Reclaimed Timbers - The Pro's and Con's of Using Recovered Wood

In the world of timber frame construction you can choose green (fresh-sawn) timbers, kiln-dried, radio-frequency kiln dried - or "reclaimed" timbers. These are timbers that are recovered from previous builds - could be old buildings, docks, bridges or other structures.

There are pro's and con's to using reclaim timbers - and in this video, Bert explains the drawbacks and advantages of using reclaimed timbers.

Learn about Timber Framing, View Floor Plans & Explore the Timber Home Gallery!

[DuncSargent]

Spot on. It adds up fast. Thanks for this.

[peaeye]

"Thinking costs money" LOL! I love that line.

[l.clevelandmajor]

I'll say this:
I am a woodworker/carpenter extraordinaire. If there's one thing I know a lot about, it is wood. I know that reclaimed wood will normally be the best wood to build with, because it has been cured for usually a century or longer. I take reclaimed wood and repurpose it, designing and building cabinetry and furniture from it. My pieces are going to last centuries, so long as they are treated with the proper care. My pieces will also be valued at higher prices than pieces made using recently harvested wood.
I am from two long lines of woodworking professionals. On my Father's (he also was a woodworker) side of the family is my Grandfather, Great Grandfather, and Great Great Grandfather, all of whom were cabinet and furniture designers and builders. On my Mother's side is the famed Jackson G. Smith, a blacksmith, and his partner George L. Summers, who started "Smith and Summers Buggy Company" in Barnesville Georgia. Two partners started that company, and they built beautiful buggies for customers around the world. Perhaps the most prominent customer they built for was Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia! Yes they built her carriage! Barnesville has a yearly celebration called "Barnesville Buggy Days", honoring the industry. Seems strange that a blacksmith would also be a woodworker, but if you think about the time this company was working, you'd understand that many men had knowledge in several professions, to ensure their work was good and of the highest quality. It is the customer that will spread the word concerning the quality of any product. I have always been about quality of my workmanship. Getting it right the first time ensures that I don't have to fix problems later, and I prefer to make my products to last a very long time.
I personally have studied and implemented the knowledge I gained in all aspects of woodworking, including the quality of recently harvested wood compared to reclaimed wood. If the reclaimed wood has been cared for well, and that does not take a lot of work, so long as the building it was in was maintained well while occupied, it will be the best wood to use for a special project!
There is an old saying that remains true to this day; "You get what you pay for." Also "Anything that lasts a long time will always be of high quality." What I say concerning reclaimed wood considering the cost: "The results of what you do with it will be well worth the cost of the reclaimed wood, if you know what you are doing with that wood." As I do know what I'm doing, I will always prefer reclaimed wood, because my pieces built from it will last a very long time.👍

[jeffvanderveen]

Thanks for your knowledge and presentation. Winner winner . From up north, quesnel b.c

[Cranky_Crone]

I dunno if it’s different in the US, but in Australia the cost of new building materials has increased so much over the last few years that salvage can still cost less than the crap they flog off in big box stores. Difficulty seems to be finding builders who will work with materials that don’t have a sticker saying they meet the regulated standards. You only have to do a bit of math to demonstrate that it’s equal or better, but that’s too hard apparently. Mind you, finding a tradie who could still rule a straight line is becoming a challenge; it’s all about throwing shit up as fast/cheap as possible before skipping town for many of the cowboys around here… (hence why I’m a single mum in my 40s here, learning all I can about timber! 😂)

[jamesryan]

Quick Quick Quick Question for ya! My father owns a custom guitar shop and we have a lot of Mahogany 4"x4"x82" billets. Good material for timber Framing? or Bad Material for timber framing? Thanks so much :)

[matthewwhelan]

This vid is from the perspective of the end consumer. All of the wood I have reclaimed from barns has been free from my own sweat equity. My next venture is going to be to construct our next house from primarily reclaimed materials. So don’t DIY = $$$$. DIY = Almost free

[twintwo]

Experienced lumber salvager here. 90% of this video is absolute horsesh-t. SAVE YOUR LUMBER, SALVAGE YOUR LUMBER, SELL YOUR LUMBER FOR YOURSELF. NEVER GIVE IT UP DUE TO LAZINESS.