Shannon's Lumber Industry Update
An 8/4, Kiln dried podcast all about lumber and your questions about it. Let's dispel some myths and broaden an understanding of this ancient industry and help us all become a little more wood savvy...woodier??
Episodes
November 26, 2025 • 50 mins
In this episode I feature Peruvian Walnut and talk about how it has become a flooring species. Specifically how its drying difficulty drove it to be a flooring product. Additionally I talk about juvenile wood, Jindai wood, and the Hickory/Pecan confusion.
Make sure you check out TDC's video about urban lumber that features previous guests Camp Small and UVA Sawmilling.
https://youtu.be/5kx-CoT4zsg?si=0j-g9JS70K5nFYR-
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November 12, 2025 • 61 mins
Today we look at the birth of the timber trade in America. From when the Pilgrims stepped off the Mayflower up until the Revolutionary War. Timber was one of those contributing factors that led to war. We all talk about throwing tea into the harbor, but what about the Pine Tree riots and the Broad Arrow Notices that claimed colonial Pines for the Royal Navy. Happy Thanksgiving as we explore how and what timber was used and expo...
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October 30, 2025 • 55 mins
Today I feature the mighty Ponderosa Pine. I was marveling at these trees on a recent trip out west and knew I had to feature the species. A mainstay of the construction lumber industry often labelled as PP/LP on lumber racks. But also a species with a different life in the form of clear boards in moulding, interior flooring, paneling, etc. The species is fire propagating and is a perfect example of how healthy forest managemen...
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October 16, 2025 • 21 mins
Happy Halloween! Let's explore some lumber and tree lore from around the world and some spooky tales that may make you think twice before you cut down that tree or plane that board for your next project.
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October 8, 2025 • 57 mins
The featured lumber species today is Catalpa. A very oak like tree but with a really soft workability. High quality, clear lumber that is easy to work and comes in decent widths and lengths. Why doesn't this wood more popular? Also on the show, Tree of Heaven as lumber and the engineered wood products world of PSL, LSL, and LVL.
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September 18, 2025 • 49 mins
Today I fight my strong wood bias and take time to talk about composite lumber. All the various plastic boards you will find on the market from wood flour and plastic slurry to polyethylene capped boards and fully plastic HDPE or PVC. What you should know about the differences and how you can actually work with this stuff.
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August 27, 2025 • 49 mins
My featured species this episode is Buckeye. Its a non commercial species but not terribly hard to find and has some unique color and high propensity to form burls. But the real meat of this show is a look at how a forest regenerates after a disturbance like a fire or logging. The successional forest model helps us understand how forestry managers can foster a healthy forest through logging. But then we look at how bugs and bl...
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August 21, 2025 • 38 mins
How do you find unusual and typically non commercial wood species? In this episode I give some tips to help the listener build a network of wood sources.
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July 28, 2025 • 40 mins
Monkeypod is a great timber coming out of Costa Rica that is almost entirely FSC. It is often sold as wider slabs due to the lighter weight and the way it is sawn in the jungle. A great alternative to many of the tropical species out there like Koa and Blackwood or even some of the fancy Rosewoods.
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July 16, 2025 • 72 mins
Let's define plantations and natural forests and talk about what we can expects from the lumber coming from plantations. Also how plantations can evolve into natural forests. Ultimately why do we need plantations and why do we need natural forests. Also answer some questions about air drying and dealing with bugs as well as drying large timbers.
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June 25, 2025 • 62 mins
It could be said that Hickory built America. Hickory's properties made the American felling axe possible with its extremely high MOR and MOE values. Today we discuss this great American wood and why you need to add it to your repertoire of woods.
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May 29, 2025 • 45 mins
Douglas Fir is a species we find everywhere. So much so that we may not even know we are looking at it. It has two distinctly different markets: construction lumber and fine (very fine) lumber for cladding, decking, soffits, and even furniture. The species has had a rebirth of late and is outcompeting Western Red Cedar in the forests.
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May 15, 2025 • 56 mins
What are the markets for the common species of lumber you find at your hardwood lumber dealer. I delve into who is buying what and for what. Plus further discussion about logging in national forest land, wood movement and heat, buying veneer, and harvesting Boxwood.
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April 29, 2025 • 44 mins
This time I featured Parota or Guanacaste. The Costa Rican national tree and known for being avialable in wide slabs of red, ribbony goodness. I also discuss how to know if the wood you are buying will be good for the project you intend to build, and fungus..mmmm fungus.
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April 16, 2025 • 55 mins
Time to revisit the old stud torn from a building that is compared to the new stud fresh from the big box store. But more to the point, let's take a look at how wood is sawn from a log to meet market demands. Not that trees don't grow like they use to but do we actually need them that way too.
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March 26, 2025 • 81 mins
This episode's featured species is London Plane or Plantanus hybridia. Nearly identical to American Sycamore it is a fun blonde wood option with a striking quartersawn lace pattern. Soft and light it is easy to work but can be difficult to dry without a lot of twisting and checking. We also open the can of worms on the lumber tariff conversation and look at how lumber can pose a national security threat.
Other topics include, ...
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March 12, 2025 • 80 mins
My guest today is Mark Dubac of Windwood LLC in Portland, OR. Mark has a reputation on social media for humorous posts about the sawmilling world. Often making fun of influencers he has become a bit of an influencer himself by pulling back the curtain and showing what actually goes into sawing logs as a business.
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March 2, 2025 • 45 mins
Red Maple is also sold as Soft Maple and it is one of the species of Maple commonly found in the Soft Maple group like Big Leaf, Silver, and Striped Maple. Box Elder is often lumped into this group and sold as well as Soft Maple.
Also in this show: KDAT, Lumpy plywood, and untarped lumber.
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February 13, 2025 • 68 mins
In this episode I have the CEO of Thermalwood Canada, Bob Lennon on to talk about thermally modified wood. Thermalwood is a member of the Thermowood Association and follows their procedures for modificiation so you can expect consistent quality throughout their kiln runs. But beyond just the typical thermally modified hardwoods, Bob and his crew have been experimenting and creating new products to fill holes in other markets. In...
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January 28, 2025 • 66 mins
Today I highlight Persimmon wood as a lumber source. The North American Ebony. Then dive into the variety of decking products on the market and their lifespans. Might start to wander into touchy topics when I get to the composite market...maybe. Also I talk about Lignosat and what the future of wood in space might mean.
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