Why Use Reclaimed wood?

The inherent beauty and unique charm is unmatched; prized for strength and density; in dimensions no longer commercially available;

this material is a pleasure to salvage and an honor to work.

Unmatched charm

"These boards have a past... Imagining the carpenters dress, or speculating on why a certain mark was made, is down right fun; the mystery, inspiring."

 The character accumulated in the 100+ years since these boards were produced is truly unique.  Small holes originally made by nails during construction, now show unique patterns and attractive iron staining.  Large holes and notches, sometimes seen as flaws are instead celebrated; their presence indicating an old electric service or gas pipe retro-fit.  Splits and "checks" add a natural feel, created by stresses in the lumber and buildings for all of those years.  Patterns made by plaster staining, oxidation, dirt and age; generally show through to the finished piece, giving clues to its original use in a building.  Carpenters' marks, saw cuts, tooling marks and hand-cut roman numerals, made by men of the past. are truly unique and a testament to an age before modern machinery, high production saws or.... electricity.

Strength and density

"Sure these boards are cool; but they are actually of better quality."

  Much of this wood comes from original Old Growth forests, found much the way Christopher Columbus did; producing boards with incredible density and premium strengths.  Density can be measured in the tightness of grain, and immense strength comes from the nearly straight grains of these once massive trees.  Density helps defend against scratches and wear in daily use, while the strength ensures an incredibly long service life.  Much of this wood was harvested in the late 1800's, from vast virgin growth forest lands, totally untouched by man; a sight we could hardly imagine.  With near perfect air and water quality, vast terrain to grow and centuries to mature; these forests grew trees of quality never found again.  Modern logging is largely focused around rapid growing plantation managed trees, and high volume woodlots, with the best logs being exported to make veneers.  With an ever dwindling forest cover, increasing air pollution and other environmental issues, trees just don't grow the same anymore.  Old Growth forests produced slow growing, nearly straight trees, which provides us with high quality material, nearly 300years later.....

Full Dimension lumber

"100 years ago.... a 2x4 was a 2x4"

Centuries old lumber was cut much thicker than that of today, creating an instant appeal in implied heft and stability.  Often times the thickness of a top, or heft of a post leg has an immediate "custom" look because we don't regularly see this.  Originally, lumber was used direct from the sawmill; rough-sawn boards installed without all of the added processing we are accustomed to today.  2-3"thick boards are common, resulting in very heavy and lasting tops; while full-dimension post legs and aprons create an incredibly stable platform or frame.  The visual appeal comes from the implied strength; built like a fort, designed to last....