# Barn Wood. Why.



## Gilley23 (May 9, 2017)

I'm just not understanding this fascination with "reclaimed barn wood". Not trying to be curmudgeonly but I just don't get it. Who cares if it's from a 100 year old barn….It's gray and looks like it's rotted worse than Sussie Jane's meth-mouth.

People are paying through the nose for the stuff , often times more than black walnut. Maybe it's just a feel-good thing that they get when can proclaim to their vegan-feminazi-solar power using-#2 in a bucket to compost their own crap-save the Wisconsin pink rhinoceros-friends.

Rotten 100 year old gray wood that once contained purchased and owned farm hands, $43/bf, come and get it!


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## Brodeln311 (Jan 30, 2018)

How I feel about pallet wood as well.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

You know the answer: it's a style, or a fad, that won't last forever. I hated disco, and that lasted years. Paneling, ceiling tile and indoor/outdoor carpet lasted for more than a decade. In a few years, people all over the country will be busting up their granite countertops for something different as well. Stainless steel appliances will be 'so 2000s' before too long. It doesn't have to make sense, does it?


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## John Smith_inFL (Dec 15, 2017)

it's a Millennial thing. . . . yes, fads come and go. (I'm glad I still have my green paisley shirt).

but - how about taking perfectly good bass wood and carving it up to "look like" 100 year old barn wood ??










.


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## Sawdustonmyshoulder (Jun 19, 2008)

With all due respect, I just finished two projects with 'barn wood'. It was red oak and white oak. It wasn't rotten, gray or 100 years old. I bought it because my client wanted it. The wood was milled on a circular saw mill. It was heavy, solid and it came right out of a barn. I paid less than $1 a board foot for it. All I had to do was pressure wash the boards to get rid of the abundance of red sand that had made a home on it. Made a few Benjamins along the way too.

I guess my point is that it was what my client asked for and as long as it's not illegal, immoral or against Scout law, I'll do it for them. If they wanted it planed smooth as a baby's back end, I would have obliged them but they didn't.

I'm with Smitty….. it's a fad. But I prefer to swim with the tide as opposed to swimming against it. This fad will fade like avocado green refrigerators and pink tiled bathrooms. In the meantime, I'll ride the horse as far as she'll carry me. Then I'll be glad to take it all back in to my shop and plane way. Just keep those card$ and letter$ coming.

Thanks for making it this far in my ramblin'.


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## runswithscissors (Nov 8, 2012)

Awfulest stuff I ever saw was in the bathroom I redid for a friend. Tub, toilet, and sink were all a dark chocolate brown. It even hurt my eyes to tear it out. The dump refused it on the grounds that they only accepted decent looking crap.


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## Kribbz (May 10, 2016)

> You know the answer: it s a style, or a fad, that won t last forever. I hated disco, and that lasted years. Paneling, ceiling tile and indoor/outdoor carpet lasted for more than a decade. In a few years, people all over the country will be busting up their granite countertops for something different as well. Stainless steel appliances will be so 2000s before too long. It doesn t have to make sense, does it?
> 
> - Smitty_Cabinetshop


Stainless is on its way out. The new fad is "Black Stainless" as it doesn't show the fingerprints. But I'm with most here, just a fad, it will pass. Hell my wife has me putting fake Ship lap all over my house. You know how long it is going to take to remove all these brad nails and spackle each one! But you know what they say, Happy wife, Happy life.


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## Mike_in_STL (Dec 8, 2016)

My wife works in the design industry and agrees that it is probably a fad. The idea is to bring a bit of the perceived less complicated, slower lifestyle of rural life into today's tech filled, overstimulated lifestyle. She says the grey wood that is popular at the moment will fade away, but the wood has a ton of character, if you can get through the patina.

Don't get me wrong, I have a collection of old barn wood in my till, and use it as requested by the wife. Some of this wood is beautiful old growth oak and it was milled with huge water powered saws and the like.

Yeah, it's probably a feel good thing, and if you use it, take the time to find the metal, or use a blade you don't care about.

I always try to get her to let me plane the stuff down and bring out the real beauty, but that's not the thing with this stuff. It'll pass.


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## AZWoody (Jan 18, 2015)

Maybe it's a preference and if it's not yours, so be it.


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

How about barn wood with mushrooms. You could be sitting in your easy chair and grab a snack right off your coffee table.:^)


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

I think it kind of started with architects spec'ing
reclaimed beams for faux (or real) timber frame
homes. Those places showed up in design journals
and 20 years later barnwood anything is all the
rage.

