How to Identify the Best Lumber for Your Woodworking

One of the major reasons for people to not make their own furniture or woodwork is the lack of knowledge to choose the right lumber. While identifying which lumber to use is an extremely confusing process, knowing a few basic tips can get you through the process a lot more easily. So, here are a few pointers that will help you decide which lumber to use for your next woodworking project.

Hardwood or Softwood?

Whether you need hardwood lumber or softwood depends entirely on the type of woodwork you are building. Some projects can also require a mix of both, for instance, a violin has a soft Spruce to work as a soundboard and the back of it is made with hardwood like Maple. Similarly, the bottom of a workbench is made using less expensive softwood and the top is made with durable Hardwood.

By using common logic we can figure which parts of furniture are needed to be durable and which parts to be cheap. Use durable wood for the places of furniture where it is more likely to take a beating and use easy softwood for the places that do not take much tension.

Janka Wood Hardness Test

Lumber industries often use Janka Hardness Test to determine woods for hardness. On the basis of this test, they rate common woods for hardness. This technique involves a steel ball pressed hard into the wood, then the pressure required to gauge the ball halfway inside the wood is calculated and the hardness of that particular wood species is determined based on the pressure calculated.

Obviously, for a common man to carry a steel ball to gauge into the wood can sometimes prove to be difficult, hence it is much simpler to ask the factory men itself and depending upon their results, you can choose which wood is perfect for your woodwork or consider the chart below.

Janka rating for some US wood

Different Types of Wood Milling Cuts

If you are creating a fine piece of furniture or woodwork, it is recommended to use the most stable wood you can find. However, to know which plank of wood is most stable, you first need to understand the different types in which the wood is cut. Mainly, there are four different types of wood milling cuts, namely Flat Sawn, Rift Sawn, Quarter Sawn and Riven Sawn.

Among these four types, the most stable type is Riven Sawn. The most stable planks are obtained by cutting or are “riven” directly from the log. These are considered as the most beautiful wood boards with the best quality flecks pattern and design. So why don’t lumber factories sell these “Riven Sawn” boards more often? That’s because they don’t have it as they use powerful sawing machines to get the most wood out of a single log.

The best way to get hands on these Riven Sawn boards is by cutting them yourself. Riven boards require more of muscle power and hand tools like chain saw, wedges and hatchets. However, if you cannot do it all by yourself, you can buy the “Quarter spawn” as they too are similar to Riven Sawn and have beautiful flecks pattern.

Milling wood lumber cut chart

You can always look for advise of a professional woodworker. We. at Kaltimber, are always happy to share our knowledge to carpenter enthusiast and be part of your project.

Oak and Maple: The Mutt and Jeff of Hardwood Flooring

In the United States and all over the globe, the most famous trees grown are the oak tree and the maple tree. While we are on the subject, these two trees are regarded as the world’s Mutt and Jeff in the hardwood flooring industry. These woods possess classic character and appearance, aesthetically fit for any type of home designs and structure, extremely durable, and suitable for an array of interior design tastes. Being grown domestically, they are also considered cost efficient and affordable.

Oak belongs to the Quercus family while Maple to the Acer family. Both woods are sold in hard and soft qualities depending on the needs. But Hardwood Oak and Maple for floorings are the bomb in the wood industry!

The crucial distinctions between the appearances of these classy hardwoods are the large markings and pores of the oak tree. You will immediately know that it is oak when you see it because of the large natural rings that run through the wood. On the other hand, the pores of the maple trees are so negligible to invisible. This gives the maple tree a smooth effect and texture. And in terms of appearance, it makes it more applicable to super gloss finishes.

Further, oak and maple trees both reacts effectively with antiquing system like hand-scraping, dyes, and can be paired both in engineered and solid products. Colors and pigments and different stain naturally settle into these woods and highlighting the beauty as well as their natural rings and grooves which is totally not distracting. Furthermore, Oak and Maple do have same characteristics. Being both durable and lightweight, these woods are mainly used not only in floors but also in cabinetry, balusters, bowling lanes, baseball bats, and other custom woodwork items. Oakwood is highly resistant to fungal and insect infestations.  The Oak tree blooms in spring season while Maple blooms in late winter or early summer.

