Shannon's Lumber Industry Update

The Sassafras was the first North American export. Or rather its roots and bark were as the miracle cure that Europe clamored for. The lumber excitement came much later and was the default for fence posts for farmers until the pressure treated stuff put it out of business. Today Sassafras is making a comeback for exterior uses like decking and siding. It's oakey texture makes it familar buts its color variety and easy workability make it a nice change from difficult to work oaks.

Sticker stain is more about the drying technique than the material used for the stickers themselves. Certainly the stickers play a role but the key is getting the lumber below the saturation point quickly to stop oxidization and enzymatic reactions. The stain can ruin beautiful lumber and go so deep it can't be planed away. Additionally I dive into the Red Oak and White Oak market trends.

Limba is sold both as Black Limba and White Limba. It is the same species. Limba is actually more like White Limba and the Black streaks that make Black Limba are more of a form of spalting and staining. Its a species that you have probably seen already but didn't know it. From famous guitars by Gibson to modern interiors and furniture and now thermally modified siding in the form of Frake. The species is widely used and largely unknown.

So you want to use reclaimed wood. But where did it actually come from and what kind of nasty might it have been exposed to along the way? In this episode I talk about where reclaimed wood comes from and what potential hazards might show up and how to test for them. Basically a green light, yellow light, and red light ranking system to think about when considering reclaimed woods.

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.