All About Reclaimed Wood & Antique Lumber

reclaimed wood avon, ma

We are always on the lookout to purchase reclaimed and antique lumber, and will travel considerable distances to get it! This consists of beams, joists, rafters, flooring, and siding from buildings that are demolished or renovated, ideally from mills that were constructed in the 1800’s or early 1900’s. The age makes a huge difference, because almost all of the timbers that went into these buildings was from “old growth” forests. Species like Southern Yellow Pine, Douglas Fir, Red and White Oak, and Eastern White Pine, all grew slowly in very dense forests, competing for every ray of sunlight. Many saplings and smaller trees were crowded out, while the survivors grew tall and straight, with few branches, and few knots in the wood.

Read More

Just Arrived: Hardwood & Pine Slabs

hardwood slabs and live edge lumber

Recently, I was able to purchase a couple loads of such materials. We have wide, “live edge” slabs in Black Walnut, Black Cherry, White Oak, Red Oak, and Eastern White Pine. These run from 1″ to 3″ in thickness, along with some 4″ and 6″ pieces ideal for mantel tops. We also have a limited amount of American Elm, Maple, and a few other species.

Read More

Specialty Lumber & Woodworking Supplies Are Our Bread & Butter

specialty lumber & woodworking supplies

In addition to stocking some of the finest hardwoods, hardwood plywood, and Eastern White Pine, Barney & Carey Co. also carries a nice assortment of woodworking supplies. For example, we recently started manufacturing our own “Perfectly Square Blocks.” These are used when clamping together cabinet face fronts—and cabinets—to square them up perfectly. We offer them in small, medium, and large sizes, and make them out of 1″ Baltic Birch Plywood. Baltic Birch is a superior plywood, with many more plies than fir and other hardwood plywoods. The result is a much more stable product that lies perfectly flat and will not warp.

Read More

Live Edge Lumber & Slabs: Out With the Old & In With the New

live edge lumber

Back in the 1950s and 1960s, it was kind of a fad to use live edge lumber on the gable ends of ranch and split-level houses. Many people, myself included, thought this was a total mismatch of architectural styles, but it sure was big for a while. “Live edge” boards are flat sawn for the width of the log, which ideally should have a wavy pattern on one side, due to protrusions from tree branches, etc.

Read More