May Rough lumber availabilities

Mini Lot Wholesale (200 – 500 BF)  Small Lot Wholesale (500 – 3,000 BF) 4/4 Select and Better Grade
Specie	6'	7'	8'	9'/10’	11'/12’
Ash		y	y	y	y
Basswood			y	y	y
Black Walnut					y
Cherry - Sap		y	y	y	y
Cherry – Red		y	y	y	y
Hard Maple	y	y		y	y
Hickory				y	y
Red Oak	y		y	y	y
Red Oak – Qtr. sawn				y	y
White Oak				y	y

4/4 Common Grade Specie 6’ 7’ 8’ 9’/10’ 11’/12’ Ash y Basswood y y y y y Birch y y Hard Maple y Red Oak y y y y y Soft Maple y y y y y White Oak y y y   4/4 Rustic Grade
Specie	8’	9’/10’	11’/12’
Cherry	y	y	y
Red Oak	y	y	y

5/4 Select and Better Grade Specie 7' 8' 9'/10’ 11'/12’ Basswood y y Hard Maple y y y y Red Oak y y y y   8/4 Select and Better Grade
Specie	8'	9'/10'	11'/12'
Ash			y
Hard Maple	y	y	y
Red Oak		y

Upstate NY happenings

We've had a busy few weeks here in Portlandville.

Last week was spent repaving our customer parking lot.  We had to do much more paving than anticipated because of the tight slopes for surface water run-off.  It is certainly a great improvement!

We have a LOT of logs in the yard now.  We're working very hard to get many of them sawed before the heat of summer arrives.  We strive to keep our log inventory lower during the summer months as logs will spoil under higher heat & humidity conditions. 

Have a great weekend!

DIY Bathroom Vanity

A do-it-yourself homeowner shared this photo with us.  He created this custom bathroom vanity using our Black Walnut materials, a Kreg Jig, and a lot of time and hard work.  Very nicely done - beautiful piece!

Congratulations Stefanie Rocknak!

Stefanie Rocknak's concept

A VERY big congratulations to our local Stefanie Rocknak - winner of the Edgar Allan Poe competition in Boston!

Among a pool of 265 artists who applied for the competitive public art commission from 42 states and 13 countries, Stefanie has been selected to create a statue to commemorate Edgar Allan Poe in Boston, the city of his birth.

This model is carved from Basswood; the life-size figure will be cast in bronze.

Here is the link to Boston Art Commission announcement:  http://poeboston.blogspot.com/

Recycle, Re-purpose

 
Recycling is not necessarily meant for just bottles and cans. Building  materials may also be salvaged and re-purposed to become useful again.  The beauty of wood is its workability - through sanding, staining or simply re-finishing, old wood can be made to look nearly brand new.  

Re-purposing old windows has become a popular trend.  From tables to cabinets, picture frames, and much more with a bit of ingenuity, inefficient single pane windows may continue to serve a useful purpose.    

    

Local restoration, retrofit and rebuilding specialists, Absolute Green Homes of South Salem, NY are professionals in transforming old wood materials into functional pieces.  

Their most recent project, The Beach House, is a great achievement in creative design, energy efficiency and use of materials.  When completed this home will be a shining example of the many ways in which re-purposed building materials can bring unique character into a space.   

See more of The Beach House's reclaimed, recycled and re-used materials.

When starting your next project or spring cleaning consider if the materials you plan to discard may be useful in some way.  By re-purposing old materials we not only protect our environment but also put special meaning into our homes.  

      

A word of caution:  removing lead paint from old wood can be a health hazard; use caution if you are unsure of what finish has been previously applied to the wood.

Ready for Summer

Warm weather is just around the corner!  Over the past month we have been busy preparing materials that will be used in outdoor projects this year.

Here is a recent run of our Hemlock Channel siding.  A classic vertical siding, this product is used on everything from residential homes, out buildings, rustic restaurants, and much more.

A look that has become very popular is an outdoor beadboard ceiling.  White beadboard brightens up any space and offers interesting detail.  Our pre-primed pine beadboard is also able to be used for indoor applications.

Our Hemlock Log siding is another popular material.  Also for both interior and exterior use this product is actually a half log; it offers the look of traditional log siding with an easier and more economical installation.

Recycle and Reuse!

Why buy new when you can re-purpose something you already have?

After installing new windows these homeowners were left with the question of what to do with all of the old windows that were now sitting in a pile.  Rather than throw them outs they decided to re-purpose the old windows using stock lumber materials.  This simple outdoor coffee table was constructed using 1x4 Basswood for the skirt and Cypress posts (sawn and cut down) for the legs.  With a bit of sanding and a fresh coat of paint this table will look as good as new!

Meet a local carpenter

Located in Oneonta, NY, The Custom Finish, specializes in fine professional carpentry.  Owner Travis Marsh has a passion for restoring the original beauty of homes through custom creations that display quality finishes and creative details.