Lately a lot of what I'm seeing is basically nailed
panels with plywood backing for headboards and
tables, stuff like that. One place is welding up
frames to hold wood farm crates in lieu of drawers.
Looks like disposable retail furnishings for shops.

I mostly don't get it myself, and I've explained to a few
people that "reclaimed" often means the opposite
of "inexpensive". I think it depends on where you
are. Here in California I don't think there are many
old barns within 1000 miles and it's people with
connections in other states bringing it out.


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## cathode (May 18, 2014)

I've seen people on OWWM.org complaining about a similar trend of "industrial" styles. "Steampunk" is a ridiculous buzzword that comes to mind. Apparently a lot of the old iron is being bought up by fools hired by idiotic architects and interior designers. They strip out all the wheels, gears, pulleys, etc. and tack them on a piece of "barn wood" and suddenly you have a "steampunk wall art" piece that took 15 minutes to make and it's being sold for $1000.


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## WalkerR (Feb 8, 2017)

I think "reclaimed", "barnwood", and "rustic" are all terms that are just being re-appropriated to describe a wide range of styles that are different from "modern" or "sleek", in that they are usually rougher looking and less polished. The terms change over time but the concepts don't.

A "barnwood" kitchen could mean many things, and it doesn't really need to come from an actual barn. It could be old gray wood, it could be recently cut wood that's rough cut, it could be faked using the brillo pad/vinegar method, etc. Heck, it could just be knotty pine that people label it "rustic".

I do hear what your saying though about the yuppy hipsters who like to pay more for things because they say "Organic" or "small batch", etc. But just like any other fad, there were legitimate products and consumers before it was trendy, there still are during the fad, and there will still be a market for it after the fad fades.


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## Knockonit (Nov 5, 2017)

quit whining and jump on the band wagon, make a buck, and get ready for the next band wagon, its capitalism isn't it. 
Rj


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## clin (Sep 3, 2015)

I had the impression that some like to use barn wood, not because it looked old, but rather becasue it is higher quality wood than you can typically get today. Maybe not exactly "old growth" but something along those lines.

Same could be said for any wood reclaimed from an old structure.

If someone is actually paying $43/bf, well I guess they have more money than sense. But it's a good thing when wealthy people spend their money.


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## JustplaneJeff (Mar 10, 2013)

Hey, remember when paneling was all the rage. Just sayin!!


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## ArtMann (Mar 1, 2016)

One could say the same thing about a lot of "antiques". In most cases, those items in antique shops are just cheap worn out furniture that has no other redeeming value.

Having said that, I do a lot of work with barn wood that was recovered from an old tractor shed on our farm. Its single important redeeming feature is it is, far and away, the best selling and highest price material for inspirational signs I have ever sold using my CNC router. I don't care why others like it. I will build with it until the "shabby sheek" craze goes away.


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## Fresch (Feb 21, 2013)

And that is why I save all my cardboard! I've got the market cornered and just waiting for the "homeless look" to take off!
Got to go, saw some plastic bags just ripe for the picking, off the interstate!


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## Knockonit (Nov 5, 2017)

I"m just hoping the pencil use increases, having been a carpenter for about 50 years, i've saved every vendors pencil, if they come back gonna have the corner sale on main street, big sign, retired carpenters pencils, get'm while you can.

lol, seems like it all runs in cycles, but hey, what ever floats a designers boat, i say, sure put the reuse of a lotta what might have been fire wood, or just bug food.

happy tuesday
Rj in az.


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## wormil (Nov 19, 2011)

There are lots of things I don't understand … like why would someone watch a video by a random person on facebook and boycott a product. Or read an accusation over twitter and assume it's true. Or refuse to vaccinate their child. Or believe what politicians say and ignore what they do. Or watch Jerry Springer. Or the obsession with dovetails. Life is full of mysteries. But why someone would like a rustic aesthetic, that's not a mystery at all. I mean all that lightheartedly, lest anyone get their britches in a bunch.


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## msinc (Jan 8, 2017)

I quit asking why a long time ago…I just take the money and run.


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## FancyShoes (Aug 31, 2014)

Imagine what could be worse than what youbjust explained in the original post.

After thinking about that, that is what a few of us have thought about some of the projects we have seen on this website.

Anyway, whatever people like, and are happy with, is all that matters. Its not yours, its theirs. Best not to complain or worry about what we can not control.

I am happy for those who try and then try harder to get better.

As for the fad, it will go away, I just asked a friend how long he thinks this will be in style. Because I would like to redo my house. Would hate to fix it to a specific trend to not be able to sell it if by time I finish, it is out of style and if I needed to sell the house, I would have to redo it.

