Middleburgh High School, Materials Processing projects

Project Profile: Middleburgh High School, Materials Processing class

In a time where computers, iPhones, and Facebook seem to have become the most popular forms of expression, in Middleburgh, New York, the time honored tradition of working with natural materials lives strong.

At Middleburgh High School, students in Dave Dickerson’s “Materials Processing” class are hard at work studying and practicing the fundamental principals of woodworking. Although they began in Middle School creating small woodworking projects and learning how to use some of the equipment in Dickerson’s shop (including band saws and sanding machines) for the majority of students in the class this is their first hands on woodworking course. Dickerson limits Materials Processing to 15 individuals in order to maintain an independent study type teaching experience with each student.

The young woodworkers are responsible for selecting their own projects. After reviewing plan books for ideas, each student works closely with Dickerson to choose a project that is within the range of their ability and also incorporates the latest methods in woodworking. The process then begins: Each week Dickerson has the students develop a list of tasks to be completed on their pieces. This allows students to act as their own project managers by developing a well thought out strategy for completing their designs, and also allows Dickerson to run the class efficiently by scheduling in advance machine set-ups and extra time for students who may require assistance.

At the end of each year, the Materials Processing student’s final projects are featured at the Middleburgh Central School “Technopalooza”. This annual event organized by the Middleburgh Central School Technology Department includes presentations, exhibits and competitions with student work produced throughout the year. This year’s event also featured an Antique and Custom Car show.

It is clear in talking with Dickerson that he and Middleburgh School are passionate about their technology program, recognizing that it challenges students while also teaching them many valuable and life long skills.
We at Wightman Specialty Woods are proud to be able to support this program through use of our wood materials, and commend these talented students for the time and hard work they have put into creating these beautiful pieces.

To learn more about Middleburgh Central School, the MCS Technology Department, and this years “Technopalooza” please visit: http://www.middleburgh.k12.ny.us/,
http://technopalooza.com/

Project Profile

Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh, New York

Office space and ReStore

When Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh needed new office space, they could have built from scratch, or just added a bit of paint and spackle to an existing space. The organization decided instead to preserve a 150-year legacy.

The Kimball Building in downtown Newburgh, N.Y., was a 13,000 square foot industrial-grade building. Erected in 1852, the facility originally housed a foundry that made metal castings, steam pipes and manhole covers. In the 1930's the building was converted to an auto mechanic machine shop and recently, it served as an electrical contractor's business and roofing company. The facility was anything but office and retail space, but it was part of downtown Newburgh.

Just as Habitat has restored dozens of homes to help rebuild Newburgh, they decided to restore the Kimball Building. In 2008, Habitat called in Wightman Specialty Woods to create the wood flooring for 5,000 square feet of the historic building.

It was a complex task, but as well worth the effort as any Habitat home restoration.

Wightman Specialty Woods manufactured Custom Joined #1 Soft Maple flooring to accommodate the office spaces, conference facility and ReStore for the building (The ReStore is a building materials recycling and resale facility open to the public). Using the architect's floor plan, we created a specific layout for each space and implemented a color coding system in which all custom-joined flooring packs were marked and designated a specific area for installation.

The color coding system allowed Habitat's volunteers and employees to quickly and easily install the flooring themselves, saving a great deal of time and expense. Habitat has occupied the space since October 2008.

What a great example of good, efficient work! Recycle and re-purpose an old building to function as not only a work space for an organization whose mission is to rebuild communities, but also to serve as a local source for recycled building materials. We hope they continue to serve the greater Newburgh community for many decades to come. For more information, visit Habitat for Humanity of Greater Newburgh.

Our Website, Brochure Receive Design Honors

We are very proud to announce that our new website and brochure received honors in the 19th annual Genesis Awards.

Our website won First Place in the category of World Wide Web, and our brochure won Second Place in the category of Brochures/Catalogs.

The Communications Association of the Southern Tier sponsors the awards. You can see the full list of winners on the organization's website.

