12/4 Alder Lumber
We stock 12/4 Alder lumber and 3″ thick alder turning blocks. In addition to distributing and wholesaling 4/4-8/4 kiln dried Alder wood, Commercial Forest Products stocks Red Alder in 10/4 and 12/4 thickness when available.
Why is 12/4 Alder hard to find?
There are 3 reasons why 12/4 Alder is rare in 2023.
- Alder trees are small with many imperfections. Typically, alder trees do not grow large enough or clean enough to justify producing them in 12/4 thickness.
- Return on Investment. When sawmills produce 12/4 lumber boards from narrow logs of marginal grade, they yield a high % of low grade (inexpensive) lumber. Additionally, the upper grade boards tend to be narrow and short, detracting from their marketability.
- Kiln drying time. Significantly, 12/4 alder takes longer to dry than the more commonly used 4/4,5/4, 6/4 and 8/4 alder wood thicknesses. Longer kiln time means a higher outbound lumber cost, across all grades.
- Kiln Drying Risks Increase. Also, thicker lumber is more difficult to dry properly. As a result, kiln operators are more likely to overcook & ruin 12/4 lumber via kiln checking/honeycomb than with thinner lumber.
3 x 3 x 12 Alder Turning Wood For Sale
- kiln dried
- Solid
- clear 4 sides
- Net dimensions 2.9″ thick
- Pacific Red Alder (Alnus Rubra)
- 4 blocks $99/delivered in the US