Wood you like to watch? Shannon’s Lumber Industry Update · 147 – ParotaParota Lumber is slabtasticThis time I featured Parota or Guanacaste. The Costa Rican national tree and known for being avialable in wide slabs of red, ribbony goodness. I also discuss how to know if the wood you are buying will be good for […]

Let’s Go Shannon’s Lumber Industry Update · 146 – They Don’t Grow ‘Em Like They Use ToHow Lumber is Sawn: old Stud DebateBack in episode 8 I talked about the argument over how studs aren’t the same as they were back in the days of yore.  It seems every few months someone posts an image […]

Click to play Shannon’s Lumber Industry Update · 145 – London PlaneSycamore and London PlaneThis episode’s featured species is London Plane or Plantanus hybridia. Nearly identical to American Sycamore it is a fun blonde wood option with a striking quartersawn lace pattern. Soft and light it is easy to work but can be difficult to […]

Mark Dubac: The Sarcastic SawyerMy guest today is Mark Dubac of Windwood LLC in Portland, OR. Mark has a reputation on social media for humorous posts about the sawmilling world. Often making fun of influencers he has become a bit of an influencer himself by pulling back the curtain and showing what actually goes into […]

AKA Soft MapleSoft Maple is one of my favorite woods to work.  It has the white wood look with not the hardness of granite like Hard Maple.  In my neck of the woods, I work mostly with Red Maple which is one of several species that rolls up under the soft maple group.   Striped Maple, Silver […]

What is Thermally Modified Wood?In this episode I have the CEO of Thermalwood Canada, Bob Lennon on to talk about thermally modified wood. Thermalwood Canada is a member of the Thermowood Association and follows their procedures for modification so you can expect consistent quality throughout their kiln runs.  In short thermally modified wood has been […]

North American EbonyToday I highlight Persimmon wood.  Not the Persimmon fruit.  Though it is important to note that the fruit comes from the Chinese Persimmon and the Common Persimmon produce tiny fruits that aren’t particularly edible.  Not a prime lumber producer but unique in its hardness and dense nature.   This episode also delves into some great […]

Repurposing Baltimore’s City TreesI’ve been sitting on this episode for a few months where I interview Shaun Preston the director of Camp Small. Camp Small is Baltimore’s wood recycling center and urban sawmill. I was just about the release the episode when fire hit the yard and burned all their logs to ash. But their […]

Pure White if Dried QuicklyHolly lumber is a shockingly pure white in color with almost no visible grain. But it stains quickly if not felled, sawn and dried in the same day. Moreover kiln drying it can be tricky to keep it white. It also has a lot of significance and lore surrounding it that […]

Wood in Flexy Straw FormThis week I have Chris Mroz, the president of PureTimber LLC as my guest to talk about compressed hardwoods and how they can be used for cold bending hardwoods into crazy shapes.  Literally tying wood into knots is something that Chris does for hours on end at trade shows to demonstrate […]

White Oak vs Red OakI almost skipped over featuring White Oak because it is such a common species and I thought no one would be interested.  But when a species is so ubiquitous as to be found in every industry and every corner of the planet, it seems imperative that I spend some time  featuring […]

Curly Figure in WoodsThis week I dive into curly figure in wood. Curl encompasses a lot of different types like quilt, pommele, beeswing, fiddleback, etc. I look at what causes it and how to grade it. Spoiler alert, the causes of figure are still not understood totally.  Some work to identify the genes that cause figure […]

Wood FolkloreMagical woods. Woods that have mystery and mystique about them. Trees steeped in folklore and the magical wood products made from them.  In this special Halloween episode I will talk about magical woods. Woods with folklore and mystery that surround them. A listener who has a Harry Potter obsessed daughter asked me about the […]

Wood Fiber Insulation repurposes a wood waste streamToday I have guest Dan Edelman from TimberHP a wood fiber insulation company out of Maine. This company has create 3 insulation products: fill, batten, and board using the wood waste from the nearly defunct paper mill industry in Maine. They repurpose a large percentage of the millions […]

Narra WoodToday I discuss the featured species, Narra. It is a beautiful SE Asian wood mostly known in its burl form where it is called Amboyna Burl. Narra is undoubtedly a tropical wood in the Padauk genus but unlike many tropical woods it is easier to work with due to a lower hardness and a […]

Click to play Burls are Chaos GrainWhy a burl forms is not totally understood.  But from what we can tell it is a tree’s response to an infection.  Perhaps it started as a scar or maybe something literally in the water.  The tree compartmentalizes it and it continues to grow while not threatening the overall […]

Tamo Ash is Harvested Specifically for its Peanut FigureThis week I feature the Tamo Ash, Fraxinus mandshurica. It is a species of Ash primarily sought for the unique “peanut” figure. Like a lot of figured woods it is not totally understood how the figure is formed but proper use of the whole tree must be […]

with Nick Smith of Healthy forests healthy communitiesIn this episode I am joined by Nick Smith, the Executive Director of Healthy Forests Healthy Communities, a non profit dedicated to better management of our forests to prevent wildfires, increase carbon sequestration and enjoyment of our forest natural resources. We talk at length about what a healthy […]

Sweet Chestnut is a great Coppice TreeThe featured species of the month is Sweet Chestnut or European Chestnut. Similar of course to the blighted American Chestnut, but the Sweet variety flourishes in the UK and Europe and is often lauded for exterior cladding and for all manner of bushcraft work. The Chestnut is also a […]

Do not taunt wood, do not touch wood, do not cut woodWood dust is a major health risk.  Mostly as a cumulative effect (AKA sensitizer) that can sneak up on us and ruin your health after decades of working with wood.  It is imperative we protect our lungs from even the most benign wood dust. […]