Value of Redwood (Heartwood)

[Embraer]

I'm redoing my house....and the entire thing is in very old redwood. It's all tongue and groove, but the wood that has been removed would have to be planed and squared up to be reused. No knots at all...a lot of it has a nice tiger striping pattern, with an iridescent sheen. Is there a value for any of this? Some pieces are 13 feet long, others are shorter. 1" thickness. I don't want to send it to the dump.

Thoughts?

[biosurfer1]

I think there is always value for old wood. I wouldn't expect it to fund a vacation Villa in Tuscany, but someone will pay for it.

[tevake]

I'm not sure why you are not going to reuse it in your project?

If you have a planner it will probably take less time to run the material thru it than to go find and select new material, which will most likely not be as good as the old material.

Sweat equity and superior material= win.

Cheers Richard

[id10t]

The shiny, deep looking effect w/ the stripes is called "chatoyance"

If you had the skills you could turn out several sets of expensive 1911, CZ, Beretta, etc. grips.

[Noah930]

Check with slodave. If not here, then on FB. He's doing woodworking these days.

[john70t]

Good for you.

Save it all if possible. Put it aside in a protected place. Dead flat.
Then explore how to sell it. There is probably a market somewhere.

1" board sounds to me like fence material.
You need to have a lot of it and consistent...
Big market there.

(Personally I think most redwood is soft and flimsy like balsa)

The local recycle thrift shop place sells various 'reclaimed' lumber at very high prices.
The subsidiary company seems to have waywayway over-priced themselves for the pieces, IMO, but it could always turn out to be an 'artisan' thing for somebody. YMMV.

[Embraer]

Originally Posted by tevake

I'm not sure why you are not going to reuse it in your project?

If you have a planner it will probably take less time to run the material thru it than to go find and select new material, which will most likely not be as good as the old material.

Sweat equity and superior material= win.

Cheers Richard

It's being redone in A606 Cor-Ten steel. I took it down to the studs,removing old Celotex asphalt sheathing, and redid it to modern standards...so the siding had to come off.

[slodave]

What are you going to reside your house with? New redwood? That would be a mistake as it's usually a mixture of heartwood and sapwood - especially at a HD or similar. I'd spend the money on having the old boards refurbished. They will still outlast any new wood siding.

As far as value, it's probably old enough to be considered old growth Redwood and now protected from being cut down. Old growth does hold a higher value to woodworkers. Redwood is sustainable and is grown on private commercial forests. Problem with the new stuff is that it is grown in environments that are suitable, but also allow the trees to grow much faster. Great for the production side of things, but the wood is far less superior as the grain structure will a lot looser than the old growth.

EDIT: Saw your last post regarding the new siding.

[porsche4life]

Mike, there are a few lumber places here that specialize in repurposed old lumber. Check around Indy and see if there are any and call, I bet they’d buy the whole pile from you.

[porsche4life]

For example.


https://www.etsy.com/listing/671120991/reclaimed-redwood?gpla=1&gao=1&&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=shopping_us_a-craft_supplies_and_tools-raw_materials-wax&utm_custom1=ab7b2603-f86e-4618-83a1-86043e03d197&utm_content=go_270947675_41952120216_190744325480_ pla-297341995328_m__671120991&gclid=EAIaIQobChMItdGL35GA4wIVF7vsCh1FHwt9EAQYAiAB EgKNvfD_BwE

[Embraer]

thanks Sid, Ill have to snoop around here in Indy

[Sooner or later]

How many board feet do you have?

[Embraer]

just guessing, well over a thousand

[Sooner or later]

You will make someone damn happy. Sounds like premium old growth wood. I think you will make some coin.

[Embraer]

any idea on what I should be asking per board foot?

[Sooner or later]

Originally Posted by Embraer

any idea on what I should be asking per board foot?

I don't know. I have been looking but I can't really tell. My old man was in the lumber business and he would know but he ain't with us.

I would get some phone numbers from internet resellers and call em up.

I think you might be surprised. Damm sure will be worth the effort.

[Sooner or later]

I have a buddy that is a high end home builder. I"ll send him an email and see if he has a clue.

[Embraer]

thanks!

[Sooner or later]

I copied your post. He is damn reliable so I wouldn't be surprised if I hesr something tomorrow.

He may have no clue but I'll let you know one way or the other.

[slodave]

You are probably looking at somewhere around $3.50 - $5.00 a bf for reclaimed redwood siding in the dimensions you mentioned.