Episodes

  • 124 Wood Structure from a Rocket Scientist

    124 Wood Structure from a Rocket Scientist
    May 2 2024
    This week I welcome Brandon Long, a structural engineer who plays as a woodworker at night. Brandon actually knows what he is talking about when it comes to structures and fatigue rates and all that stuff that I pretend to know about from watching "The Big Bang Theory".
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    1 hr and 20 mins
  • 123 - Wood Cell Structure & Sapele

    123 - Wood Cell Structure & Sapele
    Apr 17 2024
    A word of warning on this episode. New levels of nerdery on display here. If I had a white lab coat I would have worn it while recording. To sum up, woods with a higher T/R ratio will be harder to dry. But if you are like me and want to know why a higher T/R ratio is harder to dry, keep watching to dive into some organic chemistry and cellular structure. Also I feature Sapele this month. A much more mainstream species but one worth looking at closely due to how it has taken over the Mahogany market. A reminder that Walnut tier supporters on Patreon will be getting the fancy Sapele sticker with all of the details I discuss in this episode. Become a supporter at: https://www.patreon.com/lumberupdate
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    1 hr and 19 mins
  • 122 The News Show

    122 The News Show
    Apr 3 2024
    Lots of breaking news in the Lumber world and it was time I dust off my teleprompter and read everything that is on it. News from Notre Dame, the Paris Aquatic Center, Carbon Fiber and Mass Timber, Key Bridge Tragedy, and lots of great feedback from y'all. Plus I fit a few questions in about drying end grain cookies, lumber jobs, and Aniegre.
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    40 mins
  • 121 - American Hornbeam

    121 - American Hornbeam
    Mar 20 2024
    Today we talk about American Hornbeam, why some trees are brittle, fast growing trees for lumber, IBAMA strike and the CITES impact, and a possible source for urban lumber.
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    39 mins
  • 120 - Wood Legacy

    120 - Wood Legacy
    Mar 6 2024
    Let's talk about grassroots sustainability and how giving back as users of wood can start with education and grow into all kinds of programs for and individual or your local woodworking guild or even sawmill business.
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    57 mins
  • 119 Iroko

    119 Iroko
    Feb 21 2024
    Iroko or African Teak is the featured species this month. Found all across tropical Africa, the Iroko tree is enormous producing wide and long boards. It is growing in popularity as an alternative to Teak due to its similar color. But Iroko is a great species all on its own for exterior and interior projects.
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    44 mins
  • 118 - Wood Strength??

    118 - Wood Strength??
    Feb 7 2024
    Wood strength is a loaded statement. There are so many factors in HOW we use a board that determine which properties we look to for strength. This quickly gets complex so today I will boil it down to a density number and dispel the myth that rate of growth (width of rings) has anything to do with the density.
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    56 mins
  • 117 - Yellow Birch

    117 - Yellow Birch
    Jan 24 2024
    The featured species this month is Yellow Birch, Betula alleghensis. Its the most common Birch species and used for a wide variety of applications from plywood, to furniture and pulp products.
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    47 mins