However, Oakwood is best recommended for properties that calls for a need to have it water-resistant or even decay resistant wood. Oakwood supplies a lot of options when talking about grain patterns. It will surely offer a classy look when paired with steels on a conventional-barn steel-wood design. Maple wood is lighter, cost efficient, and blends well with contemporary designs for indoor projects. Maple and oak can even last for more than a hundred years when maintained and treated properly. And the more they aged, the higher the value it will shell out to your property.

More often than not, these two species are great elements of a home especially when it is utilized and positioned properly. Either of the two when used will add value to your property. The only thing that you have to consider is to know your style and what will suit you. But hey, you can never go wrong with the Mutt and Jeff of Hardwood floors!

https://www.cherokeewood.com/maple-vs-oak-wood/

http://www.differencebetween.net/science/nature/difference-between-oak-and-maple/

How to Identify Lumber Defects

It is every persons wish to use the best lumber they could find for their woodworking project, however it is not easy to identify which lumber has defects and which not. Sometimes, there are minor factors that we ignore and later that same minor causes a major damage. Therefore, to help you guys ease some pain; here are a few common lumber defects that you can identify during your next woodworking project.

Wood Knots

Everyone must have seen a wood knot on a lumber; these are the most common defects you can find in lumber. Although, they don’t particularly cause any major damage, they do prove difficult for woodworkers using hand tools. Also, wood knots fall out in time; mixing epoxy with sawdust is the easiest way to solidify the knot. However, it is still considered better to avoid them altogether.

Sapwood with Insect Holes

Sapwood is the inside part of the tree that is responsible for transportation of water and minerals in trees. Hence, this part of the tree is very nutritious and a perfect place for insects and worms to live their lives. Therefore, make sure that your wood is free of any insect holes and worms.

Common Movement Defects

CF our articles from February 27, 2017

These defects generally occur due to lack of proper storage and piling techniques. When wood lumber is not stacked, sealed and dried properly, it tends to bend in all directions and is hence called Movement defects. There are mainly four types of movement defects namely Cup, Twist, Bow, and Crook.

Cupping and Twisting occurs when the wet boards aren’t properly stacked. In cupping, the board turns into a cup like shape, while twisting is where the board ends are twisted in different ways. It takes a lot of time to plane out the boards which are cupped or twisted and so it is not really recommended to buy them. Make sure you examine the boards you are buying properly to avoid any boards that fall in this category.

On the other hand Bowing and Crook are similar to each other. In bowing the boards change their figure to a bow like shape and in crook the same thing happens, but the arc is made the other way. Sometimes bowing can be much difficult to fix than cupping and twisting while fixing crook is a lot easier.

Wood Checking

Checking is a situation where the lumber dries too quickly or unevenly. In this case, the dried boards generate cracks that travel along the board and are hence, best to avoid. If you are cutting your own wood, then checking can be prevented by using a good quality wood end grain sealer.

Knowing the common defects found in wood lumber can help you pick the right boards for your woodworking. All the defects mentioned above are commonly occurring wood defects and anyone with a little practice can identify them. We provide the best kind of wood you can find with minimum possible defects and nicely chopped even boards.

All the above issues are common sight in the reclaim wood industry. Luckily our Ulin ironwood suffer no borer and only little movements. We have adapted our procedures and techniques to work with the material and give it the second life it deserve for you to enjoy forever.

You should contact us to get more details.

Ten Tips and Tricks to Immortalize Your Hardwood Flooring

High quality hardwood flooring materials when treated properly can be immortalized. The most efficient treatment methods comprise preventive maintenance tailored to secure your hardwood flooring from moisture and scratches that destroys your hardwood flooring.

The National Wood Flooring Association began almost twenty (20) years ago for hardwood flooring specialists’ portal of ideas, enhance their knowledge and hone their skills. At this point in time, with almost four thousand (4000) members all over the globe, it is an extraordinary source for training, technical know-how and more importantly, industry information. Listed below are several tips and tricks to maintain your hardwood flooring with the help of hardwood flooring specialists:

·         Do not over wax your hardwood floors. Instead of over waxing it; just buff a dull hardwood floor.

·         Use rugs to avoid scratches on your hardwood floors. Position them in high-traffic areas to aid in preventing dirt, small debris that causes scratches, and grit.

·         Stay away from using tile floor care products and sheet vinyl on hardwood flooring. There is a tendency that products like acrylic waxes may lead to a dull and slippery hard wood.

