Hemlock is as hard as hell.

Like hell it is. It's harder than WRC and the Abies firs, or even
poplar, but in a comparative scale of timbers commercially common in the
UK, it's at the soft end of things. Even the pines are harder.

I use a lot of square hemlock stair spindles from Wickes in a regular job I
do. I've never noticed it being especially hard. Machines beautifully -
cheap source of decent hardwood.

Dave