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On the Cusp of Summer |
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Hello from Southern Colorado. YEAH! It is spring time: irrigation water is flowing, and Mother Nature is having babies; chicks, foals, cubs, calves, nymphs, naiads, and caterpillars. What a sight! It snowed last night on the peaks.
We are headed into a new phase here at CSWoods: tackling the impossible, on-going, lumber drying problems that living in a dry climate present; getting wood dry in the middle of the board, drying thick stock, drying without causing tension in the wood, maintaining natural colors, and getting material dry in weeks, not months or years. Our new kilns on order will greatly help us all with these problems. As always, thank you for keeping us in mind when you need wood. Every single sale is important to us.
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Respectfully, Kent |
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New Wood Drying Kilns |
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| CSWoods will soon be running a brand new vacuum kiln. This state-of-the-art AirVac kiln, made by Vacutherm, will allow us to dry material to order in a very short time frame - from green to dry in a week and a half for most species, and much less on material already in stock. This programmable machine will have a low defect rate, and be able to actually flatten lumber. Its computer controlled system is able to recondition the skin on material so that it releases moisture at a controlled rate, keeping the tension in the lumber low. This 2500 board foot kiln (5' wide by 18' long) is due to arrive in 3 to 4 months. In the interim, we will have a new/used 500 board foot Vacutherm Plate Dryer. This smaller kiln is a great machine, and we are excited to start moving projects and inventory through it. If you are interested in more information about these kilns, or have some lumber in need of drying, we are happy to answer questions and possibly schedule dry times. Please call for pricing. |
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Woodworking in Ancient Egypt |
| Wood furniture making and design have changed little from antiquity. About 4500 years ago, during the period in which the great Pyramids were constructed, the woodworkers of Egypt were already highly accomplished. Many ancient Egyptian drawings depict the practice of woodworking, and give us good representations of methods and the types of items being made. Complex tools, jointing, and glue were used regularly, and many of these are in use in shops today. They used mostly imported woods with cedar being the most common. Although much of what they made has decayed, it is known that the sheer volume of production actually lead to the deforestation of the Nile Valley. The family of woodworkers spans civilizations, dynasties and millennia, and although we now incorporate our commitment to sustainable material, we have changed little. |
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A depiction of Ancient Egyption Woodworking
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ODD LOTS and CLOSEOUTS
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3/4 Douglas Fir #5880
3" to 6" wide and 5.5' to 11' long - 706 BF available SALE PRICE $2.00 per bf (used to be $5.00)
VG. Mostly clear. Some sapwood. Surfaced.
Some split ends. |
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Claro Walnut - 2/4 and 5/4
2" to 13.5 " wide and 5.6' to 9' long - 172 BF available SALE PRICE $2.00 per bf
S2S, good cuttings around cracks (#7066 and #4909) |
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Walnut - From Nut to Table |
Walnut includes 21 species and can be found across continents from Europe to Japan, from Canada down to California and south again to Argentina. It is a deciduous species ranging in height from 30 to130 feet. It is dense and has a tight grain with colors from whites in the sapwood to a dark chocolate in the heartwood. Walnut is difficult to dry properly, but once dry, it is remarkably stable.
The most cultivated walnut tree, J. regia, commonly called English walnut (but also sometimes called French) because English merchants marine once controlled its world commerce, produces the best variety of nut. Making up the largest orchard in the world (located in Iran), this tree had been integral in the development of walnut lumber because of both its popular nut and its adaptability. It was imported to California more than a century ago, and has changed both the native forest landscape and the timber industry.
There are three native North American walnut trees used for lumber: the central and eastern American black walnut, J. nigra, the Nothern Californian black walnut, J. hindsii, (also known as Claro - named Hinds Walnut by the British botanist Richard B. Hinds in the middle 1800’s), and butternut (J. cinerea). English Walnut was introduced to California through orchards and city planners. Because the Claro/Hinds walnut was better adapted to the soil and climate conditions of the area, and it had a naturally vigorous, disease-resistant, and drought tolerant rootstock, it became widely used as a rootstock for English walnut orchards. The resulting grafted tree is often referred to as California English Walnut or “Paradox”, named by Luther Burbank who conducted some of the first grafting/breeding experiments within the Walnut species in 1879 to 1885. The section below the original graft remains Claro while the section above is the lighter-colored English walnut. Some woodworkers have taken advantage of this by using the change in color of the wood as part of their work.
CSWoods currently has Claro and American Black walnut stock. Our Claro walnut comes from native Hinds walnut planted by city developers around 100 years ago. These trees have become old, and are ready to be removed to make way for new planting. The American Black walnut stock is from Pennsylvania and Minnesota. Each region has a distinctive looking version of J. nigra due to environmental adaptation. We also are carrying English/French walnut gunstocks. Check out our species searches on the website to see availability and photos of the above mentioned. |
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Walnut lumber is available in a wide variety of colors and grain patterns. |
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Gray Pine |
| Gray Pine, also known as Foothill Pine and Ghost Pine, is a native Californian tree. It can mostly be found growing at elevations between sea level and 4000 feet in rocky soil under dry conditions. Normal heights are 40 to 50 feet, but many can reach 115 feet in height. All pieces are consecutive cuts with natural edges with some light end checking. Ideal for single plank dining tables and counter tops. |
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11/4 Grey Pine- #6203
30" X 13' - 90.5 Board Feet
$1,266.57 ($14.00 per bft)
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12/4 Grey Pine- #6207
45" X 14.33' - 161 Board Feet
$2,255.53 ($14.00 per bft)
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12/4 Grey Pine- #6209
45.5" X 14.66' - 170.5 Board Feet
$2,387.52 ($14.00 per bft)
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12/4 Grey Pine- #6228
36.5" X 16.58' - 151 Board Feet
$2,115.88 ($14.00 per bft) |
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12/4 Grey Pine- #6229
42" X 16.58' - 174 Board Feet
$2,436.95 ($14.00 per bft) |
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12/4 Grey Pine- #6230
45" X 16.58' - 186 Board Feet
$2,604.38 ($14.00 per bft) |
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12/4 Grey Pine- #6231
45.75" X 16.56' - 189 Board Feet
$2,647.96 ($14.00 per bft) |
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13/4 Grey Pine- #6232
48" X 16.54' - 215 Board Feet
$3,010.13 ($14.00 per bft) |
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