Ran into my first major hurdle on the new version of the row/sail canoe today so I thought I’d step away to refocus.
I’ve been out of bending oak for a few weeks so I drove down to Zena Forest and bought some nice sticks from Ben and Paul.
Zena Forest Products is a small sawmill here in the Willamette Valley that operates a 1,300 acre sustainably managed forest and also tries to find the best uses for the logs they purchase.
The bending oak we buy from Zena is a rare commodity, comprising less than 2% of the wood they cut. It’s worth it though. I can steam a 3/8” thick piece and tie it into a knot the size of my fist. Quality like that makes boatbuilding a lot easier.
I also just like going to the mill. If you’ve never done it before it’s hard to understand the excitement of seeing logs being sawn. The mill wasn’t running today but when it is there’s both the beauty of fresh wet grain and the thrill of seeing what waits beneath the next slice. Will it be clear and straight? Or will a big knot show up? I can’t speak for anyone else but I find the whole process really satisfying.
Equally impressive is the shop filled with massive vintage woodworking machines that Ben painstakingly restores and uses to mill the wood. Not only does this save money (if you have Ben’s aptitude for machinery) but it gives new life to what would otherwise be scrap metal.
Zena supplies sustainable white oak flooring and high quality bending oak directly to boatbuilders and is willing to ship. For more info check out zenaforest.com
___
This post was originally featured on our Instagram feed.
See the original post and discussion here.
