Good points. I had forgotten about Binghams book. Been on my book self but
haven't looked at it for years.. Never cared for his coverage on cabinet
work.. I still prefer Bruce Binghams books and designs.

Of the 6 wood masts I have built, 3 were with douglas fir.. Good fir is
become almost as hard to find as Sitka Spruce. Some of the fine mill work is
good quality fir, however the moisture content is very low.. I have a pocket
moisture meter and when I tested some mill wook lumber it was 8% or lower.

One of the best mast I built was of Flight Deck Fir.. This was some old
surplus stock that I purchased from the Navy supply system while stationed
over seas. This douglas fir and very straight vertical grain.. The
Mil.Spec. on this stuff was very stingent. I was also able to get it in 20ft
lengths.

Fortunately I was building a box section mast and therefore able to reduce
the thickness to make up for the extra weight without effecting the required
strength and outside dimensions.

Also, being box section, there was very little hand shaping or planning..

However, as I have done previously, for a solid spare there is nothing like
Sitka Spruce, IMHO.

Steve
s/v Good Intentions