| "World of Wood Tour" -- A Unique California Wood-Supplier |
From "Wood Works"
episode WWK-407 |
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A Unique California Wood-Supplier In this segment, David Marks visits Evan Shively's wood-mill, a wood-supplier in northern California that specializes in large slabs of locally-grown wood and impressive burls that are not commercially available. This unique mill is ideal for finding unique burls, highly figured woods and sequence-matched boards. This mill is truly one-of-a-kind because of the manner in which the wood is cared for, cut and dried. Most of the wood found in this mill is salvaged hardwood -- not logged. - Evan Shively describes the mystery that's revealed when cutting into a fine piece of wood. In some cases, "reading" the outside surface of the log gives an indication to the trained eye as to the pattern that will appear once the wood is cut. Bumps and folds in the outer surface (figure A) are telegraphed into the inner wood fibers, resulting in the pattern that will be visible when the boards are milled.
- As a rule of thumb, lumber such as this is air-dried for about one year per inch of thickness in the boards being dried. This rule can vary depending on climate. Curing wood in humid climates takes longer.
- Once the wood comes off the mill, it's moved into special drying barns where it is stacked and stored for long periods of time (figure B).
- When wood comes off the mill, it's very supple. As it dries, it stiffens. To achieve flat boards, it's extremely important that the wood be properly stacked and spaced so that air can circulate around the wood and dry both sides of each board evenly (figure C).
- The wood is stacked on a flat foundation, and stored in tall stacks so that the weight of the wood helps keep the boards flattened as it cures. Spacers are arranged between boards to transfer the weight evenly, without causing cupping or twisting.
- Kiln-drying (figure D) is used primarily for smaller pieces of lumber, and for some lumber that has already been air-dried. Kiln-drying can be used to enhance the appearance of wood, but air-drying is still required to achieve the best color and consistency in the wood. According to Evan, with large pieces like the ones in this mill, there is no substitute for time and patience.
- The mill's showroom (figure E) is an effective display of magnificently impressive pieces of wood in various stages of transformation -- from raw, to rough-cut to finely milled. The select pieces of wood from this mill are carefully cut and handled with the woodworking artist in mind.
- The beauty and scale of natural wood is highlighted in one display featuring a huge cross-section from a stump of Monterey cypress (figure F). This piece will likely be used in its raw shape to make a single piece of furniture -- one that coveys grandeur of the once-living tree.
- Another display is stock cut from a magnificent black acacia -- a tree that would have ended up in a landfill if it had not been salvaged.
- Huge slabs of salvaged redwood (figure G) were carefully sawn from a fallen tree that was found moldering on a forest floor. These slabs represent 500 years of growth from the single fallen tree.
- Before selecting a piece of wood for purchase, David Marks uses a hand-plane to expose a small section of surface from a slab of eucalyptus burl, then mists the surface with water to expose the figure of the grain. The water gives an idea of what the wood will look like once it's finished -- with rich color and swirling grain-patterns (figure H).
Wood samples featured in this segment: Myrtle wood (bay laurel)
Monterey cypress
Eucalyptus burl
American elm
Claro walnut
Douglas fir
Black acacia
Salvaged redwood
In the segment that follows, David Marks visits a commercial wood supplier to show what you might expect to see when you go shopping for wood.
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RESOURCES :
Fine Woodworking
A magazine devoted to high-quality craftsmanship in woodworking.
The Taunton Press Inc.
Website: www.taunton.com
David Marks Website
David Marks, DIY's Wood Works host, is a master woodworker. For more information on cut sizes and project details, please contact him via his Website at www.djmarks.com
Woodworker's Guide to Wood: Softwoods, Hardwoods, Plywoods, Composite, Veneers
Model: 080836878
Author: Rick Peters
(2000)
Sterling Publishing Co. Inc.
Website: www.sterlingpub.com
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