Anyway, in the end, it doesnt matter because the next trend one person will like, and another will hate. Just like everything else.

Hey, have you though about building something like the rustic or reclaimed? Maybe if you did, you would like it! Join the borg man!


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## Ripper70 (Nov 30, 2015)

I'm not sure it's a "fad". In 1990 I was working with a small group of furniture makers using "reclaimed" wood out of a shop in Hollywood, CA. One of the guys would rent a big truck and drive up to Oregon and fill it with old barn wood, almost all of it Douglas Fir. Some of the main roof beams were 14" x 18" and 50 feet long. We'd process the wood with a 20" table saw and make dining tables that would sell on Melrose Ave. for several thousand dollars. I hated woking with the wood as it was filled with nails and bolts and threw splinters like crazy. We'd leave all that old rusted iron in place. Cut right through the nails and stuff. Gave the piece "character", I suppose.

I always thought the stuff we made looked great and we made pretty good money using that old wood. That was 28 years ago. How long is a "fad" supposed to last? Probably until there's no more old barn wood to be had.


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## mtnwalton (Aug 4, 2015)

I wouldn't consider it a fad, it has had popularity since back in the 70's in lots of areas. I think it could be easily overdone though. Myself, i could do without "live edge"


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## mjheck (Apr 3, 2015)

I see that Rockler is selling "faux" barn wood(3/8" x 6") for $10.00/bf. Now that is going too far.


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## WalkerR (Feb 8, 2017)

oh yeah, it's even infiltrated the big orange store. 
https://www.homedepot.com/b/Pick-Up-Today/N-5yc1vZ1z175a5/Ntk-all/Ntt-barnwood?NCNI-5&browsestoreoption=1


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## tomsteve (Jan 23, 2015)

i milled the frame for this from old hand hewn red oak barn beams. because i could and they look awesome.just one of many frames ive made with reclaimed wood.


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## Tony1212 (Aug 26, 2013)

I think there are a few reasons driving the desire for old barn wood.

- The belief that old growth is better than new wood. There is an idea that it is stronger and has more character than freshly milled pieces for quickly grown trees. Whether it's true or not is immaterial. It's still (in most cases) good wood.

- The whole "save the trees" mindset. There is a level of satisfaction (and possibly superiority) in knowing your new wooden widget was made without having to cut down precious trees that provide oxygen to the planet.

- It's old, pre-milled, and unwanted, therefore it must be cheaper. Maybe at first, but now I think demand has more than caught up with supply, possibly making it more expensive than fresh milled wood.

- It's popular. On the heels of the previous point, it's become a whole design aesthetic that people just NEED in their homes.

- It's "rustic". As mentioned up-thread, people like the idea of being out in the country while living in the reality that there's a Whole Foods just down the street.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

Some of the most beautiful furniture I have ever seen was made from old growth long leaf pine reclaimed from old barns in East Texas. Of course, it wasn't made in the rustic style because they planed off the old patina, though there were a few nail holes. One reason that reclaimed wood took off in the first place was because old barns are often made with wood from virgin forests, like American chestnut, that you just cannot get anymore.


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## Holt (Mar 15, 2011)

I have similar feelings about distressing furniture. Seems disingenuous.


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## woodenwarrior (May 23, 2012)

In defense of "barnwood" or reclaimed wood, (of which I'm not a big fan), a few years ago I was given several five foot long 6×8 eastern cedar beams that came from a 300 year old structure. After resawing and milling, this wood is almost completely blood red due to the tightness and quantity of grain. It makes the most wonderful lining for blanket chests. Barnwood isn't always just a fad.


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## LiveEdge (Dec 18, 2013)

Sometimes (but now always) the reclaimed wood comes with a story that now becomes part of the piece. My desk (see projects) comes from wood salvaged from a Tannery built in 1903 which was a historical landmark (see bottom). My kitchen table (see projects, actually now a coffee table) comes from wood from the Oregon State Hospital which is where One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was filmed in 1975. Stories like that become conversation pieces.


Muir & McDonald Tannery was the longest continual business in Dallas when it closed in 2007, after 144 years. It also was the oldest tannery west of the Mississippi. Despite being listed on the National Register of Historic Places, most of the familiar red building on SW Levens Street has since been torn down to make room for development and only the scale house, or weight shed, remains today.


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## Blondewood (Mar 30, 2009)

I'm glad you asked this. I always wondered myself. When my better 1/2 asked for a headboard from barnwood, I thought uck! I don't want that old stuff in the house. So I bought new pined and aged it with the steel wood, tea, vinegar method. Looks old, but is CLEAN. I don't really like the gray look either, so I wiped a little golden oak stain on it too. Spouse approved and was happy and I like it too.