We would also like to thank our friends at GrafiQa Creative Services, who produced the piece.

Installation of new head band saw

Over the last several months we have been busy preparing our sawmill for the installation of a state-of-the-art, double-cut band head saw. The saw itself was installed last week, and the project is scheduled for final completion by the end of May. We'd like to share with you more about how this new equipment will improve our operations and how we accomplished its installation.

Improved technology: Circular saws vs. Band saws

(First image: Circular saw , Second image: Band saw)

In a sawmill, the "head saw" refers to the sawing equipment responsible for making the initial cuts in a log.

As opposed to the circular head saw we had in operation for decades, this new piece of equipment is a band saw. The difference between the two is a circular saw rotates in a circular cutting motion, similar to a table saw. A band saw consists of a continuous band of metal with teeth along one or two edges (our new saw has teeth along both edges). The metal band rides on two wheels which rotate in the same plane. While some mills still use circular head saws, they are somewhat outdated and offer fewer capabilities compared to band saws.

Increased capabilities and efficiencies this band saw offers include:

* Ability to saw larger logs - up to 42" diameter

* Ability to cut logs in both directions (forward and reverse) as they pass by the saw on our log carriage - increasing efficiency

* Ability to produce more Quarter Sawn materials

* Ability to decrease the load on our existing, downstream band saw by

transferring some of the cutting to the new band saw
* One half the saw kerf as the circular head saw, resulting in more lumber, less waste, and less power consumption. The new band saw has a saw kerf of .13", as opposed to the circular saw which has a saw kerf of .25".

Preparation of the site:

The preparation of our sawmill involved demolition work and the relocation of all saw maintenance operations (sharpening and leveling). As our saws require routine maintenance every 4 hours each day, relocating these activities to an area directly above our sawing facility allows our maintenance crew to perform its job with greater ease and efficiency.

Installation day:
A hole large enough to accommodate the saw was cut in the roof of our new sawmill building. This allowed for the saw to be lifted up over the building and placed down into the head saw location. (Our head saw is actually located in the center of the building, therefore transporting the saw in through the doors or side of the building was not feasible). To lift the 17,000 pound saw up and into place, a 100 ton crane was required. The entire process was completed quite smoothly in approximately 3 hours. We expect to have the new saw running by the end of May, and hope to have any glitches worked out by early July.

If you have not yet visited our plant, please feel free to stop in for a tour or take our online virtual tour!

Installation pictures:

1. Crane lifting band saw

2. Band saw in position over roof

3. Band saw in place in sawmill

Catskill Woodnet and New York State Forest Products Industry

Through the Catskill WoodNet, Wightman Specialty Woods and a number of Catskill area businesses recently exhibited at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show. The goal of our display was to raise awareness and educate show attendees about the role of Catskill WoodNet and the importance of the forest products industry in New York State. Here we take the opportunity to pass along our message.

The Catskill WoodNet is a regional network of businesses that harvest and manufacture wood products from New York's Catskill Mountain Region. Comprised of woodworkers, artisans and sawmills, the goal of our diverse group is to encourage and promote a working landscape that connects people with local forest resources.

For centuries there has been an intimate connection between the people and the forests in the Catskill region. Early farmhouses and barns were framed and planked with hemlock lumber, and their floors and millwork made from oak, maple, or white pine. From baseball bats in Cooperstown to rustic garden settees in Woodstock, roughly 1,500 jobs depend on the wise-use of Catskill forests to support the local wood products industry.

Preservation and responsible management of the Catskill forest lands is particularly important as our region is the primary source of water for New York City. The Catskill/Delaware system of the NYC Watershed covers 1,584 square-miles and provides clean drinking water to over 10 million New York City homes and communities. 90% of New York City's water originates in the Catskills where forests provide a natural buffer to protect the superior water quality in the streams and reservoirs. The remaining 10% of water comes from a suburban watershed east of the Hudson River, however, this water must be filtered to be fit for human use.

