Making Good with Salvaged Give new life to old boards, and reap the rewards.

By Tim Snyder

From beams to boards to beautiful . After harvesting large timbers from our industrial “forests,” reclaimed specialists transform old beams into stock that’s suitable for fine furniture–like the heart pine cabinet shown here.

oday, more and more nail holes, rust stains, and old Twoodworkers are interested in paint as prominent features. wood, select the material we using salvaged wood. Some are While the general public sees wantfind reliable to use, andsources hope for that salvaged our building furniture that combines salvaged wood as a design feature “reclaimed wood” with new that adds character and green time and trouble involved. The material, while others complete value, woodworkers have more informationfinished projects ahead justify will explain the extra entire projects using boards practical concerns–like how to how different woodworkers have rescued from the dumpster. Even deal with hidden nails, moisture met these challenges successfully. the high-end home furnishing content, lead paint, workability, catalogs tout this trend, showing and (last but not least) cost. salvaged wood on our website, off expensive wooden tables with That’s right: We actually have to woodcraftmagazine.comYou’ll also find more about.

32 woodcraftmagazine.com June/July 2015 Can old wood be “greener” than lumber from a freshly felled log?

You bet. Our growing For woodworkers, the environmental prudence continues to spur the wood go beyond green value. development of “green” products, Ifbenefits you love of wood,using salvagedthe universe including eco-friendly, low-VOC of salvaged lumber is worth (volatile organic compound) exploring because you’ll come across material that isn’t every day. Many of us place a high available at a typical sawmill valuefinishes on that “sustainably woodworkers sourced” use or lumber dealer. Quality wood that comes from well- varies greatly, but this is managed forests. But salvaged Which 2x6 do you want to wood is even more ecologically wormy , longleaf pine, use? New framing lumber isn’t responsible. “Embodied energy” andwhere cypress, you’ll findin dimensions species like that normally considered suitable factors (and carbon emissions) range from narrow moldings for making fine furniture. But associated with salvaged wood salvaged structural lumber are very low because you also worth noting that wood like the Douglas fir 2x6 don’t have to harvest the tree, salvagedto 20"-wide from floorboards. older buildings It’s shown here can yield high- transport it to the mill, process may have come from old-growth quality wood. Rescued from logs into lumber, and ship the timber, providing you with a demolished porch, the old product across the country. density, hardness, and tight board shows off the clear Just as importantly, reclaiming grain characteristics that are grain and dense growth ring lumber from the stream pattern of old-growth timber. new lumber (see photo, above). difficult or impossible to find in lightens the load on landfills. Profile: Appalachian • Stuarts Draft, Virginia • appalachianwoods.com Old wood of all kinds A family-owned business that began in 1976, Appalachian Woods is a major supplier of antique lumber in many forms. The company’s selection of salvaged beams, flooring, and barn comes from a large network of deconstruction contractors. Appalachian Woods sometimes sells old beams and other large-dimension lumber to timber-frame builders. But most often, they resaw this material into 4/4 lumber that can be milled into flooring or sold to furnituremakers. Kiln drying is another available service. When time allows, the shop crew makes farmhouse tables and benches from wormy chestnut and heart pine–two antique wood specialties. Because small orders can be difficult to fill, owner Raymond Hochstetler recommends that local woodworkers put together a group purchase. “We’d prefer not to cut reclaimed lumber to set lengths A farm table with a top made and widths,” he says. “We like customers to tell us what they want to from reclaimed pine has a build–like a table or cabinet, for example. Let us know what species you patina and figure that you want and give us an idea about wood condition, too. We’ll look through don’t get from new wood. our stock and make sure you’ve got good material to work with.”

2×6 photo: Larry Hamel-Lambert; Other photos this spread: Appalachian Woods June/July 2015 woodcraftmagazine.com 33 Sources for salvaged wood • Reclaimed lumber merchants. These specialized lumber Salvaged wood yards have the best supply of reclaimed lumber. Small-scale operati ons stock diff erent types of reclaimed wood from PROS & CONS local sources–like old fl oorboards and barn siding. Larger Finding the right reclaimed dealers (like Appalachian Woods, on page 33) are equipped lumber for a special project to resaw large ti mbers, kiln-dry lumber, and do custom will depend on dimension milling. They regularly produce limited runs of custom fl ooring requirements, wood species and furniture-grade lumber for woodworkers to use. • Local remodeling contractors. Tapping into a network appearance you’re aiming of local building contractors can give you access to for.preferences, Cost is important, and the finished too, jobsite waste that may contain valuable old wood. along with the amount of work • Building deconstructi on specialists. When old buildings get required to make your salvaged torn down, wrecking balls and bulldozers tend to turn old lumber usable. The salvaged wood into splinters. But these days, deconstructi on specialists lumber types below are listed oft en come in ahead of ti me to remove structural ti mbers, from least to most expensive. wood fl ooring, and architectural details. You’ll be lucky to As you might expect, less- fi nd a deconstructi on company that sells direct to the general expensive types often have more public. Most prefer to wholesale their salvage to reclaimed lumber merchants and architectural salvage stores. • Architectural salvage companies. These businesses stock Jobsitesignificant waste disadvantages. a wide range of reclaimed building materials, but don’t The dumpster or discard pile expect a well-organized selecti on of reclaimed wood. at a construction site can Locate nearby outlets by typing “architectural salvage” and contain a large amount of new your locati on into your Internet browser. Since you can’t offcuts ( and framing count on fi nding what you need, it’s smart to call fi rst. lumber), which will have limited • Habitat ReStore outlets. There are over 800 Restores in the U.S. and over 70 in Canada. At any given outlet, you’ll fi nd a . But old framing, variety of salvaged materials. Old wood is not as common as value for furniture and fine other items like plumbing fi xtures, doors, and cabinets. Go you with valuable material. to habitat.org/restores to locate your nearest ReStore. PROS:flooring, Free and (if trim you canknow provide the right contractors) and local. If the wood has been indoors, it probably won’t require kiln-drying.

