Frequently Asked Questions About Wood
If your questions are not answered below, please use the Wood Inquiry Form to contact us about wood.
Carlton, Minnesota (Northern Minnesota)
No. There are import & export rules in place for each country, but in general they prohibit the transportation of raw wood, especially if it has bark on it. They classify wood as a “plant-like” material, and may contain bugs, beetles, worms or something else that they do not want imported into their country. Many countries also prohibit the use of wood shipping pallets for the same reason. Since it is virtually impossible for us to find out the exact rules and regulations for each individual country, we decided not to ship wood internationally at all.
To find out what the cost of shipping will be simply add a few items to your shopping cart, enter in your zip code, and the real-time shipping cost will show. Shipping is calculated using real-time USPS Priority Rates according to the weight and size of the package from our zip code to yours.
Custom orders are cut first-come-first-served. If I already have dry logs to cut to your specifications, it shouldn’t take long to cut your order, depending on the size, quantity, and other orders that I must fulfill first. Additional drying time may be necessary prior to shipping depending upon the moisture content of the wood. Longer time is required for sanding, drilling, and/or extra requirements.
Spalt is a battle amongst fungi living in the wood during the decay process. It can be absolutely beautiful if you catch it in time, and depending upon what type of fungi is battling for their territory. Spalt can yield beautiful colors of pink, blues, but mostly are black or gray lines. Those black lines are barriers that the fungi build to keep the other fungi out of their territory. Anyone who is a school teacher, or wants to learn more, let me know and I’ll send you some for the kids. It will help teachers to teach kids about wood. Growth rings, spalt, bark, etc. To get a better idea of what spalt is, see the photo below. One slice is dry and sanded. The other slice was dampened with water to show the spalt line. If the log was sawn into boards instead of cross-grain, the black lines will run along the slab as shown in the second photo.
Trees don’t always grow straight, and they always contain branch markings, blemishes, knots, and other natural markings which affect the size. Sometimes the slices are more of an oval shape. Say you wanted 500 – 3″ slices. We try our best to cut at 3″ diameter, but most likely the diameters will vary. We will normally list the diameter “range”, for example 2.5″ to 3.5″ diameter, and any other noticeable characteristics in the wood. We also provide photos of the actual wood product so that you can see for yourself.
Recently I received a quote request for wood slices to cover a 45 Sq. Ft. wall. The arrangement of the slices can be tight or lose, and dramatically change the number of slices required to fill a certain area. Filler slices may or may not be required, depending on the look you are trying to achieve. You can also take the same slices, turn them to rearrange, and have too many or not enough slices.
We found some on-line calculators to help you figure out how many wood slices, at your desired diameter, will it take to fill a specific area so you know how many to order. Here are some links: Square Footage Calculator | Calculate Area Of A Circle | Calculate Circles within a Rectangle
We cut the wall slices thin so they are lighter in weight. These slices can be glued to a wall, but it is best to have at least one brad nail to help hold it, especially while the glue is drying. Before installing wall slices, figure out what the wall color should be. Dark colors, such as black or dark brown work best.
Nope. Most wood species, when sliced cross-grain, need to dry slowly to prevent cracking. I air dry my logs and my slices.
Just when ya think ya heard it all, one customer said she wouldn’t buy my wood slices if I killed the tree. Don’t worry, I hug ’em first! We harvest trees that have recently been blown down in a storm, or had to be removed due to overhead electrical wires. We also check Craigs List from time to time to see if there is someone needing tree removal from their property. Wood found on the ground is usually highly spalted, full of bugs and worms, and the side that is laying on the ground stays wet and starts to rot quickly. Most of the time the wet side will lose its bark quickly, and generally is not suitable for slicing up. If caught in time, we may use that fallen tree to make lumber instead. |
What I have cut and ready to ship is posted for sale on this website.
I will gladly cut a custom wood order for you if I have the product (wood) in stock, dry, and ready to cut up, in the species and diameter that you are looking for. Please see the lead-time paragraph above.
Please use the “Wood Inquiry” form to provide information to us so that we can give you an accurate quote. That form has specific questions to help us find out what you are looking for.