The wood products industry is not only important to our local Catskill region, but also to the entire State of New York. The land area of New York State is 30.22 million acres. Today, 61% (18.46 million acres) of this land is forested, which is remarkable considering just 80 years ago New York contained only half this area of forest.

The entire state has benefited immensely from this unprecedented and dramatic reforestation, while at the same time maintaining a diversity of landscape amenities such as farms, water, and other open spaces. The annual contribution of forest-based manufacturing and forest-related recreation and tourism to the New York economy is over $8.8 billion. The forest-based manufacturing industry, forestry and logging provides employment for 57,200 people and generates a payroll of over $2.1 billion, while Forest-based recreation and tourism provides employment for over 14,600 and generates payrolls of $300 million.

The forest products industry in New York is comprised of a diverse group of businesses ranging from pulp and paper mills, sawmills, engineered panel plants, biomass energy plants, secondary manufacturing in the furniture and related business as well as the logging and trucking contractors who deliver the raw materials to market.

The majority of timberland, roughly 90%, in New York is privately owned by business concerns or family forest owners. This places a great responsibility on our land owners to manage their forests, a practice which landowners take seriously. In the Catskill region alone, landowners are practicing forestry under the guidance of a long-term forest stewardship plan at over 5 times the national average for regions of similar size. Through careful planning with Watershed Qualified Foresters, Catskill landowners manage their forestland as part of a working landscape providing raw materials to local mills that supply lumber to area carpenters and cabinet shops. It is a strong economic model for a sustainable working landscape: local landowners providing raw materials to local wood products manufacturers that create jobs for local people.

To learn more about the Catskill WoodNet and members of our group, please visit http://www.catskillwoodnet.org/, and next time you find yourself searching for wood products, look for the Pure Catskills trademark of the Catskill WoodNet illustrating a commitment to using watershed friendly practices, buying local and supporting a centuries old tradition of craftsmanship and care for the land in the Catskills.


Sources:
Catskill Woodnet

Watershed Argicultural Council

SUNY College of Environmental Science & Forestry Report on Forestland Parcelization in the NYC Watershed

NYS Department of Enviromental Conservation

The Economic Importance and Wood Flows from New York's Forest, 2007

New: The Woodworker's Corner!

We have created this new section of our website specifically with our woodworkers in mind.

Whether you have been an avid woodworker for years, or just enjoy doing small projects on the weekends, our online woodworking community is a place where you may exchange ideas, questions, photos, and videos with others who share your passion for working with wood.

To learn more or join our online community click here.

At the Woodworker's Corner you may also learn more about the rough hardwood lumber materials we at Wightman's are able to provide in Mini and Small Lot Wholesale quantities (availabilities are updated monthly). Click here to visit our new Woodworker's Corner!

Architectural Digest Home Design Show

In conjunction with the Catskill WoodNet, Wightman Specialty Woods and several other Catskill area wood product businesses, will be exhibiting at the Architectural Digest Home Design Show!

The Catskill WoodNet is a regional network of businesses that havest and manufacture wood products from New York State's Catskill Mountain Region.

Show information:

Dates: March 26 - 29, 2009
Location: Pier 94, 12th Avenue at 55th Street, New York, NY
Hours: 10:00am - 6:00pm
Booth: #G301

Take our Guided Virtual Tour!

Our online virtual tour is now complete with voiceovers that will guide you through our plant.

Please visit http://www.wightmanspecialtywoods.com/milltour.htm to begin your tour.

New! Classic Quarter/Rift Sawn Pine Flooring

Our New Eastern White Pine flooring features:

*A Quarter/Rift Sawn mix: this classic sawing technique provides enhanced dimensional stability to the wood, and beautiful straight grain patterning.

*Relief on the back: this prevents squeaking and facilitates air flow underneath the floor which allows the wood to breathe.

New! Stair Treads

Wightman Specialty Woods is now stocking Stair Treads!

