: If it's only on the order of 5 or so pounds I can live with it. I ran into a
: web site yesterday that gave wood weights in pounds per board foot - I
: think white cedar was 2, white pine 2.2, Sitka spruce 2.4 and doug fir 2.6
: . At those numbers, a length of doug fir weighs 30% more than it would of
: cedar (or 30 pounds of white cedar turns into 39 pounds of doug fir). Of
: course, those numbers will vary dramatically from log to log as you
: pointed out.

Fir is also stronger, so you could use less and have the same strength. The trick is knowing how much you can thin a piece to still get the desired strength. And also know how to lighten it and keep the strength (thin the sides perpedicular to the stress or use thinning slots).