Q:

A local coffeehouse hired me to build tables that can serve as workstations for artists and students. I wanted to mill 2×12 Douglas-fir framing lumber for the legs. You’ve cautioned against using this kind of wood for furniture, but I wonder if this is an exception.

Caleb Berry, Chicago, IL

A:

I wouldn’t make an exception for these workstations. Even if the lumber is dried to construction-lumber standards, it may contain pockets of pitch or sweat small beads of pitch if exposed to heat or sunlight. So-called old-growth wood, which has the tightest growth rings, is the most likely to contain pitch.

Photo: Kelly J. Dunton

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