A Little About Reclaimed Wood

 

Most of the materials used at FHTAM are reclaimed. Whether they spent their previous life building character as a barn, or a 150 year old Victorian home somewhere, or a desk that just isn’t needed or a side table that just has no side to table anymore - they want to live again. That’s where we begin our fun process. I'm excited that I'm bringing life back to the better than perfect “scraps” that might otherwise be tossed aside. Bringing their raw beauty, strength and character to the fore front of each and every creation.

 

A little about old growth lumber:

 

Wondering what makes old growth lumber so strong, beautiful and worth all the extra work? Here's a little info to feed your curiosity.Reclaimed  materials are one of the best investments you can make. The color, character and patina are unique, and the wood has already cured through a century’s worth of seasonal expansion and contraction cycles, so it’s more stable than new wood.

 

New wood is not comparable in quality to old growth wood. Old growth lumber represents woods that were harvested from first or old growth forests. These trees grew for hundreds of years, and were standing when the first European settlers arrived. These trees often grew extremely slow, in dense forest conditions. The figure of the wood is characterized by dense growth rings (10-30 growth rings per inch), and richer hues. Second growth woods were planted after these old growth woods were felled. These trees generally grew faster, and were cut down in a shorter period of time. As a result, the wood has a broader grain (4-10 growth rings per inch), and a somewhat paler color. All these woods have growth rings that are denser and tighter than today’s lumber, making the wood of a higher quality. Only time and the elements have allowed for the unique and irreplaceable look of antique reclaimed timber.

 

WHY DRY YOUR WOOD

 

Always dry reclaimed barn lumber (or any lumber for that matter). The process of drying involves stacking lumber on 1"x1" sticks in bundles, in an airtight room. Once the lumber is in the "kiln", heat is added slowly until the ambient temperature reaches around 140 °F (60 °C). While the lumber is being heated, it is releasing moisture. Where does that moisture go if the room is airtight? In order to dry reclaimed wood properly to be used for your furniture, you have to have a commercial dehumidifier to draw the moisture from the wood and essentially dry it. Most species of reclaimed wood have an equilibrium moisture content of around 6-8%. It is crucial to get the wood to this moisture, because if it is higher than this, the wood still has moisture inside, that will cause the wood to shrink once in climate control.