Thank you, thank you, thank you.!
People look at me funny when I tell them that I bought my Doug fir from
Home Depot and what I'm doing with it. About 80% of my structure is
from different home depot's. If you go through thier 4x4 ($11.59 each)
you can find very straight, very tight grain. Most will have knots and
other imperfections, but since most of the wood will be cut into
smaller parts these knots dissapear. Once in a while you will come
across a piece with amazing grain. You stop, look around to make sure
no one else is watching, then grab and keep to the side.
I have to confess, since Home Depot's 4x4's limit you to 8'
sections, you need to start to become creative with the sources of
lumber. I did end up buying my spar material from a company in
Washington state. The salesman took an interest in my purpose and hand
picked the grain for me. He did a great job. Anyway, thanks VeeDub
for your posting, it helps make me feel like I'm on the right track
Lou