Teak Future is Simultaneously Sunny and Cloudy

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Teak Distribution Yard

The Teak market has been all abuzz about the the trade sanctions being lifted against Myanmar. Being able to buy “genuine” Teak direct could be very good for the market. The realities we are discovering is that we are far from answers on the legalities of the lumber, concerns about quality control have been raised, and a looming log ban will essentially drop inventories to zero. The already climbing price for Teak is about to get a boost and one has to wonder just how much higher it can go before the species gets abandoned. Like I said, there is [...] Read more »

Tips for Buying Spanish Cedar

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Spanish Cedar windows

In my last article the case was made that the Spanish Cedar market has permanently changed and lower availability is the new normal. Spanish Cedar is still trickling out of South America but it is also now being grown on plantations in Africa. While still technically the same genus and couple of species, Cedrela odorata, fissilis, huberi, the quality and properties are not quite the same. This time I’ll provide some tips to help you buy Spanish Cedar today to ensure you get what you actually need, and I’ll discuss some better alternative species that you should consider instead. How [...] Read more »

Spanish Cedar Is Regulated Out of Fashion

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Spanish Cedar Door

Spanish Cedar has been a popular species for a long time. Humidor makers actually call it “Cigar Wood” for its excellent properties in humidor building. Home builders love using it as an exterior wood for stain grade projects. It looks and acts just like Genuine Mahogany but can be bought for around the half the price so the choice seems obvious. Well it has been more than 2 years since I last wrote about the difficulties of importing good Spanish Cedar. Guess what, it hasn’t gotten any better. I think it is clear this isn’t a slump in the supply [...] Read more »

Are We Overbuilding Our Boardwalks?

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Ipe Boardwalk

The mad scramble to rebuild the east coast boardwalks after Hurricane Sandy has begun.  As usual, many municipalities dragged their feet during the winter, and with tourist season looming just a few months away, our phones are ringing off the hook with people looking for 2×4 and 2×6 Ipe for a boardwalk somewhere along the Atlantic coast.  Ipe suppliers such as J. Gibson McIlvain and many of our contemporaries have been stocking up in preparation for this surge, but even then we will see the supply chain severely tested because these commercial projects automatically specify 2x lumber.  The overwhelming majority [...] Read more »

Things to Look For When Buying Teak Lumber

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FEQ Teak boat deck

With the trade embargo lifted on Myanmar, Teak lumber buying is set to get very confusing very quickly with many new suppliers entering the market.  It is still unclear whether this will lower the barrier to entry for those looking to get into the Teak game, but it is a safe bet that with the Myanmar government already talking about banning exports, many players will try to get into the market while they can.  Previously, the serious buyer could always discount the lower quality lumber by determining the country of origin (e.g. India, Indonesia, Cote d’Ivoire – more on these in [...] Read more »

Plenty of Ipe to Rebuild East Coast Hurricane Damage

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Hurricane Sandy Boardwalk Damage

I have written in the past about the difficulties that come with buying Ipe, due to distinct seasons created by the rainy season.  Additionally, there is global competition for the resource, and we have had to get more and more savvy about when we buy and how to extend our buying season in order to take best advantage of sizes that quickly become scarce. This year the playing field was set, as it always is, but then Europe never made their first move.  It seems the Euro crisis has all but killed any demand for Ipe abroad, and Brazilian mills [...] Read more »

Do I Need Air Dried or Kiln Dried Ipe Decking?

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Ipe Decking Red Rocks

There is no question that the primary use for Ipe is as a decking material.  As a decking product, Ipe is surfaced on 4 sides (S4S) and eased on 4 edges (E4E) which prevents splintering and sharp edges in this very, very hard wood.  Depending on how our clients choose to install the Ipe decking, we may have to rout a groove for clip fasteners, but at most, that is all we are doing to the wood before shipment. As a decking material, Ipe is air dried to around 18% moisture content, before it is milled in South America into [...] Read more »

Burmese Teak Illegal?

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Teak lumber sawing

The Myanmar government has announced that they will ban timber exports starting in April of 2014.  The official reasons for the ban are due to an increase in deforestation in Myanmar, which has reduced the country’s forested land from 57% in the 1960s to 24% in 2008.  There is some debate as to whether the ban means no more logging or just no log exporting in order to keep the milling on shore.  This control of work share is already happening in many countries as a way to retain local jobs, so it is reasonable to expect this outcome.  There [...] Read more »

African Mahogany Shortage is Indicative of a Larger Global Issue

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African Mills are being forced to close due to lack of profits and government intervention

Before anyone gets too excited, there is not a shortage of African Mahogany (Khaya spp) due to over harvesting.  There is still plenty in the forests and the species is not endangered at all.  The shortage comes from a lack of people harvesting, sawing, and seasoning it.  If you read my article about Poplar price increases then this article may give you some deja vu.  In the last few weeks and months it has become increasingly difficult to get African Mahogany.  Several long standing orders have not shipped on time or in some cases, postponed indefinitely.  When you inquire with [...] Read more »

Bob Taylor says B Grade is Worthwhile

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Bob Taylor, President of Taylor guitars recently posted a video on YouTube about the Ebony trade.  We have been talking about it for a few days around here and I thought it was time to write a little something about it.  First off, I applaud Mr Taylor for taking a stance and publishing this video.  The overwhelming takeaway is that it takes 10 trees to find one that is A grade while the remaining 9 trees rot on the forest floor.  The more people that can view this video and realize this the better so we are excited to have [...] Read more »