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 one quarter and one half of all the...
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 Select and Better (S/B), followed...
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 readily available. The light brown and...
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. How much are you buying? Most of...
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 Hardwood Lumber Association. To...
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 (it is the cheapest and most...
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 sheets of wood veneer that are...
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 popularity. Red alder is the most...
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 is lumber sold both net tally and...
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 hand may seem like a chore,...
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 eastern hardwood forests,...
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 sold together. The sapwood of...
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 down that water moving system is...
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 important to understand how the...
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” is a high-performance...
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 consumers. The process is not...
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 Modified Wood Physically Different?...
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 carving. Wood carving can be an...
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 flooring commonly available –...
Cherry has long been used for traditional heirloom furniture and other collectables. And these days, you can see cherry used in a wide variety of other applications as well. It is often used in architectural joinery, furniture, cabinets, flooring and musical...
Finishing wood allows you to showcase the uniqueness of the wood you are using for a project. As you know, finishing can make or break a project. Hardwood products are finished to enhance or alter the natural beauty of the wood, and to protect the wood from...
CAN I USE A STEAM MOP ON MY HARDWOOD FLOORS? Usually not. According to consumer reports tests on the various models of steam mops, steam mops may be safe for hardwood floors but should be approached with extreme caution. Despite many steam mop manufacturers indicating...
What is the best way to clean my hardwood floors you ask? The answer may sound perplexing… There is NO one best way to clean your hardwood floors. What’s best for your floor depends how old your floors are and what type of finish is on your hardwood floors. If you...
If you didn’t install or finish the hardwood floors in your home, you may have no idea what type of finish is on your hardwood flooring. You are not alone. The first step in understanding more about your hardwood floor finish is to understand the three...
Are you planning your first visit to buy lumber? Once you’ve decided to go beyond buying lumber at a home center, there’s some major differences to be aware of when buying lumber at a lumberyard or distributor. Lumberyards and distribution centers have come a...