·         Stay away from using wet-mop. There is a great chance that improper amount of water can make the floor finish dull and has a tendency to damage the wood.

·         Spills can cause discoloration specially when there is high chemical content. So you have to wipe up any spills immediately.

·         Glides can aid you in preventing scratches on your hardwood floor. These are beneficial in avoiding scratches and scuffs. Put glides under the legs of all your furniture especially if it is prone to produce scratches.

·         Do not walk across your hardwood floors in sport shoes, cleats, or even high heels. This type of impact produces friction that can leave a dent on the surface of your hardwood floors.

·         When moving furniture and re-designing your interiors, you have to be extra careful by not sliding it. Instead, pick your furniture up to prevent from touching it when moving.

·         IN order to secure your wood kitchen floor from possible moisture, put an area rug in front of the kitchen sink. This will prevent water and moisture from spreading all over the kitchen. Rugs can easily absorb moisture. Replace them from time to time, depending on the use.

·         Humidifier can be a best way to battle wood shrinkage and movement which is very prone during dry seasons and in countries with arid climates; these places are prone from wood warping and discoloration, depending on the climate and temperature. No matter how good your adhesives are, there is still a possibility or wood warping, so humidifiers can counter that trauma.

Truly indeed, hardwood flooring does not only make you home the center of attention. Hardwood floors can play a very important role in the value of your property. If maintained and secure properly, hardwood floors become classier over time. And at the end of the day, you will surely realize significant increase in the value of your property.

Hardwood flooring with finishing

Source:NWFA,"PreventiveMaintenance", www.woodfloors.org/consumer/maintReg.aspx

Reinventing Materials: See through the Wood

A French architect managed the Tour de force to make translucent wood. A feat obtained by removing the lignin from the fiber and injecting into its micro cavities a bio-monomers. This hybrid material is also three times more rigid than its natural equivalent and, icing on the cake,  at the same time can't rot. Currently in pre-industrial research phase, this treatment proposed by the company Woodoo opens up new perspectives to the use of wood in construction as in decoration. Especially since it can be applied to essences considered as "non-noble".

Looking forward to see through Ulin ironwood in 2018!

Translucent wood

Rate of deforestation in Indonesia overtakes Brazil

Indonesia lost 840,000 hectares of forest in 2012 compared to 460,000 hectares in Brazil, despite its forest being a quarter the size of the Amazon rain forest.

Palm oil land clearing in central Kalimantan

Deforestation in Indonesia involves the long-term loss of forests and foliage across much of the country; it has had massive environmental and social impacts. Indonesia is home to some of the most biologically diverse forests in the world and ranks third in number of species behind Brazil and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As late as 1900, Indonesia was still a densely forested country: forests represented 84 percent of the total land area. Deforestation intensified in the 1970s and has accelerated further since then. The estimated forest cover of 170 million hectares around 1900 decreased to less than 100 million hectares by the end of the 20th century. In 2008, it was estimated that tropical rainforests in Indonesia would be logged out in a decade. Of the total logging in Indonesia, up to 80% is reported to be performed illegally.

Large areas of forest in Indonesia have been cleared by large multinational pulp companies, (you can get some pulp companies names on Wikipedia) and replaced by plantations. Forests are often burned by farmers and plantation owners. Another major source of deforestation is the logging industry, driven by demand from China and Japan. Agricultural development and transmigration programs moved large populations into rainforest areas, further increasing deforestation rates.

One of the many victims of deforestation - Sumatra.

Indonesia has greatly under-reported how much primary rainforest it is cutting down, according to the government's former head of forestry data gathering.
UN and official government figures have maintained that the country with the third biggest stretch of tropical forest after the Amazon and Congo was losing 310,000 hectares of all its forest a year between 2000 and 2005, increasing to 690,000 hectares annually from 2006 to 2010.
Exact rates of Indonesian deforestation have varied with different figures quoted by researchers and government, but a new study, which claims to be the most comprehensive yet, suggests that nearly twice as much primary forest is being cut down as in Brazil, the historical global leader.
Belinda Arunarwati Margono, who was in charge of data gathering at Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry for seven years and is now on secondment at South Dakota university, calculates that nearly 1m extra hectares of primary forest may have been felled in the last 12 years than was recorded officially.
In a paper in the journal Nature Climate Change, Margano says primary forest losses totaled 6.02m hectares between 2000 and 2012, increasing by around 47,600 hectares a year over this time. Because previous estimates of forest loss have included the clearing of pulp plantations and oil palm estates the real loss of primary forest has until now been obscured.
In 2012, she calculates, Indonesia lost 840,000 hectares of its primary forest, compared to 460,000 hectares in Brazil, despite its forest being roughly a quarter the size of the Amazon. This, says Margano, was the most lost by any country.

