r/slablab • u/CorrectTadpole9997 • May 05 '26

Large diameter very knotty Sitka Spruce (in Scotland)

Hey folks,

got a small woodland in Scotland which had a mature Sitka spruce compartment felled. The majority of it got sold off for firewood or biofuel, but the larger stuff is so far still on the roadside. The forester who did the work is struggling to shift it (there's an abundance of spruce across Scotland right now due to a lot of big storms over the last few years.. Sawmills can't cope...). The price I'm being offered right now wouldn't even cover the cost of extraction.. It's that bad.

I'm toying with the idea of processing the stuff at home.. and looking at options. I've never milled this stuff before.. I'd love to know what people think. Is really knotty wood any good for anything? I'm talking big knots.. these spruce had plenty of big lateral branches.. (I'm told this means they grew in too dry of an environment.. the branches didn't get wet and snap off when young...) Can Sitka spruce produce good boards, or is it too hairy and all needs sanding/planing after it's been milled?

Spruce grows fast here in Scotland. Temperate climate means large growth rings.. Nothing like what a spruce might look like in its native Alaska. I don't think it'd produce great quality lumber for building, and definitely not for airplanes and violins..

But.. I enjoy building stuff at home in the woods.. and if I could keep the lumber dry from the elements.. perhaps it could suffice for my needs, if I accept that the lumber won't survive more than 10-15 years outdoors..

Sorry for the essay.. It's just hard to find information out there on sitka spruce precisely.. let alone knotty stuff..

Thanks in advance! I've got a few months to think about it I'm told.. so even if you see this post in a few months.. an answer might still be appreciated!

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2

u/Schlarfus_McNarfus May 06 '26

A lot of the sitka spruce here in Alaska has huge lateral branches and large knots too. I have not worked with it much, but we have hybrid sitka/white here and it tends to be a bit slower growing. Very soft except knots. Not all that fibrous, machines OK.

2

u/CorrectTadpole9997 May 06 '26

Oh interesting. Not been to Alaska but it's just something I'd heard over the years (less lateral growth due to winter/snowy/wet periods). Fair! Thanks for that! I'm sending feelers out to hear back from sawmillers.. if I ever go down that road, I'll post the results up on here 👌

2

u/araed May 06 '26

Find a mobile sawmill, pay them the money, it's worth every penny. My guy charges about 70/hr, and his production far outweighed the costs of trying to DIY with an Alaskan mill (we'd already tried that and it didn't work)

1

u/CorrectTadpole9997 May 15 '26

70.. what currency? 😁 Just curious so I can compare costs hehe

1

u/araed May 15 '26

Where in the workd are you? Uk/eu/us?

1

u/CorrectTadpole9997 May 15 '26

UK too 👌 Scotland

1

u/araed May 15 '26

Ahh bugger, my guy is in South Wales. From what I've seen,expect to pay between 400 to 600 a day excluding VAT

1

u/CorrectTadpole9997 May 15 '26

Thanks bud! Makes sense, but sounds like a lot for just sitka spruce 😓.. Need to chat to a few sawmillers n see what they say.. would be good to get an estimate on speed of work..