Lanarkshire
Hardwoods have always taken a pride in knowing the provenance of
our timber, right down to knowing in most cases exactly where the
tree stood. Most trees come from a handful of selected estates and
farms in the central Scotland belt, Perthshire & the Borders
or from a couple of local trusted tree surgery firms. All sources
can be relied upon to be environmentally sound, engaging in re-planting
& good harvesting practises. Most trees are extracted because
they are already fallen, wind blown or nearing the end of their
lives and may pose a danger if left standing. Others are felled
as part of a commercial harvesting or thinning operation.Lanarkshire hardwoods is one of the founding members of Scottish Working Woods, an organisation dedicated to supporting woodland products made in Scotland from woodland materials harvested from Scottish trees and woodlands, so BUY LOCAL! see www.scottishworkingwoods.org.uk
The
hardwood industry generally operates in buying not less than a 24
tonne lorry load at a time. Here at Lanarkshire Hardwoods, we can
go and collect an individual tree, an operation which many would
consider not economically viable, but we believe this link with
the tree and its provenance, the first link in the chain which eventually
may become a fine piece of furniture, to be an important one. In
many cases the trees would otherwise have gone to landfill or been
cut for firewood, having failed to make up a big enough load for
the hardwood timber buyer.
Each
tree is given a number and a file is kept to record all the data
- species, size , provenance, & description. As the tree is
planked the batch of boards is given the same number and further
data is recorded about the visual appearance and sizes of the boards.
All logs are photographed as they are stacked, allowing Patrick &
potential customers to view the timber a year or two later in full
colour even though the boards may be tied up in the middle of a
large stack . This facility is available on the 'stock' page.
Slow
drying = stable timber
UK
hardwood industry standard practice sees green timber sawn and loaded
into a kiln the same day and force dried at very high temperatures
in a matter of days. This may be fine for flooring and joinery products
but it leaves great stresses in the timber which are unacceptable
for furniture making grades. When you cut into this fast dried wood
it bends, bows, twists and cups, often jumping out of your hands
if ripped down the middle with a saw, such is the unreleased tension.
After manufacture this wood in the finished product is forever prone
to a high degree of movement, warping & twisting.
At
Lanarkshire Hardwoods, by contrast, the timber is produced to cabinet-making
standards so that it can be used in the high quality furniture built
by Patrick Baxter Furniture, which must stay stable during and after
manufacture. To achieve this the wood is fully air-dried, usually
for a year per inch of board thickness, before final kilning to
reduce the moisture content to 7-10%, suitable for a centrally heated
environment. Even the kilning process is slowed down to a 6-8 week
cycle and the lowest temperatures possible.
The
hardwood industry generally operates in buying not less than a 24
tonne lorry load at a time. Here at Lanarkshire Hardwoods, we can
go and collect an individual tree, an operation which many would
consider not economically viable, but we believe this link with
the tree and its provenance, the first link in the chain which eventually
may become a fine piece of furniture, to be an important one. In
many cases the trees would otherwise have gone to landfill or been
cut for firewood, having failed to make up a big enough load for
the hardwood timber buyer.
Each
tree is given a number and a file is kept to record all the data
- species, size , provenance, & description. As the tree is
planked the batch of boards is given the same number and further
data is recorded about the visual appearance and sizes of the boards.
All logs are photographed as they are stacked, allowing Patrick &
potential customers to view the timber a year or two later in full
colour even though the boards may be tied up in the middle of a
large stack . This facility is available on the 'stock' page. 
UK
hardwood industry standard practice sees green timber sawn and loaded
into a kiln the same day and force dried at very high temperatures
in a matter of days. This may be fine for flooring and joinery products
but it leaves great stresses in the timber which are unacceptable
for furniture making grades. When you cut into this fast dried wood
it bends, bows, twists and cups, often jumping out of your hands
if ripped down the middle with a saw, such is the unreleased tension.
After manufacture this wood in the finished product is forever prone
to a high degree of movement, warping & twisting.
At
Lanarkshire Hardwoods, by contrast, the timber is produced to cabinet-making
standards so that it can be used in the high quality furniture built
by Patrick Baxter Furniture, which must stay stable during and after
manufacture. To achieve this the wood is fully air-dried, usually
for a year per inch of board thickness, before final kilning to
reduce the moisture content to 7-10%, suitable for a centrally heated
environment. Even the kilning process is slowed down to a 6-8 week
cycle and the lowest temperatures possible.