Alder ?

[Dave F]

Do any of you guys ever work with Alder? I've seen it before and really like the look of it but I've never used it for a project.

My daughter is in need of an entire new bedroon suite (bed, nightstand, dresser & chest of drawers). I'm going to try and have it ready for her before Christmas. The pieces will primarily be mission/arts & crafts designs. I've worked oak before, and maple, walnut, cherry, ash... the usual suspects. I want to try something unique and different here.. I found a good deal on 250 bf of alder and am on the fence as to weather I should buy it.

I'd appreciate any feedback on the good / bad aspects of working with alder...

Thanks everyone.

[thewoodwhisperer]

I have used alder extensively in the past. Its relatively light-weight and not as hard as the hardwoods you are used to working with. It mills easily but tends to dent and squish under a chisel if you are chopping. But its grain characteristics make it a cheap alternative to cherry and walnut. It accepts stain readily but can usually benefit from a little blotch control, unless you want to achieve a bit more of a rustic look. And keep in mind alder is very often sold with knots. It will give a piece the same sort of rustic country look like knotty pine. So its important to know whether this deal you are looking at is for clear alder or knotty. Here's a picture of a frame I made in alder so you can see it natural with no stain.

And here is an example of alder with a walnut stain. Made to match other cabinets in the house. In this case, they wanted a more rustic look, so no precautions were taken to prevent blotching.

[rob45]

Are you talking about the domestic wood known as Red Alder? Most likely.

The hardwood dealer down the street from me sells it in two grades- knotty and clear. The knotty is very economical; the clear is about on par with maple.

I have not used it much; only for a couple of projects where the customer specifically wanted it.

Pros:

1. Working with alder is considerably easier than the other woods you've mentioned. Routing, cutting, or any other type of machining produces little to no tearout.

2. It sands very easily, and a little bit of sandpaper goes a long way as a result.

3. It glues well.

4. If you're staining, it readily accepts it. I like to use clear stain first to reduce splotches.

Regarding grain appearance, it looks a lot like birch if that is the look you're after. Regarding color, alder is quite a lot like cherry. The initial color can be like a light tan with a slight reddish-brown. It will darken and appear to have more red color as it ages.

Cons:

This stuff dents fairly easily. I don't recommend it for something like a tabletop due to that. Not saying people haven't successfully done it before; I'm just saying an impact-prone surface made out of alder is something I would try to avoid.

[harderd]

Some cabinets I made from Alder for my brother. He wanted the look of walnut but did not want to pay for it.

[Gerry]

I have just finished a couple of end tables for use in the den, made of knotty alder. It works well, is easy to sand and shape, and even works fairly well as veneer. I did some Turquoise inlay in the voids from the knots, just for fun. Personally, I love the look of the wood with a natural finish.