Custom Finish's capabilities range from older homes to new construction and business establishments. In addition to finish carpentry the company offers painting services, wall finishing and other general construction services. No project is too small!

Spring Fever

Spring officially arrives in 4 days!  Though this winter has been extremely mild we are all undoubtedly looking forward to nature's spring awakening.

In dreaming of the many activities we will share outdoors here are some ways in which wood structures may add to the enjoyment of the spring and summer seasons!  

Decks:  One of the most popular outdoor wood structures, decks are synonymous with summertime relaxation.  As these structures are typically responsible for supporting a heavy load it is important that they are designed and constructed correctly. 

 
Arbors and Pergolas:  These versatile wood structures may serve many purposes from providing shade to an outdoor seating area to serving as a trellis in a garden.     

Fences:  A wood fence enhances the aesthetics of any property.  Often used around gardens to keep out unwanted visitors, fences are also used to maintain privacy among neighbors or along busy streets.  

  

We currently have a good amount of logs in our yard waiting to be processed through our sawmill.  Though it has been a mild winter this year, the colder weather still affects machinery causing decreased performance and maintenance issues.  Thankfully our expert mechanics have been able to address these problems and keep our equipment running at optimal levels.  Recognizing our crews this week for their outstanding work!!

Square lumber

Here is a beautiful example of the many ways in which our square lumber materials may be used.

This reception desk was created by gluing together pieces of square white oak boards.

Great article about bringing manufacturing back to the U.S.!

http://news.yahoo.com/caterpillar-shift-production-japan-us-224447904.html

End-matched Flooring

Here is some of our Rustic Cherry flooring waiting to be end-matched.

What exactly is end-matched flooring?  End-matching refers to milling a tongue on one end and a groove on the opposite end of the individual planks of flooring so that when the planks are butted together, the tongue of one piece engages the groove of the next piece.



Flooring piece coming through end-matcher. 
Note the groove that has been milled on the
end of the board.

Why end-match flooring if it alreaady fits together with a tongue and groove lenth-wise?  Individual flooring boards expand and contract at different rates both in width and thickness.  If the flooring boards are not end matched the changes in thickness could result in height differences in the flooring, making the boards vulnerable to chipping. 

With end-matched boards, the height differences are greatly reduced.

 

Pinterest

We were recently introduced to this cool website by our marketing company, Vibrant Creative of Oneonta.  Though we're new to Pinterest and its capabilities, it seems pretty neat - here's our link:  https://pinterest.com/wightmanlumber/

We've started adding pins to boards with our various products on them - please check us out!  This is a 'work in progress', so we'll be continuously updating with more content.

Revitalizing a landmark

28 Railroad Avenue

Established in 1786 the village of Cooperstown, New York is rich in beauty and tradition. Far removed from centers of architectural innovation, Cooperstown is actually home to many significant residential, commercial and religious structures. One example stands at 28 Railroad Avenue.

Constructed in 1903 this building served residents of the area for decades as a feed mill, food and produce store.  Its function during the 1940's and 50's remains a mystery, but in the 1960's an Agway retail store moved into the facility.  For over 40 years Agway served the local community until the store chose to leave Railroad Avenue in 2008.  The building laid vacant for nearly a year after Agway's departure until Mike Manno purchased the property. 

Red Oak Wainscot and trim

A preservationist at heart and resident of Cooperstown for decades, Mr. Manno feared the historic structure would be demolished.  His goal was to restore the building and transform it into useable space. 

G&S Construction and owner Steve Smith began renovations at the property in the winter of 2009. Throughout the project special care was taken to maintain the historical accuracy of the building while also making improvements that would preserve its longevity.

The original layout consisted of two buildings which have since been connected to create a tremendous open floor plan. The main building, which once served as the feed mill, now features new trusses and a barrel vaulted ceiling. Wainscot has been added to the ceiling and walls, and many of the building's historical elements have been preserved including an auger that once transported grain within the facility.
 

Extensive exterior renovations have also been completed. The siding has been replaced with custom novelty siding and new windows have been installed.

Mr. Manno has completed renovations and is now actively searching for an interested party to utilize the newly renovated space.

The revitalization of this historic property is truly inspiring; the next occupant is sure to have quite a story to tell.

Winter Happenings

What a welcome relief this January has been compared to last.  Normally this time of year we're busy clearing snow in the yard, but this year we've been able to focus our time on keeping our production on track.  Here are some happenings from around our operation.

Sawmill:  We were sawing Red Oak last week - had some big logs come in, largest measured at 24"!



4/4 Hard Maple loading into drying kilns



Maple set in drying kilns ready to be processed; we dry all hardwoods 6-8% moisture content.



Rustic Cherry flooring ready to be end-matched





Rustic Cherry flooring processing through end-matcher; note the tongue and groove on the end of the board.