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## Johnny_Yuma (Nov 29, 2009)

I paid $2.35 bf for this materiasl. What was I thinking?










Who would ever buy something like this? IDK, but I sell at least one a week.









I have to admit, this one isn't my style, but I sold 43 of them in '17. I think I like barn wood!


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## dhazelton (Feb 11, 2012)

Furniture made with it doesn't look like it came out of a factory or from China. It has character, it shows wear and history. What do YOU like to work with?


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## EarlS (Dec 21, 2011)

I'd love to get my hands on some old barn wood that is 6/4 or 8/4 and clean it up and use it. Here in the Midwest, old barn wood could be walnut, maple, oak or occasionally cherry. You can keep the rotting, splintered, busted up stuff like they use on HGTV.


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## Ocelot (Mar 6, 2011)

Well, what's the fascination with wood anyway?

Plastic is so much better in every way - cheaper, easier to mass-produce, more stable, waterproof…

Whatever people like, they like.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

Nice stuff, Drew!


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## CaptainKlutz (Apr 23, 2014)

Barnwood?

Personally not a fan for rustic style furniture, but using barn wood that has been cleaned/milled to show the fabulous character of old growth lumber makes for rally nice projects. So be would be happy to accept free barn wood.

My real problem with barn wood is cost/value relationship. Wood is cheap IF you can obtain it where it grows.
If you located in farming country where cheap barn wood is available (<$2 bdft), then you should be using it when ever a project needs distressed/rustic/aged style wood. But when wood cost becomes more than traditional fancy hardwood costs (cherry, walnut, QSWO), then it becomes a luxury tax on buyer and you are simply feeding peak supply/demand cycles created by greedy people taking a fools money. 
Frankly, If I have to pay more then $5-$10 bdft for wood, I would pick exotic look of waterfall/curly maple, bubinga, or lacewood; over any old growth wood. But then I am cheap, and know how to make low cost #1 common walnut/cherry/pine look like old barn wood. 

YMMV


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## MrRon (Jul 9, 2009)

Reclaimed wood whether from barns or sunken logs, is used for a "style" of building. It is not just a fad. That style of building is popular in some areas of the country. Rustic is a style as is contemporary, modern, victorian, art deco, etc.


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## Holt (Mar 15, 2011)

That makes perfect sense. If you wanted to use chestnut for a project, that might be the only way to get it. The desire to build a project with beat up crappy looking reclaimed material just so it will look beat up and crappy looking escapes me.

Although I like the "stars" and what they do for the most part, I think Joanna from Fixer Upper's tendency to hang old junk on walls as decoration is partially to blame for this phenomenon. And ship lap. I don't think anyone who wasn't a builder in certain parts of the country knew what it was and now it's part of the national vocabulary <g>.



> Barnwood?
> 
> Personally not a fan for rustic style furniture, but using barn wood that has been cleaned/milled to show the fabulous character of old growth lumber makes for rally nice projects. So be would be happy to accept free barn wood….
> 
> - CaptainKlutz


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## Mike_in_STL (Dec 8, 2016)

Here is a project I did for my wife with pallet wood, it's all hardwood.

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/320505

If you spend the time and get the option to machine it, it's a huge wow factor.


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## clin (Sep 3, 2015)

Drew,

If you're selling that much, you must be doing something wrong, because why would anyone want any of that? You must be taking advantage of simple minded folk.

Those tables look great.


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

> Maybe it s a preference and if it s not yours, so be it.
> 
> - AZWoody


That pretty well says it! What type of WOOD do YOU prefer to work with for Your Projects?

*Oh wait, 266 days on here and NO Projects To show for it. You have also done 471 Posts. 2 that you started. This one and a Non Wood Related Post "I'm looking for a new set of Bluetooth earphones."*

By all means. Carry On!

PS: Great Looking Tables Drew!

Rick


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## ArtMann (Mar 1, 2016)

True observation-

The barn wood I mentioned in an earlier post that was salvaged from a tractor shed was actually wood recovered from a 19th century school house and it is mostly solid heart pine. My father in law built the shed in about 1985 after the original school collapsed while we attempted to move it. He ran out of old school house lumber and went to the saw mill and bought rough sawn SYP to finish it out. When I disassembled the tractor shed, nearly all the wood purchased in 1985 was rotten. The heart pine, which was cut in the late 1800's, was mostly solid and could have been used to build another solid shed.


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## PeteStaehling (May 3, 2015)

I am a little puzzled by the comments suggesting barn wood usage is a recent fad. Hasn't it been a thing for at least the last 30 or 40 years?

