Shannon's Lumber Industry Update: Recent Episodes
Shannon Rogers
An 8/4, Kiln dried podcast all about lumber and your questions about it. Let's dispel some myths and broaden an understanding of this ancient industry and help us all become a little more wood savvy...woodier??
Accoya is a chemically modified wood to make it water and rot resistant and extremely stable. Not to be confused with chemical treatment like pressure treated pine, the chemical modification or acetylation process is non toxic and permanent. Accoya warrantees their products for above and in ground contact and has transformed the humble, planatation grown Radiata Pine into a wonder material.
resource sparked the modern conservation movment and created the science that today we call silviculture. This is the story of the White Pine and why it should have a place on your workbench.
. Many of us know this, but do we know why the size has changed but the name stayed the same. Moreover how did anyone even start with those dimensions. This single piece of lumber is a representation of all the changes that have occured in the building trades and the optimization of forestry, economics, and manufacturiung. Its not a measure but a convergence of optimization.
Its not actually a Cedar but who cares. Western Redcedar is an amazing exterior wood used in everything form boats to guitars, decks, shingles, siding and pergolas. Its known as the tree of life among the native peoples of the PNW. This tree produces some amazingly clear vertical grain boards and as you might expect, has gotten pretty darn expensive these days.
their own. In this episode I discuss the 3 types of spalting found in wood and even discuss the fungi responsible for it.
In this episode I feature Pacific Madrone. An interesting pinkish-orange hardwood with the same hardnesss of Hard Maple but a lot more character. I also talk about drying Holly and the gunk build up from Olive and many oily woods.
Decorative arts trends are often tied to a particular species of wood. In this episode I discuss how and why certain species become intertwined in a design style. I also answer a question about the dramatic price differences between similar plywood products.
Today I feature Black Locust and talk about how it was/is used for tree nails, how it resists rot for a hundred years in ground contact and how it invades and colonizes the soil around it for total world domination. Its a tough and imperialistic tree, what is not to love?
With St Patricks Day upon us I wanted to look at the traditional Irish woods and what they are used for an how they are sourced. This is not a country we think of when it comes to lumber but there is a long history or traditional crafts that is still alive today using locally grown and harvested woods.
Zelkova lumber is starting to become more available as the 1st and 2nd generation of urban planting in the wake of the Dutch Elm blight is maturing and urban sawyers are finding more Zelkova in their inventories. This tree has many of the same properties of Elm and a long, revered history across Japane, Korea and China. Additional topics in this episode include what woods are safe to burn from your woodshop scraps and how the Post WWII lumber boom compares to the current lumber market.
We have been drying lumber for thousands of years and in this episode I look into how it was done and how it evolved into the kilns we use today. Plus a look forward and innovations in drying tech. Most importantly though are the observations that drove the need to dry rather than any particular science. How did wood behave and how did we want it to behave is what started this whole idea of drying lumber.
status and now shows up in cabinetry, floors, guitars and even saunas. Listen as I dive deep on the merits of this underrated hardwood. Also in this episode I talk about Walnut grading for color and how the potential of Vietnamese Walnut could play out in the North American market.
This time I dive into the driftwood trade. This is a nearly 3 billion dollar global industry that I never knew was even a thing. Now I see driftwood everywhere. Plus I talk about log pricing, Oak staining, and freeze dried lumber.
In this episode I feature Bubinga and talk through its trade and CITES regulation. I then move into a conversation about how Santa might logistically pull off making toys for the entire world and what his lumber orders might look like.
In this episode I feature Peruvian Walnut and talk about how it has become a flooring species. Specifically how its drying difficulty drove it to be a flooring product. Additionally I talk about juvenile wood, Jindai wood, and the Hickory/Pecan confusion.Make sure you check out TDC's video about urban lumber that features previous guests Camp Small and UVA Sawmilling.https://youtu.be/5kx-CoT4zsg?si=0j-g9JS70K5nFYR-
Today we look at the birth of the timber trade in America. From when the Pilgrims stepped off the Mayflower up until the Revolutionary War. Timber was one of those contributing factors that led to war. We all talk about throwing tea into the harbor, but what about the Pine Tree riots and the Broad Arrow Notices that claimed colonial Pines for the Royal Navy. Happy Thanksgiving as we explore how and what timber was used and exported from early America.
Today I feature the mighty Ponderosa Pine. I was marveling at these trees on a recent trip out west and knew I had to feature the species. A mainstay of the construction lumber industry often labelled as PP/LP on lumber racks. But also a species with a different life in the form of clear boards in moulding, interior flooring, paneling, etc. The species is fire propagating and is a perfect example of how healthy forest management needs a little fire from time to time. The Beetle Kill Pine is the result of weak forests without natures cleaning mechanism. Ponderosa is a yellow pine but a pale version of yellow pine both in appearance but in workability with softer and less difference between early and late growth. It makes for a more uniform working experience with planing, sawing or cutting joinery.Also in this episode I answer questions about:- Kiln Drying schedules to reduce trial and error when drying lumber- How pulp wood forests no longer destined to a paper mill could be turned into saw timber forests.- Typical construction lumber species in the 1920s in the NE United States
Happy Halloween! Let's explore some lumber and tree lore from around the world and some spooky tales that may make you think twice before you cut down that tree or plane that board for your next project.
