Shannon's Lumber Industry Update

77 - Poplar is so Popular

June 08, 2022 11:27 - 44 minutes - 60.4 MB

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.

76 - Wood Identificaton

May 26, 2022 16:37 - 45 minutes - 62 MB

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.

LU 75 Finding Lumber at Auction with Tommaso Valeriano

May 12, 2022 11:39 - 1 hour - 106 MB

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.

74 - CD's Trees

April 27, 2022 11:14 - 1 hour - 88 MB

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.

73 - Alternatives to Russian Birch Plywood?

April 13, 2022 11:13 - 39 minutes - 54.7 MB

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.

72 - Cambium Carbon

March 30, 2022 11:15 - 1 hour - 88.5 MB

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.

71 - Trending to Local Timbers

March 17, 2022 11:17 - 1 hour - 87.7 MB

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.

70 - Choosing Wood for a Workbench

March 03, 2022 16:37 - 1 hour - 95.5 MB

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!

69 Got a Log? Now What?

February 17, 2022 23:40 - 43 minutes - 60.2 MB

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.

68 - Interpreting Working Properties of Wood

February 03, 2022 20:46 - 43 minutes - 59.8 MB

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.

67 - Silvicultural Systems

January 17, 2022 12:00 - 49 minutes - 68.4 MB

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.

LU66 - A Special Customer Case Study

December 22, 2021 20:30 - 20 minutes - 28 MB

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.

65 - 2022 Lumber Industry Predictions

December 07, 2021 12:24 - 44 minutes - 61.3 MB

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.

64 - The Pilgrims were Lumbermen

November 25, 2021 18:22 - 27 minutes - 37.3 MB

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.

63 - Knotty Pine, Paulownia, and Old Veneers

November 08, 2021 12:23 - 37 minutes - 51.1 MB

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.

62 - Buying Specialty Woods

October 21, 2021 11:45 - 1 hour - 86.9 MB

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...

61 - Tone Woods

October 06, 2021 11:47 - 1 hour - 93.7 MB

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.

60 - Softwoods 101

September 21, 2021 12:57 - 53 minutes - 73.5 MB

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 ...

59 - Pressure Treated Wood, Rot, and Dimensional Terms

September 09, 2021 12:07 - 54 minutes - 74.2 MB

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.

58 - Wood Spalting and Staining

August 27, 2021 14:00 - 53 minutes - 73.3 MB

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.

57 - Steaming Lumber for Color

August 10, 2021 13:24 - 47 minutes - 65.6 MB

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.

56 - Lumber Seasons and Hickory Varieties

July 28, 2021 12:32 - 48 minutes - 66.6 MB

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.

55 - Lumber Prices...Yet Again

July 14, 2021 12:45 - 33 minutes - 45.7 MB

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.

54 - How Can We Stretch Our Lumber Farther

July 07, 2021 11:32 - 47 minutes - 65.7 MB

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.

53 - Modified Wood & Engineered Wood

June 07, 2021 12:27 - 38 minutes - 52.7 MB

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.

52 - Exterior Woods

May 18, 2021 12:09 - 54 minutes - 74.9 MB

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.

51 - Teak Embargo: Bright Future for Iroko

May 05, 2021 11:00 - 56 minutes - 77.3 MB

On April 21st, 2021 OFAC (US Office of Foreign Assets Control) placed an embargo on the MTE (Myanmar Timber Enterprise) effectively making Teak illegal going forward. This may be the push needed by industry to start accepting alternatives species like Iroko that many in the lumber business have been pushing for years.

50 - The Mahoganies

April 20, 2021 22:24 - 51 minutes - 70 MB

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.

50 - Mahogany and Its Imitators

April 20, 2021 22:24 - 51 minutes - 70 MB

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.

49 - Bow Wood

March 29, 2021 14:13 - 46 minutes - 63.9 MB

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.

48 - Maine Urban Timber Co | iDry Vacuum Kiln

March 03, 2021 15:28 - 1 hour - 94.7 MB

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/

47 - Wood Movement Q&A

February 19, 2021 13:59 - 1 hour - 117 MB

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.

46 - Wood Movement 101

February 02, 2021 15:30 - 48 minutes - 66.4 MB

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.

45 - COVID Stresses Lumber Logistics

January 18, 2021 13:21 - 44 minutes - 60.6 MB

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.

44 - Things all woods do

January 06, 2021 13:58 - 36 minutes - 50.2 MB

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.

43 - Riving Wood

December 21, 2020 13:27 - 44 minutes - 61.4 MB

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.

Episode 42 Steamed vs Unsteamed Walnut

December 01, 2020 14:04 - 38 minutes - 53.2 MB

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.

Episode 41 Plywood Glue and Q&A

November 11, 2020 14:20 - 50 minutes - 69.7 MB

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.

Episode 40 Plywood Cores

October 26, 2020 12:52 - 37 minutes - 51.7 MB

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.

Episode 38 Plywood Veneers

September 28, 2020 13:09 - 35 minutes - 48 MB

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.

37 COVID Price Increases

September 21, 2020 13:20 - 20 minutes - 27.5 MB

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.

36 - Plywood 101: Part 1 Buying Plywood

September 14, 2020 12:41 - 31 minutes - 42.7 MB

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.

Episode 35 MOR/MOE

September 08, 2020 12:35 - 32 minutes - 44.6 MB

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).

Episode 34 Case Hardening

August 17, 2020 16:38 - 38 minutes - 52.2 MB

Today I answer a bunch of questions from my inbox. Topics include case hardening, Emerald Ash Borer, Compressed Cedar Technology, Solar kilns, and Hophornbeam.

Episode 33 Interview with Greg Wilson: Hempwood CEO

July 28, 2020 13:04 - 1 hour - 96.4 MB

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.

Episode 32 Lumber Thickness

July 13, 2020 11:00 - 43 minutes - 59.6 MB

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.

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update

Episodes