I am not a big fan of the usual barn wood usage, but have used a lot of reclaimed American chestnut and other lovely old growth wood. I typically mill it so, it isn't obvious that it is barn wood.

In at least one case the outer portion of the plank had a lovely color that came from age and exposure. I jointed it as lightly as possible and made a matched pair of custom musical instruments for a customer. The plank also had really beautiful grain. Between the color and the grain it may have been the most beautiful piece of wood I have ever worked with. I managed to get all of the soundboards out of one thin resaw slice. Sadly the plank belonged to the customer and he wanted all of the remaining portion of the plank as well as all scraps. I would have loved to have had it.


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

Pete I would like to see some pics what you got going there sounds great. I've made several pieces from old growth Douglas fir my work is not rustic.
Drew I hate to tell you but your work is being copied. I've swear I seen the same looking tables at the pottery barn and crate and barrel. :^)


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

There are a number of reclaimed lumber companies in Montana that provide some beautiful wood for floors, furniture, and other purposes. Most of this wood looks like wood at any commercial mill except is is older and somewhat cheaper!


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## Carloz (Oct 12, 2016)

Some people prefer reclaimed wood, some thermofoil on MDF, Some nails in glass.
Normally they understand each other and get along quite well. Sometimes someone who "does not understand" pops up and shouts out his lack of understanding , using jargon that reflects his origins. That's OK too we are all different.



> I m just not understanding this fascination with "reclaimed barn wood". Not trying to be curmudgeonly but I just don t get it. Who cares if it s from a 100 year old barn….It s gray and looks like it s rotted worse than Sussie Jane s meth-mouth.
> 
> People are paying through the nose for the stuff , often times more than black walnut. Maybe it s just a feel-good thing that they get when can proclaim to their vegan-feminazi-solar power using-#2 in a bucket to compost their own crap-save the Wisconsin pink rhinoceros-friends.
> 
> ...


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## TheFridge (May 1, 2014)

Barnwood. Pallets. Distressed. Ana White. Etc

Vomit


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> Maybe it s a preference and if it s not yours, so be it.
> 
> - AZWoody
> 
> ...


i agree rick a lot of talk but nothing to show for it.hey if ya dont like barn wood dont use it,but many here do and make very beautiful furniture from it.to each his own!maybe you could show us some of the stuff you make with the wood you do like?


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

No Replies at all from "Gilley23"? He did 2 other Posts Today but not on here. I guess we're all just wasting our breath. His Home Page is absolutely Bare.

Oh well. I'm gone and Off Watch.

Regards To ALL: Rick


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Well, I WAS trying to post a few of my own Barn wood projects I made over the past 20 or so years….then this site went down for most of the day….

And, with an attitude like that last post…why should I even bother? Gilley23 is really the least of my concerns….IF he WANTS to post something, what's to say YOU won't jump all over him about it? 









Used to be rafters from a Carriage House/Garage that fell down…..owner asked IF I could make use of some of the wood….









Client wanted a Walnut stain…...otherwise this was QSWO….


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

nice reuse of some great old wood that would probably have ended up in the dump,but now lives on as a great piece of furniture for another 100 years.nice job bandit.


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## Dark_Lightning (Nov 20, 2009)

I read through the whole thread, but there is one thing I guess I missed, if it was mentioned. A lot of that wood is thick enough to plane off the outer oxidation and reveal the clean wood. If it is that old, it's likely to be older slow-growth wood with much tighter growth rings. As long it's at a low price point I would buy it, were any even available in southern California.

I've been here for a little over 8 years, but have posted few projects because of my camera skills being in the tank. I may have that figured out, with my new cell phone. Hacking on people for not posting projects doesn't help the atmosphere here.

And yes, that's some nice work, Bandit!


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## Ripper70 (Nov 30, 2015)

> I have to admit, this one isn t my style, but I sold 43 of them in 17. I think I like barn wood!
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Wow! Nice work, Drew. That looks almost exactly like the tables we used to make and I still think to looks great. We used breadboard ends and all M&T and dowel joinery. No hardware other than the rusted bolts and nails that we left in place. The hoity-toity shop on Melrose Ave. sold 'em so fast we could barely meet the demand.

We would bleach all the tops prior to sanding and finishing with Briwax buffed to a matte finish. What kind of finish are you using there?


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Not all the reclaimed wood I used over the years came from barns….the wood for this coopered top blanket chest came from the floor of a one room school house…..