The new figures are significant because Indonesia is the world's third-largest producer of greenhouse gases behind China and the US, with 85% of its emissions coming from forest destruction and degradation. Primary forests are the largest above-ground carbon stores in the world.
Margano said that the discrepancies between the figures were due to technical and bureaucratic problems in Indonesia and better information becoming available. "Government cannot share data fully because of laws. There is no transparency", she said.
But the figures are potentially embarrassing because they suggest that a 2011 moratorium on granting new licenses for clearing or logging of primary forests and carbon-rich peatlands could have been a driver for deforestation.
Margono and co-author Matthew Hansen said the new data from remote sensing showed that the extra losses came largely from the felling of primary forest in wetlands and in government-protected areas.

Forest clearing, step by step.

Plant a real tree from the comfort of your home with Click A Tree

Source: the guardian, wikipedia, forest studies and other online articles.

The super powers of Aloe vera

The planet's craze for this plant with many virtues is explained by the two hundred nutrients it contains. In our previous article we talked about the Aleo Vera as a very effective plant in the purification of our interior. To consume or to apply in the form of cream, here are some highly beneficial effects of this magic plant.

• Soothing: Calms the skin with burns or irritations,
• Anti-Fatigue: attenuated fatigue marks,
• Regulatory: in beverage to facilitate digestion and soothe gastric reflux,
• Retexturizing: To moisturize in particular hair
• Plumping: To restore volume to the skin

But also nourrisante, anti-inflammatory, regenerating, moisturizing, remineralizing, energizing, etc...

Aloe vera, when nature loves you more than you think!

Indoor plants, a green anti-pollution weapon?

What do you do to improve the air quality of your home? First answer: Air! On the other hand, some plants can absorb pollutants that are present in the air. But what about in real life conditions, in the habitat?

Formaldehyde, xylene, benzene, toluene, etc. are chemical compounds that pollute your dwelling year-round, without you being able to realize it. They are found in commercial specialties that you commonly use such as paints, detergents, cosmetics and maintenance products. Some of these substances would be responsible, according to specialists, for allergies, respiratory diseases, chronic fatigue and they may even be suspected of being carcinogenic.

However, work has shown that most of our indoor plants have the ability to transform said unwanted substances into clean particles! However, let us not be mistaken: to improve indoor air quality, it is especially important to ventilate and ventilate the rooms.

The Ademe (Agency for Environment and Energy Control) considers: the argument "cleansing plants" is not scientifically validated with regard to the levels of pollution generally encountered in homes and new Scientific knowledge in the field. In terms of improving indoor air quality, the priority remains the prevention and limitation of sources of pollution (maintaining water heaters and boilers, reducing the use of household chemicals...) accompanied by a ventilation or more generally a ventilation of the premises (maintenance of the ventilation system, do not block the ventilation openings, open the windows a few minutes every day...) ». Anyway, the culture of some of these plants will bring a lot of charm to your different rooms...

Article by Michel Caron published on January 18, 2018 on futura-sciences

Your beneficial friend the forest: Shinrin-Yoku

The Japanese practice of forest bathing is proven to lower heart rate and blood pressure, reduce stress hormone production (cortisol), boost the immune system, improve overall feelings of wellbeing, lowering anxiety and anger, increase of natural killers (specific cells fighting cancer), positivie regulation of heart rate, etc...

Forest bathing—basically just being in the presence of trees—became part of a national public health program in Japan in 1982 when the forestry ministry coined the phrase shinrin-yoku (meaning Forest bathing or Forest showering) and promoted topiary as therapy. Nature appreciation—picnicking en masse under the cherry blossoms, for example—is a national pastime in Japan, so forest bathing quickly took. The environment’s wisdom has long been evident to the culture.

