Episode 31 Interview with Timber Woodcraft (plus Solar kilns)

Salvaged Lumber dried by the sun

Josh Weber runs Timber Woodcraft with his wife, Krista in Louisville, KY.  Both of them have woodworking in their blood and what started as a side job while teaching has turned into a full time passion business that allows them to work with beautiful lumber and raise their kids.   They have the enviable position of being able to build beautiful, cutting boards and furniture from the logs they salvage.  They also sell lumber that they have sawn to the general public.

Josh and I had a great time basically nerding out over wood talking about felling trees, milling logs, and swapping latin botanical names.  But Josh also built his own solar kiln and shares how it works for him and some key insights about the nature of lumber dried via a solar kiln that makes it particularly attractive.  

Salvaged Lumber dried by the sun

Josh dries his lumber using solar kilns.  He discovered that some of the material he was getting prior was dried too quickly and causing real issues with his furniture projects.  So with some research into solar kilns on his own he was able to build it and now maintains it to dry all his salvaged lumber.  I had a few lightbulb moments about the operation of a solar kiln and Josh opened my eyes a bit on how the resulting lumber can be much friendlier than what you might find coming out of a steam or dehumidification kiln.

If you are in the Louisville area make sure to reach out to Josh at Timber Woodcraft and see if he has some lumber for your next project.  Or shop online and pick up one of his beautiful charcuterie boards and just enjoy some cheese and wine.