The featured lumber species today is Catalpa. A very oak like tree but with a really soft workability. High quality, clear lumber that is easy to work and comes in decent widths and lengths. Why doesn't this wood more popular? Also on the show, Tree of Heaven as lumber and the engineered wood products world of PSL, LSL, and LVL.
Today I fight my strong wood bias and take time to talk about composite lumber. All the various plastic boards you will find on the market from wood flour and plastic slurry to polyethylene capped boards and fully plastic HDPE or PVC. What you should know about the differences and how you can actually work with this stuff.
My featured species this episode is Buckeye. Its a non commercial species but not terribly hard to find and has some unique color and high propensity to form burls. But the real meat of this show is a look at how a forest regenerates after a disturbance like a fire or logging. The successional forest model helps us understand how forestry managers can foster a healthy forest through logging. But then we look at how bugs and blights can disrupt the succession model even further.
How do you find unusual and typically non commercial wood species? In this episode I give some tips to help the listener build a network of wood sources.
Monkeypod is a great timber coming out of Costa Rica that is almost entirely FSC. It is often sold as wider slabs due to the lighter weight and the way it is sawn in the jungle. A great alternative to many of the tropical species out there like Koa and Blackwood or even some of the fancy Rosewoods.
Let's define plantations and natural forests and talk about what we can expects from the lumber coming from plantations. Also how plantations can evolve into natural forests. Ultimately why do we need plantations and why do we need natural forests. Also answer some questions about air drying and dealing with bugs as well as drying large timbers.
It could be said that Hickory built America. Hickory's properties made the American felling axe possible with its extremely high MOR and MOE values. Today we discuss this great American wood and why you need to add it to your repertoire of woods.
Douglas Fir is a species we find everywhere. So much so that we may not even know we are looking at it. It has two distinctly different markets: construction lumber and fine (very fine) lumber for cladding, decking, soffits, and even furniture. The species has had a rebirth of late and is outcompeting Western Red Cedar in the forests.
What are the markets for the common species of lumber you find at your hardwood lumber dealer. I delve into who is buying what and for what. Plus further discussion about logging in national forest land, wood movement and heat, buying veneer, and harvesting Boxwood.
This time I featured Parota or Guanacaste. The Costa Rican national tree and known for being avialable in wide slabs of red, ribbony goodness. I also discuss how to know if the wood you are buying will be good for the project you intend to build, and fungus..mmmm fungus.
Time to revisit the old stud torn from a building that is compared to the new stud fresh from the big box store. But more to the point, let's take a look at how wood is sawn from a log to meet market demands. Not that trees don't grow like they use to but do we actually need them that way too.
This episode's featured species is London Plane or Plantanus hybridia. Nearly identical to American Sycamore it is a fun blonde wood option with a striking quartersawn lace pattern. Soft and light it is easy to work but can be difficult to dry without a lot of twisting and checking. We also open the can of worms on the lumber tariff conversation and look at how lumber can pose a national security threat. Other topics include, decking product options, softer woods for cabinets and counter tops, and finally lesser grade lumber availability.
My guest today is Mark Dubac of Windwood LLC in Portland, OR. Mark has a reputation on social media for humorous posts about the sawmilling world. Often making fun of influencers he has become a bit of an influencer himself by pulling back the curtain and showing what actually goes into sawing logs as a business.
Red Maple is also sold as Soft Maple and it is one of the species of Maple commonly found in the Soft Maple group like Big Leaf, Silver, and Striped Maple. Box Elder is often lumped into this group and sold as well as Soft Maple. Also in this show: KDAT, Lumpy plywood, and untarped lumber.
In this episode I have the CEO of Thermalwood Canada, Bob Lennon on to talk about thermally modified wood. Thermalwood is a member of the Thermowood Association and follows their procedures for modificiation so you can expect consistent quality throughout their kiln runs. But beyond just the typical thermally modified hardwoods, Bob and his crew have been experimenting and creating new products to fill holes in other markets. In particular is their Obsidian product which may just replace Ebony entirely in guitar manufacturing.
Today I highlight Persimmon wood as a lumber source. The North American Ebony. Then dive into the variety of decking products on the market and their lifespans. Might start to wander into touchy topics when I get to the composite market...maybe. Also I talk about Lignosat and what the future of wood in space might mean.
Today I have Shaun Preston, the Director of Camp Small, Baltimore Urban wood recycling center and saw mill. Baltimore leads the nation in its treatment of their urban canopy as a resource and Camp Small's ability to be an intake yard for EVERY city tree that comes down. Then they repurpose the entire tree from fire wood to mulch, to furniture, lumber, and even zoo animal playgrounds. Shaun and his team have built an amazing set up and I was luck enough to get some of his time. This interview occured just a bit before the devastating fire that burned the entire log yard in early December of 2024 but nothing has changed with their mission and the work they will continue to do for the urban canopy of the City of Baltimore. Find out more at:https://www.treebaltimore.org/camp-smallor follow them on Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/campsmall.baltimorecity/I hope to get Shaun back in the coming months as they regain their footing after the fire and I wish them luck in restarting the great work they are doing.
