Rockytime Posted November 13, 2020 Report Share Posted November 13, 2020 Went to Lowe's today for Poplar. Saw Hemlock and Alder. Never see that at HD. Did not buy any. Anyone use it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Jay Posted November 13, 2020 Report Share Posted November 13, 2020 Alder, if Western Red. is a fine grain reddish wood, cuts nicely. A bit soft, sands easily. Rockytime 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dgman Posted November 13, 2020 Report Share Posted November 13, 2020 I’ve never used Hemlock but I have used Alder. For a hardwood, Alder is relatively soft. I wouldn’t use it for puzzles. It has a creamy tan color and is typically straight grained, but you will find some interesting grain patterns in some boards. I have used it for boxes and clocks. It scrolls well, but is hard to get a goof finish on it. I’d say give it a try if you have never used. Rockytime 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davevand Posted November 16, 2020 Report Share Posted November 16, 2020 I used alder for the first time and it cuts very nice with the scroll saw. The only issue I had was finishing it, I sprayed three coats of lacquer and it was still soaking into the wood, to get a good finish I had to seal with shellac first, then finish with lacquer or poly. Rockytime 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rockytime Posted November 16, 2020 Author Report Share Posted November 16, 2020 Thank you. I'll go to Lowe's and pick some up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FrankEV Posted November 16, 2020 Report Share Posted November 16, 2020 1 hour ago, Davevand said: I used alder for the first time and it cuts very nice with the scroll saw. The only issue I had was finishing it, I sprayed three coats of lacquer and it was still soaking into the wood, to get a good finish I had to seal with shellac first, then finish with lacquer or poly. You maight want to try a lacquer sanding sealer before sanding and finishing with the lacquer. I use it on soft wood like pine. Rockytime 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fredfret Posted November 16, 2020 Report Share Posted November 16, 2020 Save your alder cutoffs for smoking especially fish. I've never cut it but smoked a lot of salmon. Rockytime 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ben2008 Posted November 17, 2020 Report Share Posted November 17, 2020 (edited) On 11/12/2020 at 7:52 PM, Rockytime said: Went to Lowe's today for Poplar. Saw Hemlock and Alder. Never see that at HD. Did not buy any. Anyone use it? I just bought some 1/2" alder online. It's a nice medium brown and does not have a heavy grain pattern like red oak. I had never used it before. It cuts like a dream on my RBI, and is lightweight but sturdy. I have not put a finish on it yet. I like it so far. I also am going to try beech for the first time. Here's a link. The 2 pieces i received look almost exactly like the picture. I was impressed. https://ocoochhardwoods.com/scroll-saw-lumber/alder/ Edited November 17, 2020 by ben2008 Rockytime 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.