Has anyone worked with Larch
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21 August 2016 at 11:26 pm #139544
Hi all I might be able to get my hands on some Larch from a friend.
I’m just wondering if anyone has ever worked with this wood, is it easy, have much of an affect on the tools etc.
Thanks in advance for all/any replies.
25 August 2016 at 6:15 pm #139694According to George Ellis’ 1902 book “Modern Practical Joinery”, “Larch is a softwood that [unusually for softwoods] sheds it’s leaves annually. It is native of mountain ranges of central Europe and Russia. The wood is a deep yellowish red, changing to nearly black with long exposure. It has a straight, even grain, but is rather hard and tough to work. It shrinks excessively and warps in seasoning. It will take a good polish, but has little figure”.
I’ve never worked with it. I’d say give it a go and learn something.
26 August 2016 at 4:33 pm #139712Hi folks,
Thanks for the advice and the link to the wood db.
Being in Ireland it will be European Larch that I can access. I’ll be using it for some outdoor furniture items, and perhaps a fake wishing well style watering system for the cats at the wife’s request.
When I get around to finishing I’ll post some pics.
26 August 2016 at 6:08 pm #139713Larch is an amazing wood for any Outdoor Furniture or construction the wood itself lasts a very long time even without any finish on it, it will become a greyish color but it wont rot away easily at all.
It is also quite easy to work being a softwood, but the downside is you get lots and lots of Knots in it.
28 August 2016 at 6:22 pm #139745Thanks Philip,
Some of the supply will also be used to replace some of the dilapidated doors on some of the outbuildings, including my garage/workshop.
I was just wondering if anyone had tried using it for a finer furniture project, but most likely not from what your saying about the knots. Wood is very expensive over here for example Walnut typically goes for 120 euro per cubic foot so looking for something to work with that won’t break the bank.
Cheers,
Graham.
I’ve turned larch green on a pole lathe to make a staked bench and it worked well. The legs have now been in contact with the ground outside for about 4 years and show no sign of rotting so it is fairly durable for a softwood.
It did seem to have a moderate blunting effect on tools, I had to sharpen more often than usual for a softwood and the knots were very hard. It’s a nice looking wood though. I ordered enough 19mm larch barn cladding the other day to cover 16 square meters from a local sawmill and the sawyer recommended pressure treating all larch of British origin, so pressure treatment might be wise for long term exterior use.
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You must be logged in to view attached files.30 August 2016 at 6:48 pm #139795Hi Steve,
Thanks for your reply I’ll discuss treatment with the supplier.
Nice bench BTW.
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