sources for sitka panels ? north hudson?Anybody????

[Delwin D Fandrich]

----- Original Message -----
From: "Erwinpiano" <Erwinpiano@email.msn.com>
To: <pianotech@ptg.org>
Sent: January 17, 2001 7:08 PM
Subject: Re: sources for sitka panels ? north hudson?Anybody????


> Hi David
> It wouldn,t surprise me to know that all the best AMERICAN grown sitka is
> being sold to the not necessarily highest bidder but the one who has the
> biggest boats, cash on hand and demand.We all know that big business must
> have big contracts to survive.That being said I think our esteemed
> politicians should be lobbied to pass a law outlawing the wholesle export
of
> one particular spiecies of tree without providing citizens the oppurtunity
> to purchase some ( namely me!)You know some kind of hold back or
........And
> the law should also prevent spruce abuse ,cement forms  for crying
> outloud!So you see DELS not the only one who can RANT!DOES ANYBODY KNOW
> WHERE I CAN BUY SOME SPRUCE!!!I,m done for now.Dale Erwin
> ---------------------------------------------------------------

To the best of my knowledge there is no more commercially available Sitka
spruce of musical instrument grade that is grown in the continental US.
There are still a few stands of Sitka spruce, but they are young and not
grown in a manner that will result in the type of wood we are used to
seeing. They are grown 'plantation style' as a mono-culture as opposed to
having been part of an old-growth forest ecosystem. Even if they are allowed
to grow to an old age the quality of wood will not be what we want. They
will have very loose grain as a result of being grown very rapidly. When a
Sitka spruce receives lots of light and water and has good space to grow, it
grows like a weed.

The Sitka spruce wood we have grown to love -- and expected to last
forever -- over the years came from trees that had to struggle some for
their existence. They were part of a delicately balanced ecosystem that
simultaneously nourished them and retarded their growth rate -- hence their
tight, even grain. Because of its intermingling within the old-growth forest
ecosystem these trees were protected from fire, high winds, insect
infestation and the various blights and diseases that otherwise attack them.
They were also shielded from much of the already limited sunlight by a thick
year-round forest canopy. They were thus able to grow slowly and steadily to
enormous heights and girths over several hundreds of years. No attempt is
being made by anyone to provide this kind of ecosystem any longer. Indeed,
there are still many who would willingly destroy what little old-growth rain
forest still exists. Already emboldened by cabinet appointments being made
by the incoming Bush administration there is talk of trying to open up some
of the remaining stands of old-growth forest to commercial logging.

The North American temperate rain forest was an eco-system unique to the
world and today all but slightly less than 11% of the original forest has
been destroyed. And even this is in danger. The old-growth forest is such a
delicately balanced system, and so much of it has been destroyed, it is now
questionable as to whether there is enough forest mass left to ensure
sustainability even if no more old-growth logging is done -- ever.

The Sitka spruce we are getting now is coming from the coastal regions of
Canada -- where they are still cutting trees of any species, type and age as
rapidly as possible to support BC's general budget -- and Alaska. They are
coming out individually as they are found. Because of the extremely high
price reasonable -- not great, just reasonable -- quality old-growth Sitka
spruce now commands, less is being wasted and much of it is ending up at
specialty wood processors such as Fred Tebb & Sons (206.272-4107) and NW
Specialty Woods (360.482-6724). (To the best of my knowledge, neither uses
E.mail or has a web site.)

Tebb's supplies just raw lumber, bandsawn to thickness, roughly graded (but
not selected for color or grain density) and either kiln dried or not. NW
Specialty Woods is run by some of the old Posey people (ask for Frank
Johnson and tell him I sent you) and supplies both lumber and glued up
soundboard panels. Since we make up our own panels I've not looked at any of
the recent NWSW product, so you're on your own. But they do have a good,
long history. Both charge about the same amount and both are very expensive.

Del
Delwin D Fandrich
Piano Designer & Builder
Hoquiam, Washington  USA
E.mail:  pianobuilders@olynet.com
Web Site:  http://pianobuilders.olynet.com/