Profi le: Salem Board & Beam • Northampton, Massachuse� s • salemboard.com Using barn beams to the woodworkers who came before me. build fi ne furniture Building furniture from this wood is my Before founding the Salem Board & way of honoring the traditi on as well as Beam Co. in 1997, Ken Salem worked the challenges of fi ne craft smanship.” as an investment advisor. His passion “If I saw an old barn,” Salem recalls, for creati ng furniture from reclaimed “I’d fi nd the owner and ask if I could take lumber was awakened when he took a it down in order to salvage some of the break from banking to help transform lumber.” Salem even bought a portable a 1705 farmhouse into a restaurant. “It bandsaw mill so that he could transform may sound strange,” Salem explains, “but beams into boards. Many of Salem’s when I put my hands on a ti mber that pieces are made from salvaged chestnut, was last touched by a craft sman over 200 a species that vanished from the American years ago, I feel a powerful connecti on to landscape as a result of the chestnut

34 woodcraftmagazine.com June/July 2015 CONS: Availability depends to transport. Resawing is on remodeling activity in your usually necessary. Kiln-drying area and your relationship with may be necessary. Some local contractors. Quantity reclaimed lumber dealers and quality can vary greatly. Disassembly and denailing required. Lead paint may be declineDoors, to cabinetry fill small orders. present on older material. and millwork Architectural salvage Pallet wood outlets have an ample These plentiful platforms have supply of these elements. inspired many DIY projects. PROS: Items like old doors PROS: Low or no cost. No and antique wainscot paneling Expect imperfecti ons. This can yield straight, clear, high- selecti on of salvaged remove. Locally available. quality lumber. Doors, , boards shows why extra Nearlylead paint unlimited or other supply. finish Exoticto and paneling may be reusable stock preparati on ti me is wood from imported pallets with little or no alteration. necessary when working is sometimes available. with reclaimed lumber. Nail CONS: Disassembly and these architectural artifacts. holes, old paint, cracks, and denailing required. Boards are CONS:You just High size wasteyour project factor andto fit warping are common defects. short, narrow, and usually no added labor if you plan to cut 3 more than 4" thick. Splits, nail usable lumber from doors or holes, and oil⁄ stains are common. millwork. Lead paint is possible. information on this special Limited dimension choices category of salvaged wood. Structural ti mbers can limit design options. PROS: Beautiful, premium- Most large-dimension stock quality lumber is available. comes from old barns, industrial Sunken logs Custom-milling is sometimes buildings, and other structures. A small number of companies possible, if you need special specialize in milling lumber dimensions. Wood is kiln- (aka heart pine) are the two most dried and ready to work. commonDouglas fir species and longleaf in this category.pine logs rescued from lake and CONS: Limited availability. PROS: Best source for riverand flooring bottoms. from The “sinker” Goodwin High delivered cost. large-dimension stock. Company (heartpine.com) has CONS: excellent historical and product

Expensive and difficult Profi le: Salem Board & Beam • Northampton, Massachuse� s • salemboard.com blight of the early 1900s. you design a piece of furniture to If you’re planning a project highlight the old material,” Salem with reclaimed lumber, Salem advises. For example, you could use recommends starti ng with salvaged wood for drawer fronts an ample supply. “You don’t in a case made of new wood, or as want to be halfway through a door panels surrounded by sti les project and realize that you’re and rails cut from new material. running out of suitable stock,” he says. But there are also ways to make the most of a small Ken Salem’s armoire (at right) is made enti rely amount of salvaged material. from salvaged chestnut. His tall chest (opposite) “Anti que lumber can be used in combines chestnut with spalted maple. combinati on with newer wood if

Profi le photos: Ken Salem; Top photo: Appalachian Woods June/July 2015 woodcraftmagazine.com 35 How to work with salvaged Combine protection with dust collection. When wood sanding old paint, wear a toxic dust respirator and If you want to incorporate connect your sander to a salvaged wood into a HEPA-rated vacuum. Cover woodworking project, it’s the floor with a plastic important to know what to drop cloth to contain expect and how to deal with and dispose of dust and issues that don’t come up with paint flakes. Make sure to new lumber. The guidelines wash your work clothes below will help you work safely, after a sanding session. and get the best results when putting old wood to new uses.

