Douglas fir bird safe?

[Kiwibird]

Our old furniture does not work very well with the layout of our condo and has been driving me nuts for a year. Lacking money to buy any kind of new real furniture, I am building some instead using free plans I found online as it's significantly cheaper, can be customized size wise and I have more time than money. Anywho, I am using lumber from one of our native trees here in the great Pacific Northwest-the Douglas fir (i.e. the cheapest lumber available locally). I have LOTS of scraps left over and am wondering if it's a bird safe wood? Some does have a little sap in it, but beyond being kiln dried is untreated in any way. Any opinions? With the amount of scrap I'll have after completing this stuff, I could potentially keep Kiwi occupied for the next few years lol.

 

[SailBoat]

Kiln dried Douglas fir is a bird safe wood! When you find droplets of sap, use sandpaper to remove the droplet.

Remember that Douglas fir comes in both Structural and Finish Grade, which defines the number of grow rings on an edge cut. Load bearing section should be Structural grade (greater number of growth rings and notability harder), whereas finish pieces can be Finish Grade.

Since you are a true DIY, consider this next statement for those who are considering getting into DIY projects.

Structure Grade: Non Treated Fir Wood that has been kiln dried. Very commonly found in wood products call 2 x 2, 2 x 4, 2 x 6, etc.... It is the most common Wood used to build a home. It is sometimes call Yellow Wood Structural.

Never use Treated Wood products for inside projects or any project involving Parrots. Commonly darker or green in color (chemical used for treating) it is very dangerous to Parrots. This product uses high pressure devises that force the chemicals deep into the wood. The boards are notability heavier by length than a like sized non treated wood. NOTE: DIY Project, which use Treated Wood - Always sort boards by weight, selecting the heavier boards and leaving the lighter boards behind!!!

Finish Grade: Non Treated Fir Wood that has been kiln dried. This lumber is notability lighter than like structural wood by length. The growth rings are notability wider apart and the surface can be dented by applying pressure with a finger nail. Most all Parrots can chew though this Wood with relative to great ease. This product is sometimes call paint grade lumber.

Never use Finish Grade lumber in any load carrying application! Your hard work may likely fail at the worst possible moment!

FYI: Always select your own pieces! Check for straightness, cuts, openings, knots (common sources of sap). Your doing all the work, no reason to not be selective. Try to shop when the Contractors are not there - target dinner time! Lots of help and no one gets upset if you are activity selecting the best pieces!

 

[Kiwibird]

Thanks Steven. Kiwi will be thrilled to get my remnants! I am using dimensional lumber (2x4's, 2x2's etc...). Basically, structural studs. Theres a surprising amount of "2x4 furniture" plans out there that don't require master woodworking skills or fancy woodworking tools and the materials are dirt cheap.

 

[SailBoat]

Play like a professional! Always use a sharp, high tooth count blade in your skill saw. The coated blades (commonly red) are worth the extra dollars in their clean-cuts, especially with finish grade cuts. The thin blades take a bit of getting use to, as they are more demanding on the user to cut straight lines. As you well know, let the blade do the work!

 

[Kiwibird]

Play like a professional! Always use a sharp, high tooth count blade in your skill saw. The coated blades (commonly red) are worth the extra dollars in their clean-cuts, especially with finish grade cuts. The thin blades take a bit of getting use to, as they are more demanding on the user to cut straight lines. As you well know, let the blade do the work!

I will post pics later of my now assembled, but yet to be stained/finished project I got done last night. I cut ALL the lumber with a jigsaw (I did use a "clean wood" blade in that). I did surprisingly well using that and a clamped metal yardstick as a cutting guide. Still, cutting all the pieces with that setup was....unpleasant. Next project I will pay the nice folks at Home Depot to cut the straight cut lumber for me and just do the angled cuts myself (I don't own a big saw, just the jigsaw).

 

[SailBoat]

I will post pics later of my now assembled, but yet to be stained/finished project I got done last night. I cut ALL the lumber with a jigsaw (I did use a "clean wood" blade in that). I did surprisingly well using that and a clamped metal yardstick as a cutting guide. Still, cutting all the pieces with that setup was....unpleasant. Next project I will pay the nice folks at Home Depot to cut the straight cut lumber for me and just do the angled cuts myself (I don't own a big saw, just the jigsaw).

Jigsaw and a clamped metal yardstick is a strong combination! The folks a Home Depot provide a great service.

Look Forward to the pics!