OldTools Archive

Recent Bios FAQ

23564 J. Joseph Hurray <hurray@G...> 1997‑08‑06 How much does it weigh?
Hi porch dwellers-
Can anybody help with the approximate weight of hard maple (the type that
an old butcher block would have been made of) per cubic foot?

Thanks, Joe in NH


23567 <elschaffer@j...> 1997‑08‑07 Re: How much does it weigh?
The "Wood Handbook" of U.S. Forest Products Lab lists an average dry .63
specific gravity for the heaviest Maple (Sugar Maple). That equates to
39.3 pounds per cubic foot!.--ErvSaws
On Wed, 6 Aug 1997 19:25:29 -0400 "J. Joseph Hurray" hurray@G...
writes:
>Hi porch dwellers-
>Can anybody help with the approximate weight of hard maple (the type 
>that
>an old butcher block would have been made of) per cubic foot?
>
>Thanks, Joe in NH
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------

23574 <TomPrice@A...> 1997‑08‑07 Re: How much does it weigh?
Joe wrote:

>Can anybody help with the approximate weight of hard maple (the type that
>an old butcher block would have been made of) per cubic foot?

My copy of  "A Natural History of Trees of Eastern and Central North 
America" by Donald Culross Peattie lists sugar maple at 44 lbs per cubic 
foot, dry weight.

BTW this is a wonderful book and is full of not only the natural history 
of the tree species but also descriptions of uses for the various woods. 
Part of his description of sugar maple:

"As a street tree, Sugar Maple is surpassed in form adapted to traffic 
only by White Elm; and it is far less demanding of water, less injured by 
disturbance to its roots when pipes and drains are laid. But it suffers 
from city smoke and industrial gases; that is what keeps it a village 
tree, a tree of old colonial towns. On the lawn it develops, from its egg 
shape in youth, a benignant length of the lower limbs which is ideal for 
the play of children. The fine tracery of the tree in winter stands 
revealed in all its mingled strength and elegance. In spring the 
greenish-yellow flowers appear at the same time that the leaves begin to 
open like a baby's hand. The full spread of its foliage in summer gives 
what is perhaps the deepest, coolest shade granted by any of our northern 
trees...Under forest conditions, Sugar Maple may grow to 120 feet, with a 
3- or 4-foot trunk clear of branches half the way - a cylinder of 
knot-free wood almost unrivaled among our hardwoods. It is immensely 
strong and durable, especially the whitish sapwood called by the 
lumberman Hard Maple; a marble floor in a Philadelphia store wore out 
before a Hard Maple flooring laid there at the same time. Few are the 
standard commercial uses for lumber where Hard Maple does not figure, 
either at the top of the list or high on it. Tough and resistant to 
shock, it becomes smoother, not rougher, with much usage - as you will 
notice if you look at an old-fashioned rolling pin."

****************
TomPrice@a...
Will Work For Tools


23583 <elschaffer@j...> 1997‑08‑07 Re: How much does it weigh?
Oops! I didn't reply to your last question re the availability of the
Wood Handbook. It was written largely for use by wood technologists and
engineers. Real title is "Wood Handbook--Wood as an Engineering
Material", and is Agricultural Handbook #72 of the U.S. Department of
Agriculture's Forest Service. As a result it has extensive discussion of
wood types, behavior, drying,fastening, cutting qualities, physical
properties of all kinds, and problems in use and their resolution. I
still believe it is available from the Superintendent of Documents in
Washington, D.C. for a nominal fee. I'll have to get the address for
you. It is available both Hard and Soft bound. Is 466 pages! I was in on
several revisions of it over some 30 years. 
--ErvSaws 
On Wed, 6 Aug 1997 18:24:02 -0700 elschaffer@j... writes:
>The "specific gravity" of materials is their weight divided by the 
>weight of 1 cubic foot of water (which weighs 62.4 lbs/cubic foot). 
>Voila (that's "wallah")!, so 0.63 X 62.4 = 39.3.
>--ErvSaws
>On Wed, 06 Aug 1997 17:38:39 -0700 David Hunkins drhunk@c... 
>writes:
>>At 05:06 PM 8/6/97 -0700, you wrote:
>>>The "Wood Handbook" of U.S. Forest Products Lab lists an average dry 
>
>>.63
>>>specific gravity for the heaviest Maple (Sugar Maple). That equates 
>
>>to
>>>39.3 pounds per cubic foot!.--ErvSaws
>>
>>Hi Erv,
>>
>>If you have the patience, could you explain how one uses the specific
>>gravity number to arrive at the weight? There must be a formula, but 
>I
>>wouldn't know where to look to find it. Thanks, David
>>
>>And BTW, is this "Wood Handbook" reference a hard to find item?
>>


23618 GACHASSIN, KRIS <GachassinK@b...> 1997‑08‑07 RE: How much does it weigh?
Joe, 

According to "General Engineering Handbook" published by McGraw-Hill
1932, the average weight of Hard Maple is 42 lbs/cuft. It does not
indicate the moisture content of the wood at that density. I hope this
helps.

