I have an Alaskan chainsaw mill which is perfect for planking large difficult to reach fallen trees.
It's very satisfying making a piece of furniture for a customer from a tree that grew near their house. It goes some way towards healing the pain of losing a favourite tree. I can also just plank a log for you without any obligation to make furniture from it. |
I get a lot of my wood from Hoyle Hardwoods in Llangernyw. Dave usually has what I need in stock and it is almost all from the UK.
The wood is sawn using a large antique Robinson band saw powered by a bus engine. It is then stacked for months or years (depending on thickness) to air dry and then kiln dried to lower the moisture content further. Woods like oak, ash, elm, sycamore, yew, cherry, sweet chestnut, london plane (lacewood) and beech are all available, although some intermittently which makes them feel a bit more precious. |
Sometimes I get wood direct from the local forests, planked in the woods with a Wood-Mizer portable saw mill. There is an abundance of larch and Douglas fir which are perfect for building projects and outdoor applications due to their high rot resistance.
For sheet materials my favourite is birch ply which, as well as being nice looking is a bit more planet-friendly than far eastern rainforest ply. Birch grows relatively quickly in well managed forests in the northern hemisphere. |