03. Materials
The wood species highlighted here were chosen with four things in mind: beauty, uniqueness, environmental impact, and durability.
Black Cherry, Prunus serotina
Where it’s from: Cherry is mostly native to the Eastern US but can also be found as close as British Columbia.
Physical characteristics: Cherry is light salmon to reddish-tan in color when freshly cut. Cherry is very photosensitive, dramatically darkening over the course of its life to a rich reddish-brown with exposure to air and sunlight. Naturally occurring features include small pin-knots, mineral streaks, and pitch pockets.
Why we like it: We picked cherry as one of our featured offerings because of its domestic availability, ease of workability, and consistent good looks.
Fun fact: Although the fruit of the black cherry is delicious, the pits and leaves contain cyanogenic glycosides. When eaten by animals (or humans), this compound converts to hydrogen cyanide and creates all manner of digestive havoc. Remember to spit out the pits!
Red Alder, Alnus rubra
Where it’s from: Alder comes to us from the Northwest US from Southern Alaska to Northern California, almost always within a few hundred miles of the Pacific Ocean
Physical characteristics: Alder’s color ranges from white to pink to light brown.
Why we like it: Alder is a fast-growing, readily available renewable resource. It has a fine close-grained structure & takes stains and finishes well. Long thought to be undesirable for fine woodworking, the world is finally coming around to the realization that alder is indeed ideal for furniture and fine cabinetry not only because its readily available, but because of its inherent natural beauty.
Fun fact: Alder is known as a pioneer species. It grows immediately following a burned or clear-cut forest, temporarily shouldering out conifers like Douglas Fir or Hemlock from reestablishing dominance. However, as the alder dies and decomposes, it provides a near-perfect soil environment for the towering evergreen giants to take hold for the long term.
Bamboo, Poaceae family
Where it’s from: Bamboo is a worldly wood, grown on every continent but Europe and Antarctica
Physical characteristics: Bamboo’s color ranges from white to blond. Heat and pressure treatment darken the naturally occurring sugars, creating the darker amber version known as caramelized bamboo. In furniture and cabinetry, the bamboo is sliced into strips and reassembled with a formaldehyde-free adhesive in various orientations into sheets, which are then processed like plywood.
Why we like it: Aside from being naturally gorgeous, bamboo is exceptionally durable. Also, the plant (actually a grass) is harvestable for lumber in just 5 years, which guarantees its status as one of the most readily available resources available.
Fun fact: Bamboo is the fastest growing plant known to mankind, and has been measured growing 47.6 inches in a single day.
Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii
Where it’s from: Douglas-fir grows between west-central British Columbia and Central California along the Pacific coast
Physical characteristics: Douglas-fir is marked by alternating stripes of reddish orange and medium yellow or tan. In furniture, it is commonly designated as VG (or vertical grain), meaning it yields a densely packed vertical grain.
Why we like it: Washington State’s cup runneth over with Douglas-fir. When cut properly, the tree’s grain pattern is clean and straight with a color that melds nicely in modern, understated furniture and cabinetry design. Reforesting clear-cut areas with Douglas-fir saplings is a common practice in forest stewardship, ensuring this resource will be available for generations to come.
Fun fact: Although the Douglas-fir isn’t a legitimate member of the fir genus (hence the hyphenated name), they do have the honor of being the second tallest tree, growing to just shy of 400 feet. Only the Coast Redwood is known to grow taller.
Lyptus, Eucalyptus grandis + Eucalyptus urophylla
Where it’s from: Lyptus grows south of the border, in Bahia, Brazil
Physical characteristics: The color of Lyptus varies from light salmon to deep red. It is a closed-grained wood, harder than oak, and darkens slightly when exposed to sunlight.
Why we like it: Lyptus is a trade name for a hybrid of two different eucalyptus species. Since it’s plantation-grown, harvesting this tree doesn’t deplete old-growth forests, so while it’s not domestic, Lyptus is a socially conscious alternative to other tropical hardwoods. It’s also very easy to work and takes stains and finishes well.
Fun fact: Temperate forests typically mature in 80 to 100 years, but a Lyptus plantation can reach the same weight and height in 14 to 16 years. Translation: Lyptus forests produce 30 times the volume of lumber when compared to an unmanaged temperate forest.
Poplar, various
Where it’s from: Poplar grows in Western North America
Physical characteristics: Poplar’s color ranges from white to pale yellow to pale green with gray streaks.
Why we like it: Fast-growing poplar is an ideal candidate for paint-grade projects because of its closed-grained surface, relative hardness and renewability.
Fun facts: There is interest in using poplar as an energy crop for biomass or biofuel, because of its high energy-in/energy-out ratio, large carbon mitigation potential and fast growth.
Melamine:
Our particleboard is EPP certified to contain 100% recycled wood fiber and meet CARB Phase 1. It contains no added urea formaldehyde and is manufactured in Oregon.
Plywood:
Our plywoods are certified by the Forestry Stewardship Council, contain no added urea formaldehyde, and is manufactured in Oregon. Prefinished plywoods have a non-VOC emitting waterborne acrylized urethane finish for exceptional durability, ease of cleaning and long life.