Oak Stair Treads5/4 x 12
3' and 4' lengths
Square Ends

Other species are available on request.

Wightman Specialty Woods in Hudson Valley Builders Trade Show!

Be sure to stop by and see us at the Hudson Valley Builders Association Trade Show Wednesday, February 25th! We will be featuring 2 new products in addition to our stock materials.

Location:
Anthony's Pier 9
2975 Route 9W South
New Windsor, New York
Booth #64

Hours:
One Day Only!
Wednesday February 25th
2:00 - 7:30pm

For more information visit http://www.hvbuilder.com/trade_show.html

Wightman Specialty Woods at The Great Northeast Home Show

Be sure to stop by and see us at the Great Northeast Home Show this coming weekend, February 6 -8th! We will be featuring 2 new products in addition to our stock materials.

Location:
Empire State Plaza Convention Center
Albany, New York
Booth #214

Hours
Friday 4:00 - 9:00pm
Saturday 10:00am - 7:00pm
Sunday 10:00am - 5:00pm

For more information visit http://www.greatnortheasthomeshow.com/

Woodworking event!

Dear Woodworking Friends,

In preparation for our Annual Open House, October 2009, we would like to tell you about a new format we will be having for our woodworking event. This year, our woodworking event will be a combined silent auction in which woodworking pieces are submitted to our event, and each piece is auctioned off to individual bidders through a silent bidding process. The proceeds will be split between you, the woodworker, and The Ronald McDonald House of Albany. Wightman Specialty Woods will not keep any of the proceeds from the auction. The Ronald McDonald House is a wonderful charity that provides comfort and care to children and familes in need during difficult times.

All pieces must be made of wood except for joinery (hinges, etc) or handles. We will accept pieces of furniture, carvings, crafts, and miscellaneous woodworking pieces.

To learn more about this event please contact Naomi at 607.286.9201, naomi@wightmanspecialtywoods.com.

Happy Woodworking!

Winter Project: Radiant heating systems and Hardwood Floors

Radiant floor heating systems are becoming increasingly popular throughout the United States today. Radiant heating systems distribute heat "omni-directionally", or in all directions, offering greater energy efficiency than conventional forced air heating systems in which warm air naturally rises, resulting in warm ceilings but cold floors.

Installing a hardwood floor over radiant heat is not much different from laying a typical hardwood floor, as long as you understand radiant heat, how it can impact wood flooring, what precautions to take, and what type of wood flooring to use.

Understanding radiant heat: Radiant floor heating systems consist of tubing installed under the finished floor that is responsible for delivering heat through the floor and into the home.

Impact on wood flooring and precautions to take: One of the most important factors in a successful wood flooring installation over radiant heat is a dry slab and a dry subfloor. This is important in any wood floor installation, but particularly over radiant heat systems, because once the radiant heat is turned on, any excess moisture in either the concrete slab or subfloor will be directly transferred to the wood flooring. Any moisture entering a wood floor in this manner will cause severe problems to the floor (swelling, buckling). To ensure that all moisture is removed prior to the wood flooring installation, the radiant heating system should be turned on and run for an extended period of time (the National Wood Flooring Association recommends 5-6 days) to remove any residual moisture.

Choosing wood flooring: According to the National Wood Flooring Association, wood floors best suited for installation over radiant heat include engineered wood floors, solid woods that naturally have good dimensional stability, and solid wood floors that are no more than 4" in finished width.

Now that you are ready to install your radiant heating, here are a few ways to set up the system:

Direct Nail to Subfloor over Floor Joists:

A popular set-up in which radiant tubes are strapped onto a plywood subfloor laid over the floor joists. Wood flooring is then nailed to the plywood subfloor.
Note that a moisture barrier should always be placed over the subfloor to which the wood flooring is nailed. A good choice is #15 felt paper.

Direct Nail to Subfloor over Sleepers:

An approach used when you do not have access under the existing subfloor or when the underside of the floor cannot be used. Here the radiant tubes and sleepers are laid on top of the existing subfloor, and a second subfloor is added. Wood flooring is nailed to this second subfloor.

