.... a continuation of yesterday's post ... Here you see part of the milling crew at North Cal Wood Recycling checking one of the reclaimed Douglas Fir beams for nails and spikes prior to running the re-saw blade through it. A metal detector wand is used to locate any metal pieces that may be hidden under the surface of the wood. Extraction of the metal pieces is manual using hammers, pry bars, nail removers, and at times a forklift with chains to yank the deep-embedded spikes loose.
This reclaimed timber will be trimmed down to a 10" x 10" x 23 foot long post to be used in the construction of the entrance to the Rod Shippey Education Facility at the UC Hopland Research & Extension Center. The next BLOG post will show the actual trimming process.
It is a shame that more reclaimed wood material is not used in the construction industry. In many cases the old reclaimed wood is a much higher quality material with tighter wood grain and less knots. However, there are costs involved ... and unfortunately many times it is economically cheaper to demolish, scrap, and rebuild with new materials.
