In my Spanish Cedar Regulation 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 … [Read more...] about Tips for Buying Spanish Cedar
Spanish Cedar
Spanish Cedar Is Regulated Out of Fashion
Update 9/19/20: Spanish Cedar Plywood Added to CITES Appendix II Long anticipated due to the ongoing shortage and regulation of Spanish Cedar lumber, now the manufactured Spanish Cedar plywood has been added to CITES appendix II. Up until now the distribution of manufacture of the plywood allowed for face veneers to be sourced from both Southern American Spanish Cedar, but also African sourced, … [Read more...] about Spanish Cedar Is Regulated Out of Fashion
Fijian Mahogany Alternate to Genuine Mahogany
OK I admit maybe the title of this post is a bit much but there has been a lot written on this blog in the past about finding good alternatives for difficult to obtain and expensive species. Mahogany is often the subject of this search. Since being listed as a CITES protected species, Mahogany availability and price has become an issue. Additionally, the reputation (whether true or not) of … [Read more...] about Fijian Mahogany Alternate to Genuine Mahogany
Short Lumber is Undiscovered Gold
In the US lumber industry the term "short" refers to boards shorter than 8 feet longer. For us this means usually 6-7 feet long with the large portion of our stock falling in the 7 and change length. What's interesting is that this is really only a US market term. Americans have become accustomed to thinking that the minimum board length is 8 feet and most request 10-12 foot lengths. Europe is … [Read more...] about Short Lumber is Undiscovered Gold
Increased Importing Difficulties Plague Spanish Cedar
Spanish Cedar is an excellent exterior grade species that is often viewed as a viable alternate to Genuine Mahogany. In fact the Spanish Cedar is in the same Meliaceae family that Mahogany resides so a case could be made for the similarities. The problem is that importing and sourcing it has become much much harder these days. The introduction of the species into a few new regions is helping, … [Read more...] about Increased Importing Difficulties Plague Spanish Cedar