This is a great galoot book. Examples of galoot info:

- barrels of butter, lard, etc. weigh 32 lbs/cuft,
- wax at 60 lbs/cuft
- charts for the strength of various timbers oblique to the grain
- comparison of various glues: animal, casein, vegatable, blood, liquid

Great galoot stuff !

> Hi porch dwellers-
> Can anybody help with the approximate weight of hard maple (the type
> that
> an old butcher block would have been made of) per cubic foot?
> 
> Thanks, Joe in NH
> 


23620 <elschaffer@j...> 1997‑08‑07 Re: How much does it weigh?
When I said the dry weight of Sugar Maple was 39.3 lbs/cu ft, I was
citing "dry" weight---that is with negligible (less than 1.5%) moisture
in the wood. Usually the moisture content of wood in furniture in the
Northern U.S. is about 12% by weight. Sooo, the weight becomes 44 lbs/cu
ft at this moisture content. 
--ErvSaws
On Thu, 7 Aug 1997 10:27:34 -0500 "GACHASSIN, KRIS" GachassinK@b...
writes:
>Joe, 
>
>According to "General Engineering Handbook" published by McGraw-Hill
>1932, the average weight of Hard Maple is 42 lbs/cuft. It does not
>indicate the moisture content of the wood at that density. I hope 
>this
>helps.
>
>This is a great galoot book. Examples of galoot info:
>
>- barrels of butter, lard, etc. weigh 32 lbs/cuft,
>- wax at 60 lbs/cuft
>- charts for the strength of various timbers oblique to the grain
>- comparison of various glues: animal, casein, vegatable, blood, 
>liquid
>
>Great galoot stuff !
>
>> Hi porch dwellers-
>> Can anybody help with the approximate weight of hard maple (the type
>> that
>> an old butcher block would have been made of) per cubic foot?
>> 
>> Thanks, Joe in NH
>> 
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------

23635 Bill Clouser <clouser@p...> 1997‑08‑07 RE: How much does it weigh?

On Aug 7, 10:27am, GACHASSIN, KRIS wrote:
> Subject: RE: How much does it weigh?
> Joe,
>
> According to "General Engineering Handbook" published by McGraw-Hill

> This is a great galoot book.  Examples of galoot info:
>

> - comparison of various glues: animal, casein, vegatable, blood, liquid
                                                            ^^^^^
Egad!  I only get blood in the joints by accident.  Don't tell me we have
to start the fleam thing again.

- Bill (Sharpening an old Sheffield Tool Works crosscut for the wife
        tonight and wondering if I should test the points on my thumb
        aggressively enough to collect some "glue.")

-- 


23675 J. Joseph Hurray <hurray@G...> 1997‑08‑08 Re: How much does it weigh?
Many thanks to Bill & Erv & all the other Galoots that have helped me with
the weight of one cubic foot of hard maple. Now I'll tell why I needed to
know:
My SWMBO is looking at an antique butcher block. The solid top section is
24 x 36 x 18, which translates into about 9 cubic feet of solid maple!
According to all your calculations, this thing probably weighs over 400
pounds. After checking the construction of the floor joists, with a little
reinforcing, I could just end up with the "ultimate workbench", and in the
kitchen, no less! Eh, Eh, Eh...(I'm not has dumb as I look!) Now I just
have to figure out how she is going to carry it up the steps and into the
house.

Thanks!    Joe in NH


23682 Paul Comino <p.comino@q...> 1997‑08‑08 Re: How much does it weigh?
At 10:40 PM 8/7/97 -0400, J. Joseph Hurray wrote:
>Many thanks to Bill & Erv & all the other Galoots that have helped me with

[snip]
I thought this thread woulda been put to sleep a lot sooner, but seeing as
it's still alive.....
According to Bootle's "Wood in Australia", air dried maple from Canada
weighs in at 740kg/cubic metre, and from USA at 730kg/cubic metre.  
"What kind of units are they!!??" I hear you saying.  Shuffle the decimal
point a few places to the left, and we have specific gravity.   Easy, huh?
More'n one, and it sinks in water.  You *could* calculate it out to around
46lb/ft3, but why bother?   (: 

And Joe tells us why he wants to know....

