Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 67 – Silvicultural Systems Tree Farming is SilvicultureSilviculture 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 […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · LU66 – A Special Customer Case Study Choose the Right Wood to get on the nice listI 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 […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 65 – 2022 Lumber Industry Predictions Lumber Industry PredictionsAs we draw to the end of 2021 I’m going to make some lumber predictions about where the industry is heading in 2022.  There are quite a few political things going on that will restrict the flow of exotic species into a […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 64 – The Pilgrims were Lumbermen North American Lumber HistoryHappy Thanksgiving to all my American listeners.  As with most holiday lore, things get distorted and romanticized over the centuries.  The fact that the Puritans and Wampanoag were breaking bread over a war treaty against another tribe gets glossed over a […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 63 – Knotty Pine, Paulownia, and Old Veneers Old Wood can be Knotty tooTime to dig back into the mail bag and catch up on some of your questions.  In this episode I discuss Knotty Pine, Paulownia, decades old lumber, and old and dried out veneer.  Oh yeah and some […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 62 – Buying Specialty Woods Soundboards, Quartersawn, Boxed Heart, Oh My!This episode is born out of a lot of comments I had from the Tone Woods episode last time.  Difficulty sourcing specialty woods is frustrating but it is important to understand the supply chain and market demands for these products […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 61 – Tone Woods Density and Stiffness make a good soundboardA good tone wood is pretty hard to define.  First it depends on the type of instrument you are making: stringed, percussion, or woodwind.  Second there is so much subjective nature to the quality of sound that just can’t be […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 60 – Softwoods 101 Softwoods and YouSoftwoods. These woods get overlooked a lot because they are deemed not as durable or stable as hardwoods. The softwoods types are actually pretty limited when compared to the thousands of hardwoods.  With the softwoods we are really only looking at 100 or fewer […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 59 – Pressure Treated Wood, Rot, and Dimensional Terms Pressure Treated Lumber VarietiesIn this episode I talk about pressure treated lumber.  Specifically what differences you can expect between Southern Yellow Pine and Douglas Fir.  Somewhat related to treated lumber, I define wood rot and draw the distinction between bug eaten […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 58 – Wood Spalting and Staining Wood Spalting vs StainingSpalting is rotting wood caused by fungus but is much more defined than staining from fungus.  Usually spalting follows the grain lines, rotting the softer early wood and tracing along the harder late wood making those dark “ink” lines commonly associated […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 57 – Steaming Lumber for Color Wood Movement, Extractives, and Drying VentilationThis episode I talk about lumber steaming but answer a few questions along the way to help us understand what is happening during the steaming.  Industry NewsLignia couldn’t find new investors and is bought by Accoya who kills the competitive […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 56 – Lumber Seasons and Hickory Varieties Hickory Varieties…Or is it Pecan?In this episode I discuss the seasonality of the lumber industry, mold on your drying boards, Hickory varieties, wood movement during the build, fishing lure woods, and woods we see every day but may not know about.Industry NewsCanada’s version […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 55 – Lumber Prices…Yet Again Lumber Prices Dropping but still highOn 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. There are so many […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 54 – How Can We Stretch Our Lumber Farther “Clear” Lumber Creates WasteIn this episode I follow up on some exterior wood questions for a dock and wax poetic about Ipe and Cumaru. Then I get into a heated discussion about wood for a sauna and finally wrap up with […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 53 – Modified Wood & Engineered Wood Engineered Woods vs Modified WoodsEngineered woods are a destructive and additive process where you have to start with saw dust or some form thereof and then assemble it into your finished product like MDF, particle board, OSV, or even plywood.  Modified woods start […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 52 – Exterior Woods What Makes the Best Exterior Woods?Choosing the right exterior woods for your 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 woods.Tyloses Content  (White Oak […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 50 – The Mahoganies One Name, Many SpeciesWhen you say Mahogany you think luxury and fine furniture.  Maybe you think Ron Burgundy…or is that just me?  Regardless the species is synonymous with high quality and fine craftsmanship.  So is it any wonder that the name gets attached to hundred of […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 49 – Bow Wood Bois d’Arc is an MOR/MOE StudyIn 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.  This bow wood discussion is a good example of […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 48 – Maine Urban Timber Co | iDry Vacuum Kiln Vacuum Kilns Aren’t Plug and PlayToday 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 […]

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update · 47 – Wood Movement Q&A You had questions on wood movementI asked for questions on wood movement and y’all delivered big time. Hopefully I got through them all and did my best to combine duplicate questions. The best way to understand anything is in context so digging into the details […]