AVAILABILITY Alder used to be the preferred wood to make clogs, and it was said that a few alder leaves placed in the shoes before a long journey would cool the feet and prevent swelling. Alder is the common name of a genus of flowering plants, Alnus, belonging to the birch family Betulaceae. WORKING PROPERTIES As with ash, it’s impossible to discuss alder without making reference to Fender, which first used alder prominently in the late ’50s and early ’60s. Alder's resemblance to birch hardwood -- at half the price -- makes it an acceptable substitution. It glues well and can be sanded to a smooth finish. The fact that alder is used on them is typically not disclosed, since alder is in the same family, or genus, as birch. Wet alder smokes a lot and leaves behind a lot of ash. For this reason, birch cabinets are among the most affordable of all cabinets. Furniture, kitchen cabinets, doors, shutters, moulding, panel stock, turnings, carvings, and kitchen utensils. You may occasionally find a piece of poplar with a stunning grain pattern if you try. Alder. Visual Characteristics: Alder species look very similar, and feature heartwood that’s light tan to reddish brown, darkening with age. Experts agree, American Hardwood sells! Poplar tonewoods are understated and minimalistic in appearance. The wood is fairly straight-grained with a uniform texture. It nails, screws and glues well, and can be sanded, painted, or stained to a good finish. As time passed, Alder wood’s reputation rose as its demand rose too. Alder has a light brown color with subtle grain patterns that are straighter than other hardwoods, such as oak or ash. Wood Species' Qualities & Characteristics. Stain sinks readily into its open pores, and little stain is required to reflect a different character. The sound is better, however, when it comes to the upper mid-range. Even though alder can be considered bland with no real character, it can be impressive when stained and lacquered. Alder. When stained, it blends with walnut or cherry. How Much Dimensional Change Should You Expect? Keeping hardwood floors looking beautiful is easier than you think. Alder is also affordable enough to be culled, with the defective pieces saved for structural use and the prime alder going into the finest woodworking projects. Or you can mix the wood … The genus comprises about 35 species of monoecious trees and shrubs, a few reaching a large size, distributed throughout the north temperate zone with a few species extending into Central America, as well as the northern and southern Andes. After the inside of an RV is framed in alder, an overlay "skin" of 1/4-inch cherry, oak or other hardwood is added to the alder framework to provide the appearance of the more expensive hardwood. On a hardness scale, alder ranks just above pine and poplar. ... Alder is a member of the birch family, it's moderately light and is slightly soft for a hardwood species. Stain should only be applied briefly to the surface of alder because the longer the stain sits on the surface, the darker the alder gets. Whereas most wand woods seek similarity in the characters of those they will best serve, alder is unusual in that it seems to desire a nature that is, if not precisely opposite to its own, then certainly of a markedly different type. GENERAL DESCRIPTION Hardwood Finishes More Eco-Friendly than Ever, Know your Hardwood Floors by Starting at the "Finish", Revealing Hardwood Treasure beneath Carpeting and Linoleum. How to Repair the Wood Molding on a Window Pane. Clear red alder is more expensive, closer to other domestic cabinet hardwoods. Heartwood is formed only in trees of advanced age and there is no visible boundary between sap and heartwood. Maximize your home’s value. Alder, a relative of birch, is almost white when freshly cut, but quickly changes with exposure to air, becoming light brown with a yellow or reddish tinge. It dries easily with little degrade and has good dimensional stability after drying. Due to its weight, structural integrity and affordability, alder is often used as an internal framing material on other types of woodworking projects. © Copyright 2020 Hearst Communications, Inc. We have many wood species to choose from, each having various densities, colors and grain patterns. For your next project download the American Hardwoods Species Guide Mobile App in the Apple Store |, https://www.facebook.com/AmericanHardwoods, https://www.pinterest.com/americanhardwds/, A quick and easy wood terms glossary for your reference |, © 2020 Hardwood Manufacturers Association, How Selecting Materials Impacts Our Lives, Trend Alert: Wood Planks Warm up Ceilings and Walls, From modest to