpendicular (Mpa)	Air Dry	3.61
Shear (Mpa)	Air Dry	6.74
Cleavage (N/mm Width)	Air Dry	n/a
Shrinkage OD=oven dry air=air dry 12%	Radial (OD)	2.6%
	Tangential (OD)	7.4%
	Volumetric (OD)	9.4%
	Volumetric (air)	n/a
	Tang / Rad ratio	2.8

Working Properties

Process	Performance	Comments
Machining
Planing	Good planing quality	Recommended planer settings: 12ohook angle and20 kmpi (knife marks per inch). Due to the usually wide bands of soft earlywood there is a definite tendency for these to become compressed during planing, later lifting to give a ridged surface.
Turning	Medium to low surface quality	Common defects: torn out grain.
Sawing	Easy to work with tools	Due to the usually wide bands of soft earlywood there is a definite tendency for these to tear in sawing.
Boring	Medium	Medium boring quality with both brad and single twist bits. Due to the usually wide bands of soft earlywood there is a definite tendency for these to tear in boring operations.
Mortising	Good to moderate	Good mortising quality when using a hollow chisel mortise. Due to the usually wide bands of soft earlywood there is a definite tendency for these to tear in mortising. Common mortising defects: splintering on the out-going side of the mortise and crushed grain inside the mortise.
Shaping	Good shaping quality	Common shaping defects in the order of frequency: Splintering at the corner, rough end-grain, fuzzy grain, raised grain, and torn grain. Recommended: The use of a counter piece for end-grain shaping.
Veneering	N/A
Sanding	Good
Fastening
Screwing	Moderate	Average screw retention: 313 lb.
Nail Retention	Moderate
Lateral Nail Holding	Moderate	About 40% reduction to Douglas-fir.
Gluing	Easy	Bonds very easily with adhesives of a wide range of properties and under a wide range of bonding conditions.
Finishing
Staining	Easy	Smooth finish with little texture. Dark stain produces prominent wild grain. Recommended: light-coloured stains with low penetration power will produce a more even colour.
Painting	Average to good paint holding ability
Lacquering	Good	Performed well in the tape test (i.e. small flakes of the coating were detached at intersections of cuts) and in the pull-off test (i.e. average strength of 29 kg/cm2).
Waxing	Good	Best results are obtained when using light-coloured waxes (e.g. Mellow Pine).
Drying
Ease of Drying	Easy to moderately easy	Few defects expected except in the most extreme cases.
Durability
Natural Decay Resistance	Slightly durable	Not appropriate for prolonged outdoor exposure.
Treatability	Impermeable	Can be improved by incising