Save our Hemlocks

Canadian hemlocks have long been known to be the best choice for the interior of a sauna room or infra red sauna.  The alternative to hemlock , is red cedar which has a bolder finish and a more aromatic presence inside the sauna.  However many people have allergies to the natural cedar oils and find that hemlock is a much better choice for there sauna.  There are a few things to look for in hemlock for home use in saunas, spas and infrared saunas.

Make sure your hemlock is kiln or air dried and not treated with any chemicals.  Kiln dried hemlock will not warp or twist under the excessive heat of your sauna.  Next, you want to select only choice pieces with no knots.  Once you have your choice pieces selected, you will machine cut and hand sand them to fit your sauna needs.   Infrared Saunas require a back panel to cover the actual heating elements to prevent any contact with them during your time inside.  This can easily be done by making 2×1 in. strips and shaping them in a grid to cover to provide that barrier between you and your saunas heater.

There are many sauna kits available online in different place, and it is suggested to always know what kind of wood they are made of before you purchase from them.  Its hard to recommend using anything except the canadian variety of hemlock as other species tend to be softer and will nick, scratch, dent more easily.  Saunas made of red cedar are also a good choice, however you should try one of these before making the decision to build your sauna from it ; mainly to make sure you prefer the heavier release of natural cedar smells.

Many cheaper infrared saunas and home sauna kits are made from particle board laminated with thin hemlock strips both inside and outside.  If you are on a budget and have decided to go with hemlock for your sauna; make sure it is not a laminated variety.  These saunas and kits tend to have all sorts of harmful stuff in them, like poly glues, varnishes and other stains which all break down and get into the air inside.  It is especially advised to avoid these at all costs.

Shown below is an Infrared Sauna made from 100% Canadian Hemlock

Hemlock and Red Cedar have many uses, with similar pluses and minus’s do to consistancy and other factors.  In this discussion, we will go over the positives and negatives of using Hemlock for a sauna.   Choosing the right wood for your sauna is very important, as building one is a very rewarding project which you will benefit from for many years.  Its very important to carefully consider what wood will work best for you and your sauna.

The two best choices are cedar and hemlock.  There are a few reason why people prefer cedar over hemlock, however it does have some downsides to it as well.   Of the two, hemlock is more prone to splinter, however it is considered more pliable and stronger.  Cedar on the other hand has reflective tendencies why work very well for many aspects of all saunas.

Hemlock has a very straight grain to it, this is the reason it is more likely to splinter than cedar.  However these straight grains will make the task of cutting it down into all the intricate parts inside your sauna very easy.  For a novice to intermediate crafter , this will help you alot.  Especially when making sauna benches and if you are making an infrared sauna then you will need covers for the heaters which will definitely be more difficult to craft from cedar.

Most consider cedar to be a much more attractive wood, especially for use in a home sauna.  Hemlock saunas are generally a very pale color which doesnt stand out as much, and can get dirty slightly easier than cedar.  In the end, you will need to take a look at both woods and decide which one will look better in your home.

If your are building an outdoor sauna, cedar may be a better choice.  Hemlock has the tendency to warp a little more than cedar with heavy weathering.  An outdoor Cedar sauna will retain its shape with less waterproofing efforts and with the same exposure to weathering elements.  My suggestion , is if you are a novice crafter use hemlock for your sauna especially if it is an indoor home sauna.  If you are a novice and are crafting an outdoor sauna, probably the best choice would be to construct the exterior of your sauna from cedar, and then finish up all the interior sauna parts with hemlock for the ease of cutting.

No matter what your choice is, building a sauna is a very fun project and the rewards will last for years.

Commonly used hemlock species for use as lumber are West Coast hemlock, Pacific hemlock, British Columbia hemlock, hemlock spruce, and western hemlock fir.  Hemlock has a great reputation for excellence in form and function for doors, windows, mouldings, cabinets, saunas and spas.  The kiln or air dried wood is very stable and does not twist or warp under heat making it a favorite in the sauna industry.  With both machine or hand tools, clean straight edges and accurate contours are easy to achieve.  The combination of stability, and smooth finishes make Hemlock a favorite wood for the construction of saunas.

Hemlocks have great overall uniformity of coloring from heartwood to sapwood, from a light honey to a slightly richer golden tan.  It has fine pores which gives it excellent glueing properties so it is ideally suited for edge veneering and laminating.  Hemlock complements virtually any architectural style or design scheme whether used extensively or in small decorative elements.   Western hemlock is fairly light in weight and has good strength to weight ratio.  It is shock resistant and has a moderate hardness and stiffness when compaired to other lumbers.  The wood has only an intermediate nail holding ability and has the tendency to split when large nails or too many nails are used.  It is works great with glues and taking in stains, varnish, paint and polishes.  Appearance is very similar to amabilis fir with the main difference being that the fir is absent of any aromas making it an inferior choice for a sauna but still a great choice for architectural milling, trims, doors etc.