>My SWMBO is looking at an antique butcher block. The solid top section is
>24 x 36 x 18, which translates into about 9 cubic feet of solid maple!

Hang on a tick - this stuff is saturated with dried bloo....  glue, fat,
bone, and all sorts of "other" matter.   All the previous data was for
"clean" wood - better ask the question again.  

Big flamin' grin!!

Paul

>have to figure out how she is going to carry it up the steps and into the
                        ^^^
                        ??? You're joking!!


23698 Jake Spiller <spiller@B...> 1997‑08‑08 Re: How much does it weigh?
Joe in NH wrote:


> According to all your calculations, this thing probably weighs over 400
> pounds.  Now I just have to figure out how she is going to carry
> it up the steps and into the house.

That's easy. She'll pick it up and put it on your back. 

Jake Spiller
spiller@b...

I'm just a user. I don't have time to collect.

--
*******************************************************************************
Bear Stearns is not responsible for any recommendation, solicitation, offer or
agreement or any information about any transaction, customer account or account
activity contained in this communication.
*******************************************************************************


23686 Bryan Carbonnell <recsmgmt@t...> 1997‑08‑08 Re: How much does it weigh?
On 7 Aug 97 at 22:40, J. Joseph Hurray wrote:

> kitchen, no less! Eh, Eh, Eh...(I'm not has dumb as I look!) Now I just
> have to figure out how she is going to carry it up the steps and into the
> house.

Joe,

She is going to get it up the stair by using YOU!! :)

-- 
Bryan Carbonnell
recsmgmt@t...
My opinions, no one elses!!
Unfortunately common sense isn't all that common.


23785 Ernie Fisch <ernfisch@p...> 1997‑08‑09 Re: How much does it weigh?
** Reply to note from p.comino@q... Fri, 08 Aug 1997 16:59:39 +1000 (EST)

>   
> Hang on a tick - this stuff is saturated with dried bloo....  glue, fat,
> bone, and all sorts of "other" matter.   All the previous data was for
> "clean" wood - better ask the question again.  
>   

Not if it was treated right.  It should have been scraped down every night to
remove all that gunk.  I packaged meat in a pet shop when I was in high school
(was that the 18th or 19th century?) and I got to do the scraping.  Yeah,
every night. 

Ernie
I'm not a collector, really. I'm just a user without enough time.
(used by permission)


23787 Ernie Fisch <ernfisch@p...> 1997‑08‑09 Re: How much does it weigh?

** Reply to note from hurray@G... Thu, 7 Aug 1997 22:40:26 -0400

>   
> kitchen, no less! Eh, Eh, Eh...(I'm not has dumb as I look!) Now I just
> have to figure out how she is going to carry it up the steps and into the
> house.
>   

There is a real neanderthal approach!

Ernie
I'm not a collector, really. I'm just a user without enough time.
(used by permission)


23790 <elschaffer@j...> 1997‑08‑09 Re: How much does it weigh?

Ernie: I certainly concur with your view that the wood won't be saturated
with blood and other "gunk".  Maple is not very permeable, so unless
nearly perpetually soaked in water, it just won't pick up enough with
daily use and wiping off.  
Erv
On Sat, 9 Aug 1997 15:42:17 MST Ernie Fisch ernfisch@p...
writes:
>** Reply to note from p.comino@q... Fri, 08 Aug 1997 16:59:39 
>+1000 (EST)
>
>>   
>> Hang on a tick - this stuff is saturated with dried bloo....  glue, 
>fat,
>> bone, and all sorts of "other" matter.   All the previous data was 
>for
>> "clean" wood - better ask the question again.  
>>   
>
>Not if it was treated right.  It should have been scraped down every 
>night to
>remove all that gunk.  I packaged meat in a pet shop when I was in 
>high school
>(was that the 18th or 19th century?) and I got to do the scraping.  
>Yeah,
>every night. 
>
>Ernie
>I'm not a collector, really. I'm just a user without enough time.
>(used by permission)
>
>----------------------------------------------------------------


Recent Bios FAQ