The Case For Re-Claimed

As new wood supplies dwindle we are all looking for new sources of supply. There are some previously passed over species that are getting seconds looks, some tropical species that lend well to plantation growing and harvesting, and then there is re-claimed material. I have built several projects with re-claimed wood and can speak with some experience on it’s pros and cons. I’ll start here with some facts and myths based on my experiences.

Re-Claimed Wood is less expensive

Sadly, this is a myth. While the actual material is usually free to the person or company that is salvaging it from the building, the cost to dis-mantle the building, sort the material and most importantly remove all the metal (mostly nails) from it is far more work than going into a forrest and cutting down a tree. Once all that work has been done, depending on what you’re planning to build out of it, the waste ratio can be double that of new material, as you have to dodge splits, holes and other defects that would make your piece structurally unsound. When working new material I generally  account for a 20% waste ratio. With re-claimed it’s closer to 40% and sometimes more.

Re-Claimed Wood Is Higher Quality

Frequently this is a fact.. but not always . Many re-claimed timbers are from buildings that were built 100 or more years ago. When the wood was harvested for them it was more than likely first growth material from virgin forrest. Back then, with the abundant supply our forrests provided, the lower quality trees were used for utilitarian purposes such as fence posts, or stacked into bridge trestles on logging roads, and only the best trees were sent to the mills. Some of the finest Douglass Fir I’ve seen came from salvaged beams and joists. All of that said, sometimes a few bad, or mediocre apples went into the barrel too, and underneath that patina and “rustic charm” is so-so lumber. That’s half the fun of working with re-claimed as it’s always an adventure to see what’s inside.

Re-Claimed Wood is better for the environment

The jury is still out on this one. Yes, it does keep old timber out of land fills, but wood is an organic and compostable material, so when properly re-cycled it is not a hazardous waste. Add to that the energy needed to process the re-claimed material (see above), the total energy consumption for both types is probably about a wash. It does slow the harvesting of live trees which consume Co2 and produce oxygen, but more good comes from young trees than old mature ones, so there is an argument that a properly managed forrest that is continually re-planted will do more environmental good than a mature one. On the flip side of that is the need to maintain habitat for wildlife, which is much better in a mature forrest. So, as you can see, it is a many sided story.

Re-Claimed wood has more “character”

This is most often quite true. I happen to like many of the “flaws” that re-claimed has and frequently highlight them in my work. Sometimes, if the particular board or beam was not of great quality to begin with it can be quite ordinary, but usually there is some sort of really fun rustic quality to exploit.  Over time iron nails will react with the natural acids in wood and create rows of blacked holes that I often face forward. Circle saw marks from the original sawmill, when carefully presented can give a terrific rustic look to a project. I have even found a part of a tree which had been used as target practice at some point in it’s life and had a group of lead bullets still embedded. Fortunately the lead is soft enough to not harm my tools, so I left several of them in. Ironically the project was for a duck hunting lodge which made it all the more appropriate.

The following photo galleries are some pieces I’ve built with re-claimed wood as well as a few “shop photos” of the projects in process. Hopefully this will give you an idea of how I go about working with re-claimed lumber and what sort of finished goods can be made with it

This project was to build a Mission Style dining set from Re-Claimed Douglass Fir. The site is deep in the wilderness of Northern California and has a rustic style throughout. The main building where this set is located is of log cabin style construction.

This project is another rustic mountain cabin. For it we used re-claimed White Oak with a very light stain wash and satin varnish finish. Included are a dining table, chairs, bench, counter stools, game table & armchairs, beds and nightstands. The headboards are woven leather.