The story of Chestnut
Working with Chestnut is a bittersweet experience. Of all the
species of wood in the world it is my favorite. It is strong,
lightweight, easy to machine, resistant to insects and beautiful. It is
also extinct. A blight brought in by a freighter from Japan in 1904
wiped out every Chestnut tree within a few years. Chestnut was
once one of the most plentiful trees in the eastern forest. The trees
grew to huge proportions. In the picture to the right, look for the
man standing between the trees. It is said that one full size tree
could fill a rail car with lumber. Much of colonial America was built
with Chestnut. It was used for everything from framing to furniture.
There are thousands of old barns that are framed with chestnut
beams. This is where I get most of my Chestnut lumber. There are
many companies that take down old barns and sell the lumber to
home builders and cabinetmakers. Air dried old growth timber is
superior to modern kiln dried lumber in every way.
species of wood in the world it is my favorite. It is strong,
lightweight, easy to machine, resistant to insects and beautiful. It is
also extinct. A blight brought in by a freighter from Japan in 1904
wiped out every Chestnut tree within a few years. Chestnut was
once one of the most plentiful trees in the eastern forest. The trees
grew to huge proportions. In the picture to the right, look for the
man standing between the trees. It is said that one full size tree
could fill a rail car with lumber. Much of colonial America was built
with Chestnut. It was used for everything from framing to furniture.
There are thousands of old barns that are framed with chestnut
beams. This is where I get most of my Chestnut lumber. There are
many companies that take down old barns and sell the lumber to
home builders and cabinetmakers. Air dried old growth timber is
superior to modern kiln dried lumber in every way.