Holly is a shockingly pure white in color with almost no visible grain. But it stains quickly if not felled, sawn and dried in the same day. Moreover kiln drying it can be tricky to keep it white. It also has a lot of significance and lore surrounding it that makes it a central part of the Christmas sacred traditions as well as waaaaay back in history as a symbol of life and protection.
This episode is the Venn diagram of me. I talk nerdy sciency stuff related to wood that can be moulded into high bike frames. What a perfect confluence! Chris Mroz of Pure Timber joins me to discuss cold bending hardwoods using compressed wood technology. This stuff will blow your mind and yearn for one of those flexy straws and a cold drink.
This time I feature White Oak but spend time talking more generally about the Oaks and the differences between the Red Oak group and the White Oak group.
This week I dive into curly figure in wood. Curl encompasses a lot of different types like blister, pommele, beeswing, fiddleback, etc. I look at what causes it and how to grade it.
In this special Halloween episode I will talk about magical woods. Woods with folklore and mystery that surround them. A listener who has a Harry Potter obsessed daughter asked me about the properties of wand woods and that is what has inspired this episode.
Today I have guest Dan Edelman from TimberHP a wood fiber insulation company out of Maine. This company has create 3 insulation products: fill, batten, and board using the wood waste from the nearly defunct paper mill industry in Maine. They repurpose a large percentage of the millions of tons of wood chip waste and create a fire rated, high R value, and acoustical value, fully non toxic insulation from what is a waste product.
Today I discuss the featured species, Narra. It is a beautiful SE Asian wood mostly known in its burl form where it is called Amboyna Burl. Narra is undoubtedly a tropical wood in the Padauk genus but unlike many tropical woods it is easier to work with due to a lower hardness and a luster that serves to lubricate tooling while working its. I also discuss some of the elements that may make locally sourced timbers more expensive than wood brought from across the country. And finally how you might start the process of having your own trees introduced into the urban lumber market.
Today I talk about burls. What are they to the best of our knowledge and how to work them. But I also spend a fair bit of time talking about genuine Mahogany and some statements made lately that 80% of Mahogany is illegally harvested. Buried the lede a bit on that one but its important to understand how to buy a wood if you are not sure about its sustainability.
This week I feature the Tamo Ash, Fraxinus mandshurica. It is a species of Ash primarily sought for the unique "peanut" figure. Like a lot of figured woods it is not totally understood how the figure is formed but proper use of the whole tree must be considered for the health of the species. Also talk about ray fleck in White Oak and drying wood. Is there an ideal environment for drying and preventing bugs in your woods?
What is a healthy forest? Today I have a guest, Nick Smith from Healthy Forests to talk about it. Nick is the executive director and he is the man behind building awareness and policy that can help us manage our forests and reduce the growing threat of wildfires that are decimating our forests today.
The featured species of the month is Sweet Chestnut or European Chestnut. Similar of course to the blighted American Chestnut, but the Sweet variety flourishes in the UK and Europe and is often lauded for exterior cladding and for all manner of bushcraft work. The Chestnut is also a prime species for Coppice Forestry and I have a discussion about that silvicultural practice too.
Wood dust is a major health risk. Mostly as a cumulative effect (AKA sensitizer) that can sneak up on us and ruin your health after decades of working with wood. It is imperative we protect our lungs from even the most benign wood dust. So imagine how dangerous more toxic woods can be when in dust form that you get on your skin, in your eyes, or lungs. In today's episode I discuss the various categories of wood toxicity and what you can do to ameliorate your risks when you are working with a toxic wood. But remember that just about every wood is toxic and everyone will react differently. Moreover what doesn't bother you now could very well cause health problems in the future with continued exposure.
This time I feature the Eastern Cottonwood and actually do some field reporting on it as I was recently out in the prairie states. I also go some time to work with a slab of Cottonwood to give some hands on experience with it.
Today I discuss Hemlock, our featured species. This is a wood with an identity crisis. Its long been a mainstay in construction lumber yet has more refined purposes as a high end clear, CVG siding and cladding product. Now it has an even brighter future as a thermally modified option for both interior and exterior uses.
Today I look at Monocots. The Bamboo and Palms that you may have seen showing up in flooring or plywood or even turning blanks. I also answer questions about branch wood, air dried wood, and the commercial vs local names of lumber.
This week I welcome Brandon Long, a structural engineer who plays as a woodworker at night. Brandon actually knows what he is talking about when it comes to structures and fatigue rates and all that stuff that I pretend to know about from watching "The Big Bang Theory".
A word of warning on this episode. New levels of nerdery on display here. If I had a white lab coat I would have worn it while recording. To sum up, woods with a higher T/R ratio will be harder to dry. But if you are like me and want to know why a higher T/R ratio is harder to dry, keep watching to dive into some organic chemistry and cellular structure.Also I feature Sapele this month. A much more mainstream species but one worth looking at closely due to how it has taken over the Mahogany market. A reminder that Walnut tier supporters on Patreon will be getting the fancy Sapele sticker with all of the details I discuss in this episode.Become a supporter at:https://www.patreon.com/lumberupdate
Lots of breaking news in the Lumber world and it was time I dust off my teleprompter and read everything that is on it. News from Notre Dame, the Paris Aquatic Center, Carbon Fiber and Mass Timber, Key Bridge Tragedy, and lots of great feedback from y'all. Plus I fit a few questions in about drying end grain cookies, lumber jobs, and Aniegre.
