RED ALDER OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST 
9 
Fig. 3.— ILLUSTRATION OF PHYSICAL AND MECHANICAL TESTS 
(1) Shrinkage in volume ; (2) radial shrinkage; (3) tangential shrinkage; (4) 
strength in bending; (5) strength in compression parallel to grain; (6) shearing 
strength parallel to grain 
with a low specific gravity and the least shrinkage are most desired 
for core stock. Table 1 shows red alder to be lower in specific gravity 
than the other woods listed, except basswood, yellow poplar, and 
western hemlock, of which the two former have a slight advantage. 
Practically the same relation obtains in the case of air-dried material. 
Red alder shrinks less than either basswood, red gum, or Douglas 
fir, but somewhat more than the other woods listed. 
Table 1. — Properties of red alder compared with other woods put to the same 
uses 1 
>> 
"> 
g 
be 
'§ 
ft 
m 
We 
ght 
Shrinkage 3 
Strength* 
Composite 
values 
Species 
>> 
< 
a 
g 
2 
> 
3 
3 
a 
bD 
a 
a 
E- 
be 
a 
a 
< 
cm 
a 
2 
o 
g 
ag 
M _, 
g C3 
d 
a 
03 
.2 >> 
zi is. 
SB 
CO 
a 
O M 
Red alder. 
100 
123 
93 
107 
98 
118 
100 
121 
105 
100 
125 
93 
107 
96 
121 
104 
117 
103 
100 
109 
89 
120 
83 
102 
89 
82 
85 
100 
119 
125 
92 
90 
92 
92 
100 
91 
100 
118 
150 
76 
93 
84 
102 
114 
93 
100 
136 
127 
92 
95 
97 
108 
108 
101 
100 
110 
89 
88 
93 
109 
109 
118 
98 
100 
113 
80 
91 
89 
100 
107 
131 
105 
100 
105 
77 
86 
88 
108 
109 
125 
99 
100 
124 
62 
104 
80 
151 
99 
123 
78 
100 
139 
■75 
99 
77 
109 
88 
111 
99 
100 
102 
90 
79 
104 
94 
109 
143 
111 
100 
Red gum 
122 
Basswood 
128 
Chestnut (Castanea dentata) 
Yellow poplar. 
90 
92 
Big-leaf maple 
92 
Western hemlock (Tsuga hetero- 
phvlla) 
97 
Douglas fir (Pseudotsuga taxi- 
folia) (Oregon and Washington) . 
Western white pine (Pinus mon- 
ticola) 
103 
93 
1 Based partly on data from the following bulletin: Newlin, J. A., and Wilson, T. R. C. mechani- 
cal PROPERTIES OF WOODS GROWN IN THE UNITED STATES. U. S. Dept. Agr. Bui. 556, 47 pp., illuS. 1917; 
partly on subsequent investigations by the Forest Products Laboratory. 
2 Based on oven-dry weight and volume when oven-dry. 
3 From green to oven-dry condition, expressed in percentage of dimension when green. 
4 Strength at 12 per cent moisture content: (A) Modulus of rupture in bending; (B) compression parallel 
to grain (maximum crushing strength) . 
103296°— 26 2 
