History of the American Chestnut American chestnuts, giants that could grow up to 125 feet tall and 16 feet wide, once dominated the forests of Appalachia. These “redwoods of the East,” as they were sometimes called, made up between…
In recent months, the required implementation of Electronic Logging Devices (ELDs) in fleet trucks has been on the minds of both suppliers and customers across many industries. The change to ELD as a standard has certainly introduced…
Guest post by Tony Morgan, senior technician for Wagner Meters. Though it started out in 1892 selling lumber and seed in a mill in Unadilla, New York, Unalam, an innovative manufacturer of laminated wood structures, has certainly…
What is 2 Common Lumber? The National Hardwood Lumber Association (NHLA) sets the standards for hardwood lumber grades, which indicate the amount of clear, defect-free wood in a board. The best grade you’ll find in most lumberyards is…
Ash is a great species of lumber to work with. Ash is known for its staining potential and ability to mimic oak. It has great shock resistance, and solid workability. To this point, it has been an economical wood that was always…
An update on the anti-dumping case before the Commerce Department. Many people are wondering about the latest decision by the Commerce Department and what it means for hardwood plywood. We’ll do our best to clear up some of the…
Wednesday, October 25, 2017 3pm-5pm HDA Board Meeting in Music Row 3 (invitation only) Thursday, October 26, 2017 11:00am-1:00pm…
The price of hardwood lumber can vary based on many factors. The answer to a question that seems straight-forward (e.g., “how much is a board of ipe?”) actually depends on a number of variables, some of which we’ll go over here….
Why Do We Have Hardwood Lumber Grades and What Do They Mean? For someone just beginning to purchase hardwood lumber, lumber grades can be overwhelming. Most lumber companies use the generally accepted grading rules set by the National…
When you’re constructing a deck or building Adirondack chairs for your backyard, you want to make sure you choose a wood that can stand up to the elements. While many people go straight to treated yellow pine for outdoor projects…
Hardwood plywood is a great choice for furniture, cabinets, and many other projects due to its strength, stability, and convenience. What is Plywood? Plywood is an engineered wood product consisting of three to seven layers of thin…
What is Alder? Only 20 years ago, no one had heard of this hardwood lumber from the Pacific Northwest called alder. These days, alder is a popular choice for many hardwood applications, with demand for alder lumber reflecting this new…
One of the most confounding measurements to understand if you haven’t been around the sawmill and lumber business for a long time is gross tally and net tally. What exactly is the difference between gross tally and net tally? And why…
Guest Blog by Ron Smith We’ve all heard the adage: work smarter, not harder. It makes good sense, so here are eight woodworking tips to make your shop work easier and more efficient: 1 – Sanding made easier Sanding woodwork by…
Walnut – A Timeless Hardwood Choice Walnut, a popular, widely available hardwood, has a straight grain and varies in color from a yellow sapwood to a rich, deep brown heartwood. Black Walnut, the most common variety, is grown in the…
The hickories are an important group within the eastern hardwood forests. Botanically, they are split into two groups; the true hickories, and the pecan hickories (fruit bearing). The wood is virtually the same for both and is usually…
Wood and Moisture: It’s All Biology The hardwood lumber that you buy at the lumberyard began as a living tree. As a living tree, the trunk of the tree provided a way to transport water from the roots to the leaves. When the tree is cut…
Quarter sawn hardwoods are beautiful and distinctive. The unique look of quarter sawn hardwoods lend itself to an array of design styles, from traditional to modern. But, when designing with solid quarter sawn hardwoods, it is…
Since the Essen Motor Show in December 2015, the wooden supercar known as “The Splinter” has been making news and creating quite the buzz. This special supercar debut was unlike any other… this supercar is made of wood. “The Splinter”…
Atlanta Hardwood Corporation hosted a yard tour of their facility during the annual meeting of the Hardwood Distributor’s Association in October. With 700,000 board-feet of kiln capacity, Atlanta Hardwood processes…
The Hardwood Distributor’s Association is holding their annual meeting during the NHLA Convention. We have a number of events for HDA Members only. The HDA Board of Directors will gather on Wednesday, October 9th. Followed by our…
Thermally modified hardwood may represent an up-and-coming contender to compete with treated wood and composite products. Thermally treated wood boasts advantages over both. The question remains whether this product will be adopted by…
Wood treated with thermal modification has been through a natural, non-toxic process that basically cooks the wood, changing the make-up of the wood. Wood is heated in 400+ degree heat in an oxygen-free environment. How is Thermally…
What is the best wood for carving? Wood comes in many species and it is important to know each woods’ individual characteristics. Each wood has different texture and wood qualities that dictate how the wood will respond to wood…
Oak flooring is the most popular hardwood floor species in use for hardwood flooring. And with good reason – oak is readily available, affordable, durable and beautiful. What many don’t realize is there are two different species of oak…