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## woodrookieII (Feb 9, 2011)

I like using re-claimed/re-purposed wood as it adds an element to the piece, which is the wood story. Like the mahogany I salvaged from floor of an 1870's farm house. Or the black walnut from the feed bin in the Ashtabula barn. Or the hard as rock cherry from a pallet that a piece of equipment from Brazil came on. Or the post office box doors from 1896 that are stunning when restored. And on and on. Folks seem to take to that sort of thing. So in all my "smalls" (boxes and such) I include the story of the wood on an insert. And sometimes folks will choose based on the wood story.

And to be honest, I like telling the wood story.

....rookieII


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## caboxmaker (May 3, 2017)

Per Alaska Guy most of the woodworkers on this site use alder…that means the remainder must use barn wood.


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

> I read through the whole thread, but there is one thing I guess I missed, if it was mentioned.* A lot of that wood is thick enough to plane off the outer oxidation and reveal the clean wood. If it is that old, it s likely to be older slow-growth wood with much tighter growth rings. As long it s at a low price point I would buy it, were any even *available in southern California*.
> 
> I ve been here for a little over 8 years, but have posted few projects because of my camera skills being in the tank. I may have that figured out, with my new cell phone. Hacking on people for not posting projects doesn t help the atmosphere here.
> 
> ...


You are correct! It can become Beautiful Wood!

Rick


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> Per Alaska Guy most of the woodworkers on this site use alder…that means the remainder must use barn wood.
> 
> - caboxmaker


so you have determined that this is a fact,based on what survey you've done?the guy that has 1 project,no buddies.no,blogs.no nothin but opions,which you have a right too!so the rest of us use barn wood as to what regards?you mention alaskaguy but looking through this post I don't see his comment regarding that fact? maybe I missed it,or maybe your talkin out your a**! ive crossed your path before and when confronted you never reply!maybe because your all talk my friend!this forum is for WOODWORKERS,not talkers!.i await your response.


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## caboxmaker (May 3, 2017)

pottz, post #1 of the 243,000 thread clearly states, per Alaska Guy, that most use alder.
2. I do have a project posted. Are two required to be a real woodworker?
3. I'm glad you stated I have a right to an opinion.
4. What else can I answer for you?
PS God bless you.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

well may god bless you too! but I still want too know where you got the facts that most lj's use alder?so you assume he knows this for a fact?i really don't think alder is the most used wood within our membership!i may be wrong,but if so maybe you have a survey you could provide us?.as far as your one project, I appreciate you sharing it with us.and thank you for responding-this time!


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## robscastle (May 13, 2012)

Not being an Americian The Barn Wood Fad comments are very interesting, after some short fact finding on the "fad" I find it has possibly only been around for a short time.

In the fall of 1808, Thomas and Nancy Lincoln settled on Sinking Spring Farm. Two months later on February 12, 1809, Abraham Lincoln was born there in a one-room log cabin. Today this site bears the address of 2995 Lincoln Farm Road, Hodgenville, Kentucky. A cabin, symbolic of the one in which Lincoln was born, is preserved within a 1911 memorial building at the site.

I am sure I read about antique cars being found hidden away in barns as well

If this is the same barn wood yep its a fad! here today gone tomorrow!
As for Alder I dont think I have ever used it, I do see a lot of LJs use it as a throw away line for wood IDs every now and again.
Possibly posted originally by a spammer who never checks back on their trail of garbge/trash they leave


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

mr castle may I say that reusing and preserving used and so called "barn" wood as most refer too is the real fad! as a true woodworker and lover of the treasure we call "wood" I'm all for the fad called barn wood,as long as it keeps this beautiful resource out of land fills and turns it into some of the most gorgeous furniture we see here on lj's,im all for it.call it a fad,i call saving a beautiful resource!!!.and by the way,this guy is one of my "best buddies"so I can attack him,but if you do,prepare!!!!peace-out.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> How about barn wood with mushrooms. You could be sitting in your easy chair and grab a snack right off your coffee table.:^)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That picture kind of looks like my last colonoscopy.


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## runswithscissors (Nov 8, 2012)

I think the alder references are intended to be ironic or satirical. I wish these threads wouldn't make people so angry.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

alaskaguy is caboboxmaker quoting you correctly or not?and as far as satirical,thats not what I'm about!im here too learn and grow my love love of woodworking and make some great friends that love it as much as I do-and I have! so in a nut shell,i don't like posser's! or trolls! just be real and show us what you are!i now many will say,thers no need to post pics and prove anyting!.fine,dont and you will have no credibilty with me!this place is over loaded with,so called experts!!! that seem to have all the answers to every question?but nnevr come back with an answer where they got it from? think about where you wont this forum to go,and think about who you trust for that info?ive got my trusted sources,do you?
ps-runswithsissors,what have you given us but gum flappin?no projects.no buddies,no nothin,and you ask why are people so angry?-DUH!!!