Solid T&G Floor Direct Nail to Sleepers:

This set-up involves laying sleepers over the subfloor and radiant tubes between the sleepers. A vapor barrier is installed over the sleepers and wood flooring is nailed directly to the sleepers. Some individuals also choose to put a gypsum or concrete mix around the radiant tubing, which provides fire resistance and sound dampening.

Single or Double Layer of Plywood on Sleepers:

Similar to the approach above, except a layer of plywood (or even 2 layers) is applied over the sleepers. The wood flooring is then nailed to the plywood.

Domestic Hardwoods and Softwoods


Whether you are planning to install a hardwood floor, replace the siding on your home, or begin your first craft project, at Wightman Specialty Woods our goal is to be a resource to help you select the best possible wood materials for the job.
Some of the most popular wood species come from right in our backyards here in the northeastern United States! Below we offer you some general information and best uses for these domestic hardwoods and softwoods.

Domestic Hardwoods

Red Oak

With its attractive open grain pattern and light brown/red hue, Red Oak has long been one of the most popular northeastern hardwoods. Known for its hardness and durability, Red Oak stains and finishes well and is a classic choice for flooring, furniture, cabinetry, and interior finishes including wainscot, mouldings and paneling.

Hard Maple

Hard Maple is the 'hardest' of the northeastern hardwoods (as measured by the Janka hardness test). With its closed, straight grain pattern, it is slightly more difficult to machine than other northeastern hardwoods. Maple is not very porous and does not accept stains well, however, it finishes quite nicely with polyurethanes. Hard Maple has excellent shock resistance making it the wood of choice for gymnasium floors. Hard Maple is also ideal for furniture, cabinets, and tabletops.

Cherry (American)

Not to be confused with Brazilian Cherry, which has a much higher hardness level, American Cherry is one of the softer northeastern hardwood species. Cherry has a rich reddish color that will darken over time and with exposure to sunlight. Cherry "sapwood" (which comes from the exterior portion of the tree) is creamy white in color. Cherry machines easily and finishes beautifully making it ideal for furniture, cabinetry, mouldings, flooring, turning, carving, and musical instruments.

Basswood

Though considered a hardwood, Basswood is quite a light, soft wood. This softness along with its uniform texture and indistinct grain pattern make it the premier wood for carving. Basswood is also ideal for painted mouldings, as it machines well, is easy to work with hand tools, and readily accepts paint.

White Ash

With a similar open grain pattern to Red Oak, the coloring of White Ash has more variation, ranging from light white to streaks of grey and light brown. Ash machines well, is good in nailing, screwing and gluing and accepts stains very well. White Ash has a relatively high hardness level, which makes it ideal for furniture, flooring, and the wood specie of choice for baseball bats.

Domestic Softwoods

Eastern White Pine

A popular softwood in the northeast, Eastern white pine may be used in a wide variety of projects from simple shelving to intricate furniture pieces. Pine is easily workable with power and hand tools, and though it does not stain well (will be blotchy), Pine accepts paints very well. Eastern white pine often contains knots, which are appealing to those hoping to achieve a "rustic" look.

Cypress

Though this softwood specie is indigenous to the southeastern United States, its weather resistant properties make it a natural fit for outdoor applications here in the northeast. Natural oils within Cypress make it resistant to decay, insect attack and seasonal climate changes. Cypress is easily workable and readily accepts finishes. Though it is an ideal solution for outdoor decks, pergolas and stairways, it can be equally beautiful indoors as flooring, wall and ceiling coverings.

How is lumber made? Watch this video

Watch this video to see how lumber is made at Wightman Specialty Woods.

Coming Soon!