Forest bathing works simply: Just be with trees. You can sit or meander, but the point is to relax rather than accomplish anything.

From 2004 to 2012, Japanese officials spent about $4 million dollars studying the physiological and psychological effects of forest bathing, designating 48 therapy trails based on the results. Qing Li, a professor at Nippon Medical School in Tokyo, measured the activity of human natural killer (NK) cells in the immune system before and after exposure to the woods. These cells provide rapid responses to viral-infected cells and respond to tumor formation, and are associated with immune system health and cancer prevention. In a 2009 study Li’s subjects showed significant increases in NK cell activity in the week after a forest visit, and positive effects lasted a month following each weekend in the woods.

This is due to various essential oils, generally called phytoncide, found in wood, plants, and some fruit and vegetables, which trees emit to protect themselves from germs and insects. Forest air doesn’t just feel fresher and better—inhaling phytoncide seems to actually improve immune system function.

Experiments on forest bathing conducted by the Center for Environment, Health and Field Sciences in Japan’s Chiba University measured its physiological effects on 280 subjects in their early 20s. The team measured the subjects’ salivary cortisol (which increases with stress), blood pressure, pulse rate, and heart rate variability during a day in the city and compared those to the same biometrics taken during a day with a 30-minute forest visit. “Forest environments promote lower concentrations of cortisol, lower pulse rate, lower blood pressure, greater parasympathetic nerve activity, and lower sympathetic nerve activity than do city environments,” the study concluded.

In other words, being in nature made subjects, physiologically, less amped. The parasympathetic nerve system controls the body’s rest-and-digest system while the sympathetic nerve system governs fight-or-flight responses. Subjects were more rested and less inclined to stress after a forest bath.

Trees soothe the spirit too. A study on forest bathing’s psychological effects surveyed 498 healthy volunteers, twice in a forest and twice in control environments. The subjects showed significantly reduced hostility and depression scores, coupled with increased liveliness, after exposure to trees. “Accordingly,” the researchers wrote, “forest environments can be viewed as therapeutic landscapes.”

City dwellers can benefit from the effects of trees with just a visit to the park. Brief exposure to greenery in urban environments can relieve stress levels, and experts have recommended “doses of nature” as part of treatment of attention disorders in children. What all of this evidence suggests is we don’t seem to need a lot of exposure to gain from nature—but regular contact appears to improve our immune system function and our wellbeing.

Beneficial effects from a onetime exposure can last for up to 30 days. Time in 2018 to plan some forest trips!

Your beneficial friend the forest.

Many articles are available online regarding that subject. Le Point from November 2, 2017 offers a wide range of article in relation to forest intelligence and Forest bathing.

How plants are cleaning soils

Some plants are able to participate in the depollution of contaminated soils on which they grow. It's the phytoremediation. To achieve this, they implement different strategies.

In France, several hundred thousand industrial areas left fallow have polluted soils. In order to extract toxic substances, the use of mechanical or physico-chemical solutions is mainly used. They are relatively efficient and fast. On the other hand, they reduce the fertility and productivity of the treated soils.

A more environmentally friendly method of trying to eliminate pollutants through living organisms can also be used. And when we exploit the properties of certain plants, we talk about phytoremediation. The process is 100% natural. Its cost is more than reasonable and it is suitable for large areas. However, treatment times are long and decontamination can remain superficial.

Phytoremediation: Several modes of action

Depending on the situation, it is a particular plant rather than another one that will have to be used.

So some plants act by phytoextraction. Their roots extract pollutants from the soil. Pollutants that are then stored in the stems and leaves. This is the case with the culture of sunflower which can absorb metals as well as radioelements.

Other plants also act through their roots. These sequester the pollutants (arsenic, radioelements, etc.) in the soil, preserving the food chain and groundwater. This method of phytostabilisation can be implemented using Poplars for example.

The Weeping Willow, for its part, tends to accelerate the degradation of organic compounds (hydrocarbons, pesticides, etc.) through specific enzymes or live micro-organisms in the environment of its roots. It's the phytodegradation.

In the case of Phytovolatilisation, pollutants, which have become less harmful after a passage through the roots and leaves, are released into the atmosphere by the plant. This is how tobacco can treat certain pesticides or metals.

Soil contamination

A great video regarding soil contamination can be watched following this link.