Start with more than you need Add at least another 15% to your stock requirement estimate Red = lead. Always test old when working with salvaged paint for lead content, using lumber. Increase the overage a test kit that’s available at factor if your reclaimed lumber home centers and paint stores. has lead paint, oil stains, mold, Chemicals in the test swab will excessive cracking, or other turn red if lead is present. A undesirable characteristics. darker shade means greater contamination. If your material Check for rot & insects has multiple coats of paint, Old wood can attract insects scrape top layers away in order like powder beetles, as to test more thoroughly. well as mold that can develop into wood rot. Remove surface mold by scrubbing with a mild or shop vac equipped with simply resaw your lumber to rot, it’s best to cut away the remove a thin layer of painted punkybleach woodsolution. or simply If you finddiscard wood wood. Seal the material in the board. As for insects, these a HEPA (high-efficiency a thick plastic bag, and contact pests can be killed by kiln- particulateRemove lead arrestance) paint filter. safely your local health department drying or by fumigating the Any paint applied before 1977 for safe disposal instructions. wood with appropriate pesticide. is likely to contain lead, which Lead paint can be scraped and Some pest control companies can cause serious medical sanded off, provided that you will perform this service. work safely as described earlier, are ingested. If you plan to use and use a plastic drop cloth to Work safe salvagedproblems lumber if paint that flakes has or paint dust capture (and dispose of) any Use a toxic-dust respirator when on it, test for lead content before sanding and cutting dirty or you work the wood. This is easy painted salvaged wood. When to do with a test kit available dust or flakes that fall onto removing paint or dirt, make at home centers, hardware theTest floor for of metal your work area. sure to use a dust-capturing stores, and paint stores. If your sander in combination with a reclaimed lumber tests positive step in identifying nails and other tool-triggered dust collector for lead paint, one option is to metalA visual that inspection shouldn’t is be the put first in the

36 woodcraftmagazine.com June/July 2015 Profi le: Landrum Tables • Charleston, South Carolina • landrumtables.com

Modern tables, made from anti que wood A nati ve of Charleston, South Carolina, Capers Cauthen grew up surrounded by historic buildings and schooled in the value of art and architecture by his father, a noted preservati onist. In the aft ermath of Hurricane Hugo in 1989, Cauthen worked as a carpenter restoring damaged buildings. Disturbed by the huge volume of anti que lumber that was being sent to landfi lls, he decided to do something about it. Cauthen built his fi rst two tables using salvaged lumber Stock and custom designs are from a collapsed garage on available from Landrum Tables. The his grandmother’s property. inset photo shows part of a dining Six years later, tables remain a tabletop made from pecky cypress. specialty, although other custom The irregular channels are created by woodworking projects are also fungus that att acks the wood fi bers. undertaken from ti me to ti me. “Our aim is to please our clients while accentuati ng the inherent whenever an old building is slated for demoliti on. beauty and history of every piece of wood “Preserving an historic structure is always the top we use,” says employee Jim Pagel. priority,” he explains. “But when that can’t happen, Cauthen’s connecti on to historic preservati on at least we can salvage some of the best wood groups in his region oft en gives him early noti ce and give it new life in the furniture we build.” path of cutting tools. It’s smarter shop or storage shed. A moisture lumber. Some woodworkers still to double-check your wood meter will tell you when salvaged choose to exclude features with a metal detector. Be ready wood is at the same equilibrium like nail holes, rust stains, and to excavate around embedded moisture content (EMC) as paint patches, while others fasteners that don’t respond to the new wood in your shop. incorporate this historic a hammer claw. A couple of cat’s evidence into their designs. paws are useful tools for this Sand before you plane Either way, you’ll need to decide work, along with end-cutting Even if there’s no metal in the how these details are handled. pliers to grab headless nails. wood, grit and dirt will quickly For example, don’t locate a nail dull planer and jointer knives. hole where it might weaken or Pay a� enti on to Rough-sanding and scraping will interfere with a structural joint. moisture content remove this grime and expose Many larger reclaimed lumber a clean wood surface that you Record historic details dealers offer stock that has Does your salvaged wood been kiln-dried and ready for have a story? If so, write it furniture construction. But in Locatecan confidently blemishes machine. down. Some woodworkers most other cases, you’ll need with care a moisture meter to evaluate The orientation of grain patterns furniture or other projects salvaged material. Any wood is an important consideration madecreate from a “certificate” salvaged lumber.for that measures above 20% MC when designing furniture that This historical record is a nice will be prone to warping and way to pass on details that cracking as it dries out in your So are the markings on salvaged make a project special. I will be stained or clear-finished. Photos facing page: Larry Hamel-Lambert; Photos above: Landrum Tables June/July 2015 woodcraftmagazine.com 37 SUBSCRIBE! 2 YEARS for $29.99!

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