Popular Post Dolmetscher007 Posted May 11, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 I am trying to make some smaller projects from woods like cherry, oak, and mahogany... so rather than buy new S4S, I've been thinking that maybe I could just find a craigslist find for really cheap, and turn someone's old oak dinner table top into boards for making a chair. Well... as it turns out, it looks like every cool-kid from Brooklyn to Portland has started taking any old board they can find and putting it up for sale on craigslist for an absurd amount of money. Railroad car floor-planks that are just a whole bunch of 1"x1" square oak spindles jointed and glued into a giant and heavy 2.5' thick composite slabs that weigh probably 250 lbs each, and could really never be sawn into anything other than what they already are... and they cost like $400 a piece. Sure they're old, and they come with some story about how they are from the 1920s. They do look cool; they are all beat up and antique looking. But really, $50 worth of oak, an afternoon, a heavy chain, some chisels and screwdrivers, and maybe hit it with an angle grinder here and there... and you've got yourself an amazing replica. And, I don't mean to rant, but pallets?!?! Pallet wood was chosen to make pallets from because it is wood that has no other purpose. It isn't good for furniture. It isn't good for anything other than... well... pallets. And let's be honest, it isn't even really good for that. Sorry to anyone on here that has taken an interest in shabby chic reclaimed wood stuff. I'm sure it can be cool. But for the most part it seems like a bourgeoisie-ass trend that is filled with dishonesty and false-promises about the environment and saving trees etc. Our forests are not being spared, because all the Beckys, Chads, and Kendalls have $300 pallet wood coffee tables in their dorm rooms. Rant over. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 That about sums it up but you can thank every HGTV show for further propaganda pushing and keeping the fad alive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 I had a similar rant a few days ago about YouTube videos as well.. Tired of seeing everyone try to undertake this hobby with crap tools and pallet wood. It has it's place but, people have become so cheap that that's all you can find everywhere you look. If this is the new "style" then, I don't like it at all! 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Brendon_t Posted May 11, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 I saw it guy use twine in a recent build..? 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JosephThomas Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 Lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddclippinger Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 I have ended up doing several projects with reclaimed lumber for clients and the material definitely costs as much as brand new lumber just to source it. My clients are shocked at the cost of the projects and I end up educating them on the fact that reclaimed lumber is labor intensive to source and clean up. Then it is NEVER 100% clean so that means chances are 100% that I will be hitting metal and that's OK, that cost is just rolled into the bill for blade replacements. It is their choice of material and their project, therefore they pay for it. In general, reclaimed lumber is just harder on the machines and more difficult to handle, all of which they have to pay for if they that's what they want. Their ideas are perpetuated by HGTV, YouTube videos, Pinterest, and Houzz. All of which are pitching the idea of "cheap" and "free" lumber. I have told a few people, "You go break down those 'free' pallets, clean them up, and then let me know how 'free' that material is when you get done." ...I did not end up working for those people... The client looks at this reclaimed lumber and sees cool shabby chic furniture artfully distressed and playfully painted with chalk paint. I see a bunch of lumber full of nails chipping my knives, blowing the carbide on my blades, and causing for a lot of extra machine maintenance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
h3nry Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 I have three opinions on this: 1) I'm a big fan of reusing, recycling and repurposing old materials, and if people are doing it with wood, then more power to them. 2) Faux distressed finishes are an abomination. Either use a genuine antique surface, or plane it smooth and touch up the paint. 3) For fine woodwork, I want someone 50 years ago to have had the foresight to plant trees that I can use today. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolmetscher007 Posted May 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 22 minutes ago, h3nry said: Faux distressed finishes are an abomination. Either use a genuine antique surface, or plane it smooth and touch up the paint. 1 I absolutely 100% agree. Whenever I think of beating up a piece of wood to look old, or when I see wood that looks all shabby, I think of Olive Garden and their faux stone facade that is meant to look like Tuscany along-side a strip mall. It's beyond tacky. I'm sure it is somehow fun, the actual act of "distressing" something. You get to take something new and scrape, beat, burnish, ding, stain, paint, and scratch something until it looks much older than it is. That does sound like fun, kinda like if you dress up for Halloween, and really absolutely nail the costume perfectly. You feel like, "Yeah, I look just like that person!" But, just like Halloween, it is a one day joke. Whenever I see a faux finished "farmhouse" coffee table, I always tend to think... "Wow that thing does look older than it is. Good job. Now where's your real actual coffee table?" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post drzaius Posted May 11, 2016 Popular Post Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 I love this thread. It has said all of what I've wanted to rant about, but now I don't have to. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 I'm going to add wood walls to the rant those things #)$*&# #$*@!. I saw some HGTV show where they paid like $2,000 for wood for a wall!! Is it ok to use "used" wood for shop items? I make my ZCIs for my table saw out of maple from pallets. I also have probably 30 3" x 3" x 8' white oak timbers from steel shipments. Buddy of mine works construction so i learned him in identifying white oak and he grams them for me. I was going to use the white oak for an assembly table frame and possibly some work benches. I have used some reclaimed wood in projects where i clean it up and treat it like new wood. I then don't tell people because after i clean it up it doesn't matter any more wood is wood to me. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 The worst part is being married to someone who is 100% into this fad. Everything ranted against in this thread, she loves. