Mountain Man Mondays; A Wood Primer
- July 07, 2009
- Category: Daily Diary
- (8) Comments
Do you know your hardwoods? I sure didn’t. I thought it might be interesting to have a wood tutorial today so if you’re in the market for new cabinets or flooring, you’ll know just a little bit more about what you’re seeing.
I caught up with Mountain Man as he finished sawing various hardwood boards and was putting them on sticks to dry.
Even though the boards were random width, he cut them at 1 and 1/8th” which is a standard thickness for flooring and cabinetry. Then, he prepared to stack them on sticks to put them away to dry to remove the moisture. He is using drying sheds but he could also use a drying kiln.
Here he is preparing to assemble the drying pile.
The first wood is “Spalted Maple. This log had actually sat around for a year and was deteriorating and it is the deterioration that causes the “spalting.” You can see the lines of spalting in the picture below.
A closer look at the spalting.
Within the same tree, there can be variations in the color of the logs. This color variation is due to the growth of the tree and its age. The rings you see in a cross section of a tree are called “annular growth rings.” The oldest wood is the darkest and is also known as “heart wood.” The wood nearer the outside and the newest annular growth ring is “sap wood” and will be lighter in color. The boards below are all maple illustrating the differing shades from heart wood to sap wood. The board on the far left shows the spalting.
Here’s an example of an uncut red pine log showing the dark heart wood at the center and the sap wood at the outside. Although present, the annular growth rings didn’t photograph.
The maple I showed you with the spalting will make beautiful, interesting cabinets or flooring but it is not considered prime maple. Prime maple would be clear and almost white.
Here is an example of ash. These boards are select quality with no defects at all.
Next is beech. Beech is not heavily used as a typical cabinet or flooring wood. Here in the Northeast Kingdom, beech is usually diseased with “Beech Bark Disease” and it’s difficult to get high quality wood. It’s most often used as firewood or hardwood pulp. But Mountain Man was fortunate to saw some beautiful logs which he plans to use for flooring.
Here’s an example of beech sitting next to ash. Notice how different the beech is from the pale almost colorless ash.
Another photo of beech.
On to cherry. Cherry, along with walnut, is one of the most expensive hardwoods. Quality cherry wood is hard to find in the Northeast Kingdom. Yes, we have lots of cherry trees but because of our harsh, long winters, the trees don’t produce the same quality boards as other parts of the country. Cherry boards here are also smaller than the other boards I’ve showed you.
On the left are the cherry boards sitting next to the significantly larger maple boards.
A knot in the cherry wood. This knot shows where a limb used to be and is considered a defect.
That’s it for now but next week, Mountain Man has promised I can follow him into the woods to learn more about his philosophy of land conservation and logging and the duty we owe to the land and the generations to come.
And, if you ever have any questions, Mountain Man would be happy to answer them.
That was a very interesting tutorial! My Dad would have loved your Mountain Man, they could have talked about so much. He was a cabinetmaker and did beautiful work, always loved working with woood. Much of his handiwork is displayed in some of the homes in Lakeland. My Dad was born in Bethel, Maine. I have a corner display cabinet with a curved front that he made. I miss him!
Date: July 07, 2009
Wow, thats really neat!! Thanks for the info!!
Date: July 07, 2009
That was a great article! Thank you for taking the time and explaining this to us. Before reading this, my knowledge of wood ended at particle board:)
Date: July 07, 2009
Time for confessions…I grew up hating wood furniture, wood cabinets…actually all wood products were a turn off…
I had to have white furniture, white floors and white walls…awful isn't it? Maybe it was the time, the style I saw around me or perhaps a little of my mother's influence. Eventually, I came to my senses and realized the beauty of natural wood furniture, floors and cabinets.
My husband and I now dream of wood–a log cabin with wood floors, a wood deck, and wood furniture. The years have truly changed me…thank God! NO MORE WHITE!!!!
I may need to check back with you and Mountain Man once we begin building…yes we are also a hands on family…even the dog participates in the clearing and building.
Thanks for the great info.
Date: July 07, 2009
I got yeller wood and red wood. It's ready to be installed on my floor. It's in the guh-raj.
Here's my question: You seem to know a lot about wood, Mountain Man. So, exactly how is it you get a feller, like say a husband, just for instance, to get that wood outta the guh-raj and onto the floor? No matter WHAT color or kind the wood is? If you can solve this problem you are TRULY a jeen-yus. Your Friend, Robynn
Date: July 08, 2009
Lots of interesting stuff! I certainly learned something today.
Date: July 08, 2009
Hi All, thanks for stopping by.
Becky, what a wonderful comment to read about your Dad. He sounds so amazing.
JW.BW, Tim, thank you.
Fearless, I love white as well and some of those dark woods can overwhelm a space but there are so many colors of woods just as in nature and I'm glad you're going to experiment with them.
Jennifer, thank you!
And, Robynn, I asked MM your question and I have your answer.
Love to all Mountain Woman.
Date: July 08, 2009
Very interesting post. Do you have any oak?
Date: July 09, 2009