Visit Wightman Specialty Woods this winter in Albany and the Hudson Valley:

Great Northeast Home Show
February 6-8, 2009
Empire State Plaza, Albanyhttp://www.greatnortheasthomeshow.com/

BAHV - Trade Show
February 25, 2009
Anthonys Pier 9, New Windsor http://www.hvbuilder.com/

Fall Open House

Thank you to those who came out for our Open House last month!

Click here to view the winners of our woodworking competition.

Changing Seasons

It's that time of year again in the northeast. The leaves have fallen, the temperature has dropped, and the air has become dry. This time of year, many of us are thinking about "winterizing" our homes.

One thing to consider during this process is how to best control your indoor air moisture levels throughout the winter months. When air becomes too dry a variety of problems start to occur: our skin feels itchy, our eyes become irritated, and static electricity occurs. Dry air also affects wood by causing it to shrink which can result in cracks, squeaks or gaps in floors, cabinets and doors.

The Environmental Protection Agency recommends indoor relative humidity levels at 30-50%. In winter months, it is common for our homes to become dry, in large part due to air leaks. When cold air from outdoors enters a home it is heated to the indoor temperature. Because cold air is not able to hold nearly the amount of moisture that warm air is, when these two mix, relative humidity decreases and the home becomes dry.

There are ways to mitigate this problem and maintain recommended relative humidity levels. It is important to seal and eliminate air leaks to reduce the amount of outdoor air coming into your home. Caulking and sealing around windows, doors, and any other seams, cracks and openings to the outside will make your home more air tight. This will help maintain your air moisture levels, reduce your heating requirements, and ultimately make your home more energy efficient. For more tips on sealing air leaks and to find out where air may be escaping from your home visit the U.S. Department of Energy.

Of course our homes will never be air tight - at the very least, we have to enter and exit our living space. Humidifiers will increase and maintain recommended air moisture levels and protect us from the adverse effects of low relative humidity. There are numerous humidification systems on the market from small, inexpensive humidifiers that can be moved from room to room, to whole house humidification systems that are built into heating systems.

We hope these tips will help you to enjoy a safe and healthy winter!

Our Commitment to Quality and Sustainability

The last time you purchased wood materials, did you know where the raw wood was sourced, or how your materials were manufactured?

At Wightman Specialty Woods we are committed to delivering our customers the highest quality wood materials, while leaving the smallest carbon footprint on our environment.

To reduce the harmful effects of transporting non-native species into our area, we source nearly all of our raw wood materials from our local forests of central New York State. Once raw materials arrive, they remain at our facility throughout the entire milling process.

In our day-to-day operations, we adhere to strict principles of conservation and preservation of resources. From our sawing, to drying to milling facilities, we use state-of-the-art equipment which allows us to generate the maximum amount of useable materials, while leaving little of our wood fibers to waste.

At Wightman Specialty Woods we also reuse or repurpose all materials that would have been waste. Our sawdust is primarily used as fuel for our boilers which heat our drying kilns; remaining sawdust is sold to local farmers. Bark and wood chip materials are sold to landscapers and regional manufacturers of fiberboard, wood pellets and other products.

Visit our website today to learn more about Wightman Specialty Woods' environmental commitment and get ideas for how to use our responsibly manufactured materials in your next project.

Endless possibilities: Square Edge materials

With the winter months fast approaching, now is the time you might be ready to start that woodworking project you've been talking about all summer. At Wightman Specialty Woods we stock a wide variety of northeastern hardwoods and softwoods to accommodate everyone from the professional cabinet maker to the do-it-yourself home owner.

Our S2S and S4S materials are available in a variety of dimensions and grades. Hardwood species include Basswood, Cherry, Hard Maple, Red Oak, Soft Maple, Hickory, Ash, Birch, Black Walnut and White Oak. Softwood species include Eastern white pine and Cypress.

The possibilities that square edge materials hold are truly endless. Our wood has been transformed into hand-carved cribs, intricate clocks, turkey calls, guitars, doll houses and so many more.

For those of you looking for larger quantities of S2S or rough materials, we also accept small lot wholesale orders (500 - 3,000 BF).