Today we talk about American Hornbeam, why some trees are brittle, fast growing trees for lumber, IBAMA strike and the CITES impact, and a possible source for urban lumber.
Let's talk about grassroots sustainability and how giving back as users of wood can start with education and grow into all kinds of programs for and individual or your local woodworking guild or even sawmill business.
Iroko or African Teak is the featured species this month. Found all across tropical Africa, the Iroko tree is enormous producing wide and long boards. It is growing in popularity as an alternative to Teak due to its similar color. But Iroko is a great species all on its own for exterior and interior projects.
Wood strength is a loaded statement. There are so many factors in HOW we use a board that determine which properties we look to for strength. This quickly gets complex so today I will boil it down to a density number and dispel the myth that rate of growth (width of rings) has anything to do with the density.
The featured species this month is Yellow Birch, Betula alleghensis. Its the most common Birch species and used for a wide variety of applications from plywood, to furniture and pulp products.
Let's take a deep dive into the Pinus genus and for that matter the Pinus sub-genera and try to understand how Pines can appear and work so differently. I discuss the evolution of the genus and how the industry has grown around these hugely varied properties and geographic distributions. Big thanks to all the great questions I got for this show from all of you.
African Wenge is an odd species and I use it to illustrate the exceptions to the rules about technical properties. Its a popular species due to its dark color and its use as an alternative to Ebony. Also covered in this episode: faux figure, burnishing, and property changes due to growing conditions.
Trying to catch up on my email inbox in this episode and talking about Pine, log buying, bugs eating old wood, plywood movement, and Yakisugi (shou sugi bahn).
The featured species this month is American Elm (Ulmus americana) but I discuss the different types of Elm as lumber and where they can be found. Plus some questions about cultivars, Spruce, and ripping for quartersawn stock.
I welcome Alex and Casey from the Completely Arbortrary podcast on this episode and talk trees and Jack Pines and have fun with a little Treevia! Check out arbortarypod.com and subscribe to their show to learn more than you ever wanted to know about trees.
The featured species this month is Cypress and I wax philosophical about why I like it so much and cover the technical details. Also in this episode: the White Oak shortage, Processing logs by hand, Amaranth?, and table top splitting due to movement.
Today I talk about why the board foot unit of measure needs to be put to rest and how ordering by grade and board foot will only lead to disappointment. In short, how to buy lumber to get what you actually want.
This is kind of a review of episode 5 but ideally a bit more applied look at what all those number mean when it comes to actually working with wood. In this episode I look at what I find are the most important numbers to consider and the tests that give us these numbers.
In this episode I feature Koa and talk a bit about Honey Locust, Cherry veneer colors, and then the historical price of Cherry vs Pine.
In this episode I welcome Matt Farrell from Burl and Grain in Hillsboro, OR. They are a sawmill and lumber yard like many of my previous guests. But Matt has extensive experience in drying lumber and has been a consultant to many firms to improve drying operations. So we talk quite a bit about preparing your space for drying and how important the air drying step is if you want to then kiln dry.
Questions covered in this show: why is Walnut so thirsty? Sticker Stain? Air dried vs Kiln dried for violin bow making. I cover the featured species: American Black Walnut, my favorite species to work. Finally I spend some time talking about a few stories about gene editing.
My guest this week is a retail lumber yard in Concord, GA called The Wood Yard. These guys are woodworkers themselves and totally get top notch customer service. I had a great conversation about their business and how they are embracing urban logging as well as good old fashioned community outreach. www.thewoodyard.com
The featured species of the month is European Beech. I discuss all the things and tell stories about this lumber. I talk spalting your own lumber and borax bug treatments. Then a dive into kiln drying lumber and explain the irony that to dry lumber you need moisture.
The Emerald Ash Borer or EAB is devastating the Ash forests all across North America. I have Dr. Jeremy Slone of Bartlett Tree Experts as a guest to talk about this pest and what is happening to the Ash trees.
This episode of the podcast discusses board foot rulers, lumber margins, and plantation management. Ultimately who gets to buy what lumber is based heavily on the demand and where you buy the material in the supply chain.
Today I talk to Kris Burns from Harvest Lumber Co in Austin, TX. Harvest Lumber is getting logs from the city of Austin. They maintain a retail showroom and have a log pickup and sawing service.
https://www.harvestlumberco.com/ or @harvestlumberco on Instagram
I also feature this month's species: Paulownia, Kiri, or the Royal Princess Tree (depending on how fancy you feel)
For my 100th episode it seemed fitting to discuss the long and muddy road of a board. From a tree in a forest somewhere in the world to a rough logging road to sawmill to truck to maybe even a ship at sea. The number of hands that touch the board you hold in your hand may startle you. The sheer volume of time and labor sunk into a single board by the time you buy it makes you wonder why anyone would choose to sell lumber! I guess you just gotta love wood.
This time I discuss the featured species of the month: Black Cherry and then dive into the deep topic of wood in the aviation industry. My guest Alex LaFavre is a pilot and works in the aviation industry and he shares all the fun bits about how wood has been used in airplanes through the nearly 125 years since the Wright Brothers took flight on a mostly Spruce airplane.Support the show at https://www.patreon.com/lumberupdate. At the Walnut tier you will receive a collectible sticker about the featured species of the month! Collect them all and start now as this month is our first one.