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dolmetscher007 Posted May 11, 2016 Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 Woah... don't get me wrong!!! Using reclaimed wood, in and of itself, is not inherently wrong. I absolutely troll Craigslist as often as I can looking for cheap solid wood furniture that I can tear apart and turn into nice things. Using reclaimed wood in that regard is awesome. And using pallet wood or crap plywood scraps for shop tools, jigs, and fixtures... that's just smart. My gripe isn't even with woodworkers that want to use old wood. My gripe is with two "types" of people. #1.) @$$ holes that live a very clean and unimaginative life, so they become fascinated with things that appear "rugged," old, strong, and/or used a lot. When really they just want to buy that feeling since they do not really DO anything rugged or strong. #2.) @$$holes that figure out that the other @$$holes exist and are easy to impress and cater to, so they scoop up all the awesome resources out there and sell them at astronomical prices, leaving real woodworkers that have a passion for actually creating things to sort through particle board garbage at Goodwill. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 Real men build with pallets... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
..Kev Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 12 minutes ago, Llama said: Real men build with pallets... I stack my firewood on them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llama Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 53 minutes ago, TIODS said: I stack my firewood on them! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toddclippinger Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 I do reclaimed projects, and think reusing material is a great idea. My only real problem is that most people approach me with the idea that reusing material is a cheaper alternative to using new material. Just a side thought I have always wondered about the lead content issue with all these people using old doors, windows, and paneling with lead paint and finish. As a contractor, there are regulations on how we deal with all that. But you see people sanding it off or partially off with no dust collection on the sander and only wearing a cheap, worthless dust mask and putting the stuff in their homes or for sell at the antique shows or mall. Here is one of the commercial projects I did last year with reclaimed lumber. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brendon_t Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 The same thought has crossed my mind as well. Lead is a big concern with old paint. I know there are protocols in place for containing lead and watching some of these guys sand away a hundred years of paint makes me cringe. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chestnut Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 33 minutes ago, Llama said: Real men build with pallets... They build excellent fires. There was a good fire video linked here a while ago. If i do anything with pallet wood i cut the slats of with a circ saw so i don't have to deal with pulling nails and burn the rest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 Nothing better than a pile of smoldering nails! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric. Posted May 11, 2016 Report Share Posted May 11, 2016 17 hours ago, Dolmetscher007 said: I am trying to make some smaller projects from woods like cherry, oak, and mahogany... so rather than buy new S4S, I've been thinking that maybe I could just find a craigslist find for really cheap, and turn someone's old oak dinner table top into boards for making a chair. Well... as it turns out, it looks like every cool-kid from Brooklyn to Portland has started taking any old board they can find and putting it up for sale on craigslist for an absurd amount of money. Railroad car floor-planks that are just a whole bunch of 1"x1" square oak spindles jointed and glued into a giant and heavy 2.5' thick composite slabs that weigh probably 250 lbs each, and could really never be sawn into anything other than what they already are... and they cost like $400 a piece. Sure they're old, and they come with some story about how they are from the 1920s. They do look cool; they are all beat up and antique looking. But really, $50 worth of oak, an afternoon, a heavy chain, some chisels and screwdrivers, and maybe hit it with an angle grinder here and there... and you've got yourself an amazing replica. And, I don't mean to rant, but pallets?!?! Pallet wood was chosen to make pallets from because it is wood that has no other purpose. It isn't good for furniture. It isn't good for anything other than... well... pallets. And let's be honest, it isn't even really good for that. Sorry to anyone on here that has taken an interest in shabby chic reclaimed wood stuff. I'm sure it can be cool. But for the most part it seems like a bourgeoisie trend that is filled with dishonesty and false-promises about the environment and saving trees etc. Our forests are not being spared, because all the Beckys, Chads, and Kendalls have $300 pallet wood coffee tables in their dorm rooms. It's all the rage at the moment. I work at a lumberyard on the weekends and a healthy percentage of first-time walk-in customers are looking for reclaimed anything for some terrible project they dreamed up. It's just trendy and there's nothing we can do about it but ignore it and wait it out. I feel like I've already addressed your lumber issues...you need to find a hardwood dealer. You can buy rough or skip-planed S2S material in a number of species for fairly cheap at most reputable dealers. I refuse to believe you have ZERO dealers in your area. Also, a friendly warning...I've edited a number of profanities out of your posts now...this is a PG-13 rated forum. If I have to do it again, you will feel my wrath. Carry on... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 Around the south heart pine timbers from old industrial buildings are reclaimed. They resaw it and make flooring from it. The grades with stains, nail holes and knots is very popular and it costs less than the clear premium stuff. It's old growth long leaf pine. I have seen 40 growth rings in an inch. It all costs more than quality hardwoods. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cliff Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 I think there is definitely a difference between reclaimed old growth and reclaimed pallet. Like stuff made from that Chestnut tree that is nearly extinct. I can see that being worth reclaiming, and selling for a premium. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 I have no problem using reclaimed wood or wood products. Except for toilet paper. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdwerker Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 Pallet wood is what the cheapskates that can't afford true reclaimed wood try to pass off . 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted May 12, 2016 Report Share Posted May 12, 2016 This is a just a gross itch fest. Pallets are not all the same. Reclaimed is not all the same. Furniture is not all built the same. May I never start a thread just to whine about what I don't like. (BTW in your defense, I agree with most of you.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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