Douglas fir vs larch?

[AdamnRalph]

Can anyone tell me if uk grown douglas fir is good for exterior use such as cladding and decking? What kind of life span I'm I looking at? Is it as good as uk grown larch?

[Graham w]

douglas fir is a good exterior wood. good slow grown douglas heartwood would probably give 10 years without treatment before failure in reasonable weather

 

 

for cladding i would take measures to prevent contact with moisture, design your build with good overhangs and keep cladding high from ground level so its clean and dry.

 

vs larch, douglas is less likely to bend and splits when nailed too close to an edge, it also machines better than sitka. douglas sawlogs are usually bigger, straighter and less splinters so easier on your hands

 

my advice, use european larch:lol:

[Big J]

Western red cedar is best. I dislike larch for it's resin content as it makes the sawing process more difficult. Also difficult to find larch saw logs that are straight, taper free and without tension. I do quite like douglas fir.

[wills-mill]

They are both quite variable depending on growth rate and site. Doug ideally needs to be a decent size (12in+) to have some sensible heartwood, Larch is fine when a bit smaller.

 

I prefer Doug to work with for fitting, but Larch probably has the edge on durability. I've seen some Doug recently that I milled 15 years ago and it's still bang on.

 

This was local Doug I machined and supplied :)

[Wendelspanswick]

Nice timber, ugly shepherds hut!

[Mike Dempsey]

I use an Alaskan mill and about 6 years ago planked up a big doug fir for my garden fence. The posts were 5 inches square and the planks were 1.25 inches thick. The fence stands 8' tall and has now turned all silvery. Looks really good and is the only one in the street that doesn't move in the gales. My wife wanted to stain it some kind of blue colour a few years ago but I wouldn't let her because it would then have to be done every couple of years. I am very happy with it and the lack of maintenance that is required. I am sure it will outlast me np problem and I am only 53 years young!

 

Mike