In this episode I welcome Josh Wertz from Good Woods Lumber LLC on the show to talk about his sawmill operation. We spend a good amount of time talking about his vacuum kilns and get into details on the perceived stability gained from a low heat drying process.
Today I'm talking about drying vertically, making a fender, and highlighting Oregon Myrtle as my species of the episode.
Let me apologize in advance for the title pun. In this episode I discuss my trip to Kitty Hawk and the Wright Bros memorial. Of course I find a way to make it about the lumber chosen to build an airplane. Then there is a lot more kiln drying talk and more talk of bugs like the EAB.
Today we talk about Cypress for window construction and other alternatives like modified wood or stave core construction. Then we talk about really old wood and how it holds up after 1000 years like the oldest door in the UK at Westminster Abbey. Then how about deep frying your wood to preserve it?
Today I share some feedback from listeners and discuss some Russian plywood, EAB, Exotic wood dust, drying for bugs, and the role of the log scaler.
In this episode we talk about a famous Oak tree setting a legal precedent, possibly the largest tree ever, killing bugs in the wood, jointers at the lumber yard, and finally, roasted Poplar. What is it and what is the deal with thermally modified wood.
I dive into my inbox and answer some questions on this episode. Including several questions about drying lumber, Wenge, and rift & quarter sawing.
Today Jacob Sedmak joins me to talk about the business of mobile sawing. Both from the homeowner and sawyer's perspectives. There are some great tips for working with a sawyer and how to be prepared for the sawing day in this episode. Check him out at https://www.sccwoodworks.com/
Have you ever considered the volume of lumber that Santa's Workshop must go through in a given year? What kinds of woods do they source and why. Moreover how would they source all that wood sustainably and yet still maintain secrecy? This is something only a lumber nerd thinks about really...and luck you, I have thought about it. A lot.
A general look at how CITES operates and the lumber results of the CoP19 with a focus on proposals 44, 48-51 relating to Pernambuco, Ipe, Cumaru, Padauk and Khaya.
Today I have two guest who are experts in the reclaimed woods market. Alan Solomon of SawKill Lumber in Brooklyn, NY and Klaas Armster of Armster Reclaimed Lumber Co. This was a treat to not only talk about the types of woods but how this market is completely different from the one I work in daily. Learn to build a lumber shopping list, visit www.lumberupdate.com/buying-lumber
Next week the CITES convention opens and I discuss the wood species that have been nominated for Appendix II and I status. I talk about why 2x lumber isn't actual 2x, and then dip into sourcing reclaimed lumber ahead of my dedicated show on the topic.
What tools do you keep in the car for those opportunistic roadside stops to grab a fallen tree or some choice turning blanks? How about choosing a wood species for making wooden hand planes? Both of these topics and several other detours discussed in this episode.
Today in our story time circle we talk with Garrett and his adventures with the great big Oak tree that fell outside a local historical home. How he tamed the beast and will be working with Oak lumber for many many years to come. Big thanks to Garrett Roberson of HMR Woodcraft for joining me on the show to show how urban lumber can be harnessed for even a guy without a saw mill.
In this episode I talk about sourcing historic woods, rubberwood, Ukrainian woods, and why Walnut and other species have so much sapwood. Plus we learn that younger trees may not sequester as much carbon as we thought.
This time I answer listener questions like: -What to look for when buying lumber from places like Craigslist or Facebook Marketplace. -Wood movement based on density -Expanding your sawmill to buying lumber -CITES passports on the stuff you make
UVA Sawmilling is the product of 2 architecture graduates who wanted to put the trees to use that had been felled on campus. Today they are a cross disciplinary "department" that is sawing logs and making the wood available for student projects and for the University to use in its own construction projects. Essentially turning the UVA campus into a forest concession and supplier of raw materials for its own development. Learn more at https://www.uvasawmilling.com/.
Soil chemistry plays a major role in the appearance and working characteristics of the lumber we use. In this episode I look at several examples where geology and weather and even mankind have altered a tree species. It is a fascinating subject and I tap into my long unused geology schooling...and probably mess most of it up.
I have guest David Barmon with me to discuss the urban logging movement. David successfully funded his book "Trees from the City" on Kickstarter and is in the throes of getting it finished up and on shelves. We discuss how urban lumber isn't all just slabs and the direction the urban logging industry is heading.
Are you considering starting your own lumber business? Or maybe you just wondered about how they work as a business model. This is a big topic but on this episode I take a shallow dive into some of the things to consider when you start selling your lumber to others.
I'm cleaning out some of my inbox this time and answering a question about the difference between green and air dried timbers. Talking about the checking inherent in larger timbers, and planting your own grove of trees. Plus I delve into the possible replacements for Western Red Cedar.
Let's talk about Poplar...or Tulip Poplar...or Eastern Cottonwood...or White Poplar or Yellow Poplar or Quaking Aspen or (gasp) Tulipwood. No they are not all the same tree. Or are they? Today I talk about the Populus genus and that upstart wannabe from the Magnolia family Liriodendron tulipfera.