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## caboxmaker (May 3, 2017)

pottz, you take life far too serious…loosen up just a bit.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> pottz, you take life far too serious…loosen up just a bit.
> 
> - caboxmaker


yeah well i question your passion for woodworking,i personally think your what we call here -a troll!!!.and as far as woodworking,yeah I take it seriously,because its my passion!.how about you?.


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## caboxmaker (May 3, 2017)

> pottz, you take life far too serious…loosen up just a bit.
> 
> - caboxmaker
> 
> ...


Maybe if you used a little alder…


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

> How about barn wood with mushrooms. You could be sitting in your easy chair and grab a snack right off your coffee table.:^)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> alaskaguy is caboboxmaker quoting you correctly or not?and as far as satirical,thats not what I m about!im here too learn and grow my love love of woodworking and make some great friends that love it as much as I do-and I have! so in a nut shell,i don t like posser s! or trolls! just be real and show us what you are!i now many will say,thers no need to post pics and prove anyting!.fine,dont and you will have no credibilty with me!this place is over loaded with,so called experts!!! that seem to have all the answers to every question?but nnevr come back with an answer where they got it from? think about where you wont this forum to go,and think about who you trust for that info?ive got my trusted sources,do you?
> ps-runswithsissors,what have you given us but gum flappin?no projects.no buddies,no nothin,and you ask why are people so angry?-DUH!!!
> 
> - pottz


Yes he is. And remember one important thing. It's not all about you. 
If you need lessons on what to do with alder let me know. I'd be glad to help.


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## pottz (Sep 15, 2015)

> How about barn wood with mushrooms. You could be sitting in your easy chair and grab a snack right off your coffee table.:^)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


damn let me know and ill give you the name of my gastro,hope I can help,lol.


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## Woodworker51 (Apr 6, 2008)

The very first project I built I made a kitchen table out of barn wood. It had holes and cracks in it , and was pretty expensive. For the life of me ,every time I look at it, I can't figure out why I used old barn wood.


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## thechipcarver (Jan 29, 2014)

I believe it all about taste. also, if you plane that old stuff down, you will get wood that is a much tighter grain because it so old. The wood you get today, haven't had a real chance to grow before it is cut down.


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## 000 (Dec 9, 2015)

> How about barn wood with mushrooms. You could be sitting in your easy chair and grab a snack right off your coffee table.:^)
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Chinese Fortune Cookie says; 
I see many tools coming my way in near future…...

You need to add Alder Fiber to your diet.


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

Some of you guys need to learn to step away from the keyboard. Better yet, go get some shop time. Take out your anger and frustration on an innocent piece of wood-barn wood, alder or otherwise.


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## MAS520 (Jan 18, 2017)

I get barn wood for free. I build bird houses with it.


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## Gilley23 (May 9, 2017)

> Some people prefer reclaimed wood, some thermofoil on MDF, Some nails in glass.
> Normally they understand each other and get along quite well. Sometimes someone who "does not understand" pops up and shouts out his lack of understanding , using jargon that reflects his origins. That s OK too we are all different.
> 
> - Carloz


My "lack of understanding" and my "origins"? Nice try at a cheap shot, maybe next time.

It was pretty obvious that the op was written mostly satirically. Yes, some of the old growth wood is gorgeous without a doubt. This was more about the recent increased interest and how much I see the old, split, gray boards being used without being cleaned up at all. It's everywhere. I get the trend, just not my thing in that regard.

Where I live, I'm centralized between farmland and the city, old barns a-plenty and more pallets than can be given away for free on Craigslist. I've made projects with both, some look great and some not so much….most of you guys here are far beyond my skill set, which is why I'm here.

Let's keep the discussing going, people. New ideas, helping each other and sharing things is what the forums are all about.


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## Johnny_Yuma (Nov 29, 2009)

> yeah well i question your passion for woodworking,i personally think your what we call here -a troll!!!.and as far as woodworking,yeah I take it seriously,because its my passion!.how about you?.
> 
> - pottz
> 
> ...


Now THAT'S funny!


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## bandit571 (Jan 20, 2011)

Used to be,old barns were just knocked down and the pile was burned….can't do the big bonfires anymore…

They did take one old barn down last fall,,,and all the lumber was CAREFULLY stacked and bundled. And hauled away….

Not sure IF it was sold, or the barn's new owner has it stashed for use.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> Some of you guys need to learn to step away from the keyboard. Better yet, go get some shop time. Take out your anger and frustration on an innocent piece of wood-barn wood, alder or otherwise.
> 
> - Lazyman


Why? It appears to me the majority of us are having fun.