magnificent: Create an entertainment space for any home. When stained, it blends with walnut or cherry. About To Show Your Hardwood Floor The Door? When prime alder is used for moldings, few -- if any -- defects, such as knots, splits or cracks, appear in the molding. It nails, screws and glues well, and can be sanded, painted, or stained to a good finish. Alder is an extremely versatile product when compared with other North American hardwoods, as its natural characteristics allow it to seamlessly integrate into a variety of building styles. Alder is straight-grained and maintains its shape without warping or twisting. Shaddy began publishing in various magazines in 1992, and published a novel, “Dark Canyon,” in 2008. Ever since, it remains the body wood for the majority of Fender electric instruments. Cabinetmakers prize alder for its workability, affordability and adaptability. PHYSICAL PROPERTIES Today, it’s not surprising to find many people asking for Alder wood for use in constructing their kitchen cabinets because of its many useful characteristics. Alder is used for furniture, cabinets and picture frames, and in other custom woodworking projects. Knotty red alder is usually inexpensive, on par with other domestic utility woods. When properly kiln dried, alder is one of the lightest of all the hardwoods, making it a favorite for building recreational vehicles that are fuel efficient. DISTRIBUTION How trees fight climate change. Large aggregate rays appear as occasional small streaks on the face grain that can be mistaken for defects in the wood. Wood Species' Qualities & Characteristics. This odorless wood works like Black Cherry; for example, both of them possess great finishing and staining characteristics. Because of its inherent straightness, alder is good for moldings. Lacquer penetrates alder fast and hardens inside the pores to provide a glassy coating. Alder has an excellent reputation for machining and is also a desirable wood for turning. Although classified as a hardwood, alder is one of the softest of all hardwoods and is more commonly referred to as a semi-hardwood. Sand it! Fender adopted alder for electric instrument bodies in mid-1956, probably for no other reason than it was there; it was readily available and more affordable than ash. Specializing in hardwood furniture, trim carpentry, cabinets, home improvement and architectural millwork, Wade Shaddy has worked in homebuilding since 1972. There is no visible distinction between heartwood and sapwood. MAIN USES WORKING PROPERTIES Alder machines well and is excellent for turning. Alder is a relatively soft hardwood of medium density that has low bending strength, shock resistance, and stiffness. When choosing a wood species for your cabinets it's important to understand the various qualities and attributes of the different wood species. In guitars, poplar comes with a similar tone to alder as well. Like alder, poplar is a type of wood that’s commonly used to manufacture many things. It dries easily with little degrade and has good dimensional stability after drying. Shaddy has also worked as a newspaper reporter and writer, and as a contributing writer for Bicycling Magazine. Eliminating Finish Blotches on Maple and Cherry, The Confident Choice for Eco-conscious Specifiers, American Hardwoods: The Natural, Eco-Friendly Choice, Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts (Red Oak), Fixing Cracks and Squeaks in Hardwood Floors, Installing a Hardwood Floor Over a Concrete Slab, How to Install Hardwood Floors Over Radiant Heat, How to Apply Specialty Finishes for Hardwood Trim, American Hardwoods and Their Role in Carbon Neutral Design. Alder is soft. The open pores of alder also lend to the easy application of lacquer coats. Available in dimension stock and lumber. American Hardwoods Offer a Breath of Fresh Air, Mix – Don’t Match – Wood Textures and Colors; Experts Across the U.S. Urge Diversity in Design, Straight Talk About Hardwoods from Four Savvy Design Pros, Hardwood Flooring Trends – A Touch of the Creative, Hardwood Flooring Must-Know Shopping Facts. Wood characteristics and uses of black alder (Claessens, 2005) Characteristics Consequences Corresponding uses Homogeneous wood with diffuse pores, small vessels with thin walls, numerous small medullary rays Grain fine and regular Veneer (slicing, rotary cutting) The wood does not form tyloses during drying Very permeable wood Impregnation easy (dyeing, preservation) Mass = 540 kg m … Select it! Bubinga. Alder is an extremely versatile product when compared with other North American hardwoods, as its natural characteristics allow it to seamlessly integrate into a variety of building styles.