Let's talk about wood identification and the process I go through. In this episode I give you a few resources to use but mostly a hierarchy of things to follow to get you very close to a positive ID of that unknown wood in your hand. Its all in the end grain.
BTW the featured image for this episode exhibits diffusely arranged, large pores that are both solitary but in radial pairs. Vasicentric or lozenge parenchyma and closely spaced, fine rays.
This week I have Tommaso Valeriano join me to talk about the ways in which he has acquired nearly 30,000 board feet of lumber without ever visiting a lumber yard. Mostly his success has come through auctions and he shares some of his tips for finding the auctions and getting boards without breaking the bank.
I talk with Caleb Darnell of CD's Trees. They are a tree removal service out of Hot Springs, AR that has gotten into sawing and drying lumber and even custom woodworking projects using the trees they fell for customers.
Russian Birch plywood prices are tripled at minimum. Moreover even paying the higher price isn't something the general market wants to do and support the Russian economy. So what are the alternatives? There aren't very many to be honest and this episode gets into why that is. Plus I answer a bunch of your questions on tree growth rate, why wood is anisotropic, and what to do with Buckeye.
On this episode I have Ben and Paul from Cambium Carbon join me to talk about urban logging and repurposing a waste stream into a new circular industry. Saving the planet, one urban log at a time with the company Cambium Carbon. A disrupter to the lumber industry possibly? Maybe a whole new way of thinking of things.
In my predictions for 2022 I stated that there would be more focus on domestic lumber. Today I dive deeper into that and look at how local timbers present opportunities and challenges to the commercial lumber market as well as the individual hobbyist woodworker.
On this episode Alex Adams joins me to talk about choosing wood for his upcoming workbench projects. He wants to incorporate as many locally sourced woods as he can in order to gain experience with many species that he could use in future furniture projects. We discuss the technical demands and the species in his neck of the woods and pair them together for a skill building FrankenBench!
So you've decided to saw your own boards from a log. In this episode I discuss how and where you might get a log when first starting out and then the care and feeding of that log before you begin to saw it.
Today I look at Chinese Mahogany (Toona sinensis) and use my philosophy of technical numbers to identify how this unusual species would work when compared to more commonly known woods. This is the same process I have spoken about in the past but I'm going from abstract to specific this time and hope it helps to show how anyone can learn more about any species in the world this way.
Silviculture is essentially the farming of trees. But it pays attention not just to the forest and the most sustainable way to harvest it but also the surrounding ecology. The system of cutting used can effect all the flora and fauna in an around the concession and the silviculturalist must be able to pivot and adapt their system in response to all of these factors.
I talk a lot about understanding the technical properties of wood in order to choose the right species for the project at hand. On this episode I want to share with you a case study of a great customer who had some very specific, albeit mysterious, demands for a project and how I was able to help him find the right wood for the job.
As we draw to the end of 2021 I'm going to make some predictions about where the lumber industry is heading in 2022. Plus I answer some questions about the SAB grade, Quartersawing practices, and those finger jointed 2x4s you may have seen on the shelves.
Happy Thanksgiving here in the US and today I will talk about one of the first lumber industry concessions in North America. Yes that's right the Plymouth Company funded those Pilgrims and you better believe they wanted some lumber back in return.
On episode 63 I dig into the mail bag and talk about Knotty Pine, Paulownia, Old lumber and old veneers, and of course address a few more tone wood questions.
Buying specialty wood products can be really tough unless you have the buying power to purchase a lot of volume. The fact is that woods with specific uses like tone woods, or quartersawn cuts have some kind of industry driver behind them. Those industries responsible are often buying directly from the landowners and sawmills so that the supply of the specialty product rarely ever makes it to the general public. This has brought about the rise of specialty distribution businesses who do all the heavy lifting and sell products more akin to furniture kits or guitar kits. I also talk about Koa and Monkeypod in this episode as they are two very special woods.
This is my most technical episode yet and it is my own personal Venn diagram of topics: music, physics, and wood! I dive deep into what makes a good tone wood for the specific type of instrument you want to build and what technical properties to consider. In the end there is a lot you just can't measure and therein lies the magic and artistry of making musical instruments from wood.
Softwoods. These woods get overlooked a lot because they are deemed not as durable or stable as hardwoods. In this episode is dive deep into the structure of softwoods. I start with a look at the botanical families and then look closely at the major players: Pines, Cedars, Cypress, Yew, Spruce, Fir, and some weirdos dating back to the dinosaurs. Plus I declare my softwood dark horse that everyone should try to work at least once. Come along and learn how more about softwoods. Maybe not so soft after all.
In this episode I talk about pressure treated lumber, define wood rot, discuss the Emerald Ash Borer, how to bleach wood, and finally delve into the term "full" and "scant" when it comes to lumber dimensions.
Today I'm taking about wood spalting and wood staining due to fungus, bugs, or the enzymes within the wood. All of the gooey goodness inside our woods can produce some cool results and in many cases they aren't fully understood by science.
Steaming lumber is done to change the color by blending more of the heartwood color into the sapwood. In this episode I talk about this process but do so by answering a whole bunch of semi related questions to build our understanding of the steaming process.