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## MT_Stringer (Jul 21, 2009)

I made this from 100 year old reclaimed barn wood for my grand daughter's baby shower. She loves it and that is all that matters to me.


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## robscastle (May 13, 2012)

AG did we all really need to know about that medical observation?
MT good work.

More importantly who owns the nice cute looking kid? ... and I am not refering to the lady above, ... but she is a good looker too!


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> AG did we really need to know that medical observation?
> 
> - robscastle


Well maybe not. But this site is for sharing and learning. If it saves just one life it's worth it. I've already had 3 private messages saying they were going have a colonoscopy scheduled because of my sharing.


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## MikeB_UK (Jul 27, 2015)

> Yes he is. And remember one important thing. It s not all about you.
> If you need lessons on what to do with alder let me know. I d be glad to help.
> 
> - AlaskaGuy


I hope you're making Fridge re-handle that new saw he made, letting the side down there


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## JKMDETAIL (Nov 13, 2013)

I have talked to some different interior designers that think this 'FAD' will be around for awhile. People don't have time to take care of the nice stuff we as woodworkers love. If a kid beats on a table with a rock it just adds to the piece. Want a challenge take a new piece of wood and make it match an old piece of barnwood.


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> I have talked to some different interior designers that think this FAD will be around for awhile. People don t have time to take care of the nice stuff we as woodworkers love. If a kid beats on a table with a rock it just adds to the piece. Want a challenge take a new piece of wood and make it match an old piece of barnwood.
> 
> - JKMDETAIL


Yes, it would be a challenge but I don't plan on getting in to that position.


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## JollyGreen67 (Nov 1, 2010)

The same stupid reason people use anti-insect infused pallet wood.


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

*Jimbo4*

*"- When I was a kid I wanted to be older . . . . . this CRAP is not what I expected !"*

*Amen to that Jimbo!*

*Rick*


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

*"My "lack of understanding" and my "origins"? Nice try at a cheap shot, maybe next time.

It was pretty obvious that the op was written mostly satirically. Yes, some of the old growth wood is gorgeous without a doubt. This was more about the recent increased interest and how much I see the old, split, gray boards being used without being cleaned up at all. It s everywhere. I get the trend, just not my thing in that regard.

Where I live, I m centralized between farmland and the city, old barns a-plenty and more pallets than can be given away for free on Craigslist. I ve made projects with both, some look great and some not so much….most of you guys here are far beyond my skill set, which is why I m here."

Let s keep the discussing going, people. New ideas, helping each other and sharing things is what the forums are all about."*


BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH, BLAH. The Bicycle Now Peddles Backwards! *
*
*

Nothing "Satirical" about it!.... I think WE are ALL above your Skill Level judging by the Projects you've Posted in 280 Days…... *" I ve made projects with both, some look great and some not so much."* Where are they? Post some and We'll let you know!

*"New ideas, helping each other and sharing things is what the forums are all about."* That's happened on here somewhere? Guess I missed it.

OOPS! You'll have to excuse me. I have to go downstairs and watch some Paint Dry!

Regards: Rick


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## Magnum (Feb 5, 2010)

> Some of you guys need to learn to step away from the keyboard. Better yet, go get some shop time. Take out your anger and frustration on an innocent piece of wood-barn wood, alder or otherwise.
> 
> - Lazyman
> Why? It appears to me the majority of us are having fun.
> ...


YEP! & Don't tell ME what I should or Shouldn't Do Lazyman! No "Anger and Frustration" Here! Just having some FUN! Just like AlaskaGuy Said!


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## Cricket (Jan 15, 2014)

Gentle Reminder:



> In this community members are expected to treat each other with respect at all times.
> 
> There will always be disagreements and fusses between members. It is simply human nature. We truly encourage members to discuss and openly share their thoughts on a topic. It is how we all learn and life would be pretty boring if we all felt the same way.
> 
> ...


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## Unknowncraftsman (Jun 23, 2013)

Thats a cool pic Cricket.


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## woodbutcherbynight (Oct 21, 2011)

That pic says to me the guy has dial up and is waiting with the patience of Job for it to sign on….

LOL


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## oldnovice (Mar 7, 2009)

Is that Cricket with a beard … her normal photo hides her face?

*Just kidding Cricket!*


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## AlaskaGuy (Jan 29, 2012)

> Is that Cricket with a beard … her normal photo hides her face?
> 
> *Just kidding Cricket!*
> 
> - oldnovice


You just never know these days.


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