Alder
Main Uses
Furniture, kitchen cabinets, doors, shutters, mouldings, panel stock,
turnings, carvings and kitchen utensils.
Relative Abundance
2.9 percent of total U.S. hardwoods commercially available.
General Description
Red alder, a relative of birch, is almost white when freshly cut but
quickly changes on exposure to air, becoming light brown with a yellow
or reddish tinge. Heartwood is formed only in trees of advanced age and
there is no visible boundary between sap and heartwood. The wood is
fairly straight-grained with a uniform texture.
Working Properties
Red alder machines well and is excellent for turning. It nails, screws
and glues well, and can be sanded, painted, or stained to a good finish.
When stained, it blends with walnut, mahogany or cherry. It dries easily
with little degrade and has good dimensional stability after drying.
Physical Properties
Red alder is a relatively soft hardwood of medium density that has low
bending strength, shock resistance and stiffness.
Availability
Available in dimension stock and lumber.
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