In this episode I discuss the seasonality of the lumber industry, mold on your drying boards, the varieties of Hickory, wood movement during the build, fishing lure woods, and woods we see every day but may not know about.
On this episode I'm revisiting lumber prices yet again as the craziness may be nearing an end. But I predict pricing will never return to pre COVID levels. It seems the Fed agrees with me too. Also on this show some Lacey Act changes, Pallet wood, equilibrium moisture content, White Oak, and matching veneer.
In this episode I follow up on some exterior wood questions, wood for a sauna, and finally discuss how we as woodworkers and an industry can stretch our boards farther. Proper planning goes a long way but in general the term "clear" has become more of a detriment causing a great deal of wasted material.
Today I talk about engineered woods vs modified woods. I discuss the different types of modification and the benefits and drawbacks of each as well as some brands to watch in the modified wood space.
Choosing the right species of wood for exterior projects doesn't have to be difficult when you understand the factors that make a good outdoor wood. In this episode we discuss the 5-6 factors that make a good exterior wood.
Also in this episode: lumber purchasing jobs, how trees grow, and log checking.
Mahogany is a name that gets attached to a lot of different wood species. Let's talk about Mahogany. What is it really and what about all those variants from Africa and Asia and South America that also call themselves Mahogany too.
In a recent episode of the WoodTalk podcast someone asked about making a bow. I decided to use that question to delve deeper into what makes a good species for a bow. My thought is further understanding of the application you need will lead you to examine the technical properties that make it possible. Eventually helping to discover all manner of species that will serve you well for your particular application.
Today I welcome Niles Krech of Maine Urban Timber Co on the show to talk about his business. From building a bandsaw mill to learning the ropes of a vacuum kiln, Niles has done a lot in the last year and it is exciting to hear about how his business is developing and what the future may hold. Check out Maine Urban Timber Co at their website: www.maineurbantimberco.com and follow their day to day adventures over on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/maineurbantimberco/
I asked for questions on wood movement and y'all delivered big time. I hope I got through them all and did my best to combine duplicate questions. I think the best way to understand anything is in context so digging into the details of specific situations should explain wood movement.
Wood moves, get over it. You can't stop it but you can slow it and you can restrict it. Most importantly you just need to build to compensate for wood movement. Don't be afraid of it, embrace it. This week I cover the basics of wood movement and will dive into specific examples in an upcoming episode with your questions.
This week I delve into the effect of COVID on the Hardwood sector and specifically how shipping and logistics delays are causing the biggest disruptions. Then I answer some of your questions about CITES, color fast finishes, and a few odd plywood things.
All woods go grey with exposure. They all move, they all check, and they all look different when freshly milled. It doesn't matter the species, it is something wood does. Let's understand why.
Today I talk about riving wood. Why do it, what species to consider and when to use a wedge and when to use a froe. Then I talk about the falling prices of Cherry, Buying CITES species, drying turned bowls, and why small sawmills seem to only sell slabs.
On today's show I discuss steamed vs unsteamed Walnut, quoting lumber, lumber thickness pricing, moisture meters, and burning down your shop. That is, don't do it. Burning shops are bad.
There are A LOT of different glues used in the manufacture of plywood. I'm not chemist and frankly knowing all the technical stuff won't help that much as a plywood buyers. So I talk about 3 main types and where you might find them and how glue is used in manufacturing. Then I answer a boatload of plywood questions submitted from the audience.
Part 3 of the Plywood series focuses on the core. What types of cores are out there and how do they differ from one another. How is the core manufactured and how can you use this knowledge to buy a sheet of plywood best for your particular project.
Let's talk about plywood face veneers and how they are sliced, dried, and assembled to make your plywood panel. There are a lot of elements for this most precious element of a panel that need to come together just right to make a quality panel.
Have you heard that there is a global pandemic going on? Yeah its hit the lumber biz. Or more importantly the impact is finally trickled down to the consumer level as we are seeing framing lumber prices up to 80% higher than normal. In this episode I discuss how the impact of COVID has effected the lumber industry.
Today I talk about how you should go about buying plywood. What you need to be prepared to ask your dealer and how to consider the variety of options available on the market that will meet your specific needs. Stay tuned for the additional parts in this series where we will go deep into the construction of plywood panels.
In this episode I continue our exploration of lumber technical properties with a look at Modulus of Rupture (Bending Strength) and Modulus of Elasticity (Stiffness).
Today I answer a bunch of questions from my inbox. Topics include case hardening, Emerald Ash Borer, Compressed Cedar Technology, Solar kilns, and Hophornbeam.
In episode 28 I introduced Hempwood and now I revisit it. This time I have the founder, inventor, and CEO of Hempwood, Greg Wilson join me to talk about the product, its origin and its future.
Today I talk about the thickness of lumber and understanding how it is sawn and planed to give you the net thickness you may be buying off the shelf vs buying true rough sawn lumber. This is am important factor to consider when you start buying your lumber from the typical big box store.
On this episode I have Josh Weber from Timber Woodcraft in Louisville, KY on to talk about urban logging and solar kilns. Josh runs his own solar kiln and uses salvaged lumber to make products for his customers. He also sells lumber!
This week I'm talking about a little touted technical property: shearing strength. This is another number to look at when trying to figure out how a wood will work. In this case it is a good indicator of how it will plane. Also BE NICE TO EACH OTHER!
