North Alaskan Replica Kayak Frame Build, Day 8). Today I drove down to see Ben Deumling of Zena Forest Products to pick up some bending oak for the kayak ribs.
A second generation sustainable forester, Ben and family manage a 1300 acre parcel of FSC certified woodland in the heart of the Willamette valley, improving the health of this endangered forest habitat as they carefully harvest it.
While their primary product is hardwood flooring, The Oregon white oak that Ben sells is also some of the best bending wood in the world and has Ben my go-to wood for kayak ribs for over a decade. I’m fortunate to live just a few hours away but Ben also ships his bending oak all over the country.
It’s a favorite pastime of mine whenever I’m down there just to wander around and take photos of all of the rich industrial textures and especially the old woodworking machines that Ben restores and uses in his operations.
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