In the initial posts there was mention of the difficulty faced in turning a
block.  Part of this problem may go back to the basic properties of redwood.
While structurally strong enough for tables, deck boards etc. ,the wood as a
tree is brittle.  In the “early days” as this link discusses, they spent more
time constructing a “bed” for the giant tree than actually cutting it.  The
redwood is actually brittle.  A tree could be destroyed by errors in where the
tree land or “was placed” by the feller.
https://books.google.com/books?id=O9fPAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA104&lpg=RA1-PA1
04&dq=preparing+bed+for+redwood+felling&source=bl&ots=oq0vQc7AVc&sig=7DNFw_0NeLu
LwHC_cmi4hqkBcME&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjW58Gi7avbAhVBL6wKHQQ-AP4Q6AEILDAB#v=onep
age&q=preparing%20bed%20for%20redwood%20felling&f=false">https://books.google.co
m/books?id=O9fPAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA104&lpg=RA1-PA104&dq=preparing+bed+for+redwood+
felling&source=bl&ots=oq0vQc7AVc&sig=7DNFw_0NeLuLwHC_cmi4hqkBcME&hl=en&sa=X&ved
=0ahUKEwjW58Gi7avbAhVBL6wKHQQ-
AP4Q6AEILDAB#v=onepage&q=preparing%20bed%20for%20redwood%20felling&f=false

Jump ahead to more modern times and the beds were often built with a bulldozer.
Reshaping the land to form a cradle like bed for the tree to land in.  This, in
the worst case, caused tremendous disturbance, erosion, etc..  Some called it a
moon scape.

One link acknowledging the complexity of managing the redwoods

https://www.fs.fed.us/psw/publications/4251/thornburgh1.pdf

Because of public interest you can find all sorts of articles on line concerning
the redwood.

I have several redwood planks that I am still saving for the right use, and I
have the still solid 2 x 8 redwood lumber I salvaged from a picnic table I built
for my parents in 1963.  I salvaged the wood because the galvanized bolts rusted
to nothing.  Of course damaging the wood around them.

Treasure but use those special woods you happen to inherit.

Take care,

Cal Meier
Central Louisiana 
Dry side (no rain) of the current hurricane/tropical depression dumping on
Alabama, Georgia, and Florida   An points north.

In the 70’’s we lived in Newton PA, above Philly.  The local lumber yard - Frost
Watson - was an East Coast repository of redwood, claiming 2 million board feet
without a knot.  I have trimmed out several rooms in a house we built with
quality redwood.

A friend bought a 1954 ranch house with some classy features.  They did not like
the original redwood panelling, so carefully removed it and are looking to sell
it.  I was able to snag a 36” piece for a guitar top:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/27781757965/in/album-72157667452
256056/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/27781757965/in/album-72157667452
256056/ <https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/27781757965/in/albu
m-72157667452256056/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/27781757965/in/albu
m-72157667452256056/>

I have also used it on our tall ship for mast tops - platforms at the top of the
large lower masts that were used as sniper locations in the 17th c.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/27570732877/in/album-72157647588
564753/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/27570732877/in/album-72157647588
564753/ <https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/27570732877/in/albu
m-72157647588564753/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/27570732877/in/albu
m-72157647588564753/>

This is where we learned it is not rot resistant

Ed Minch

Redwood as a name, is not a lot different than oak, mahogany or pine as 
a name.
The stuff runs the complete gamut like all the large wood families.

I have a couple of pieces of really old growth redwood, that is hard and 
very heavy.
The old catholic church in oldtown Eureka ca?  Holy moley, now there is 
some redwood!

  I have lately seen redwood in the lumberyard you could jam your 
thumbnail clear through.

    Names don't mean so much especially with the really big families of 
trees.
     yours Scott


-- 
*******************************
    Scott Grandstaff
    Box 409 Happy Camp, Ca  96039
    scottg@s...
    http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/sgrandstaff/
    http://www.snowcrest.net/kitty/hpages/index.html

there was a display at our county fair a decade ago that the local lumber
yard put up.  it had two slices of coast redwood (sequoia sempervirens) of
the same diameter, about 18".  one was a yard tree that had been watered,
one was cut from an old growth stand.

the age of the yard tree was less than 40 years.  wide rings, soft wood
(scott's thumbnail would be of use here).  fairly smooth bark.

the age of the old-growth tree was more than 350 years.  impossibly small
rings, wood hard as a rock, very thick, wrinkly bark.

what i was told is the old-growth trees really can be told by the depth of,
and number of, crevasses, in their bark.  the smoother the bark, the
younger the tree; even in places where the diameters might be similar you
can visibly tell the difference.

we have four 130-year old redwoods in our backyard that are just
teenagers.  their acne has cleared up, but they don't have their "faces",
yet.  they have never gotten watered, and are already 4-6' in diameter
(piker, i know, scott, but they're "ours").

bill
felton, ca


On Tue, May 29, 2018 at 6:15 PM, scott grandstaff 
wrote:

Ed Minch wrote:
"I have also used it [redwood] on our tall ship for mast tops - platforms at the
top of the large lower masts that were used as sniper locations in the 17th c.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/27570732877/in/album-72157647588
564753/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/27570732877/in/album-72157647588
564753/ <https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/27570732877/in/albu
m-72157647588564753/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/27570732877/in/albu
m-72157647588564753/>

"This is where we learned it is not rot resistant"

I think the point about  redwood is that it is pest resistant, not rot
resistant. The same chemicals that make a redwood splinter in your finger
fester, do a real trip on bug bodies. I'd be willing to bet---you may have rot
in your mastheads, but I'll bet you don't have termites, do you?
Tom Conroy 

[ducking and running]

Not a bug in sight 70 feet in the air
 
Ed Minch