I take a deeper dive into the Janka hardness test and what it can tell you about the wood you choose for your next project. It is a great first number to consider but I also explain why the number alone can be misleading.
In this episode I talk a fair bit about plywood and how it is put together and why it doesn't tear itself apart from wood movement. Also in this episode, bugs and plywood, 2x4 corners, and a look at a new product on the market: Hemp Wood.
On today's show I talk about changing the color of your wood through ammonia fuming and ebonizing with steel wool and vinegar. How the tannins do their job and how you can pump up the tannic acid with an additional coat to the wood.
3 questions this week all in the same vein: what's the deal with the prices and availability of? So I discuss Pine pricing, Cherry availability, and the Yellowheart market. That last one could be substituted with any number of other tertiary species.
This episode I define Genuine Mahogany, and talk about how to choose a species for weight and durability using technical specifications. Then I take a walk into a coppiced forest, and finally talk about questions to ask a new supplier to vet them for sustainability and legality. Great questions this week everyone!
In this episode I discuss the White Oak shortage, grading marks, Spanish Cedar, more drying lumber, and a call for solar kiln information and experience.
This episode I delve into the type of lumber drying kilns. Steam kilns, dehumification kilns, and vacuum and RF vacuum kilns all exist and have their pros and cons. But first I revisit why we kiln dry our lumber.
Email grab bag time! I cover a variety of questions from buying veneer to mold, fluorescent wood, and the structural qualities of sapwood. Plus we talk about terrorists banning wood and some additional FSC facts.
This time I look at FSC and other certification and verification schemas in the lumber world. Are they what we think they are and does buying FSC really mean you have green lumber? Unfortunately, no it doesn't.
In this episode I answer questions from the mail bag covering everything from how trees are raised like crops, when to sticker your lumber, methods for finding alternate species, lumber core plywood, and finally smoking the meats.
This week I catch up on some emails from listeners. We talk about purpose warped wood, the Green Wall, community based logging, shop made plywood, composite lumber, and (gasp) environmentalists and loggers working together...MASS HYSTERIA
In this part of my Buying Lumber series I talk about building a plan for your lumber yard trip. This involves reverse engineering your parts list back to the boards. A lot of variable are in play here that only you as the maker of your particular project can answer. Its about efficient lumber buying and having an actual plan A and plan B so that your trip to the yard goes smoothly.
Part 2 of our Buying Lumber series focuses on buying online. When to do it and what questions to consider when you do buy lumber online.
Part 1 of my Lumber Buying Guide: where to find a place to buy lumber in the first place. Maybe you are blessed with lots of quality lumber yards nearby or maybe you only have the big box stores. Regardless there will be some tips for how to find lumber and the best way to engage with those businesses.
When you buy a board off the rack at a lumber yard, exactly what has happened to that board to get there? This episode focuses on the entire journey from tree to board. Today we can buy many species of wood that come from across the globe and its important to understand just how much work occurs to get that single board into your hands.
A wee bit political and maybe controversial this week as I discuss reduction in business for sawmills after sweeping lumber tariffs cause a 40% reduction in export business. At the same time, with new commercial stick frame construction in multi-story buildings causes an uptick in CLT and LVL beam usage. Could be a nasty combination for the long term.
This episode is a buying guide to Marine Grade plywood. What to consider as it related to how you will be using the plywood, the grades, the species, and anything else to think about.
In this episode I touch on the differences between air dried and kiln dried lumber. Plus many more questions and updates from the wacky world of lumber.
This episode I scratch the surface of what the Lacey Act is and how it applied to the lumber trade.
Let's talk a bit about plywood and how tariffs and new environmental regulations are impacting it.
While I was in Michigan's Upper Peninsula I stopped by Bell Forest Products to have a little lumber industry insiders conversation with Boone and Eric of Bell Forest Products.
In this episode I talk about genetically modified Chestnut, Red Oak sizes, Whitewood, the difference between hardwood and softwood, and old studs vs new studs.
Let's learn about CITES, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. How does this apply to lumber and what does it mean to the consumer of wood products.
How do you lose 300 containers of Bubinga once they have been seized at the port? Moreover how did you allow that many trees to be felled in the first place?
Every lumber species has technical specifications associated with it that detail how hard it is and all the associated design values. Much of it is highly technical and used only by engineers so the numbers themselves aren't important. It is the differences in the numbers from specie to specie that can tell us how a wood actually works.
On this show I share some feedback on the Notre Dame episode and then talk about Ebony regulation and availability and whether or not there are cycles to tree blights.
Let's talk about the grading systems for hardwood lumber. Primarily we are talking about the NHLA system but I will mention some European systems.
The terrible fire at Notre Dame in Paris has a lot of people in the lumber industry asking questions about how to possibly replace the French Oak timbers used in the cathedral. This episode examines the French Oak and the trade of it as well as possible engineered solutions for the rebuilding of Notre Dame.
Let's talk about the more common terms that you may find around a lumber yard or sawmill.
The mission statement of the this podcast and a little thank you to those who pushed me to start this show. Let me know your questions for future shows by visiting www.lumberupdate.com/contact or by sending voice memos to lumberupdate@gmail.com