Edensaw Woods is your top source for
high-quality specialty woods in Washington state, catering to home building, furniture-making, woodworking, and remodeling projects. Explore our wide selection of specialty woods today! We offer a variety of materials to choose from, including apitong, boule (air-dried), fir (air-dried), and many more unique species.
- Apitong wood boasts a medium to dark reddish-brown hue with a straight grain pattern, celebrated for its remarkable durability and resistance to decay. This dense, heavy tropical hardwood hails from Southeast Asia and is an excellent choice for projects that prioritize strength and durability, such as construction, heavy flooring, and demanding exterior furniture.
- Boule (air-dried): Boule represents a unique wood-cutting technique where logs are split into thick planks and gradually air-dried as a complete sequential stack. This careful method preserves the inherent colors and patterns of the wood, enhances stability, and reduces the risk of warping or cracking. Boule woods are frequently utilized in crafting high-end furniture, cabinetry, and ornamental veneers.
- Fir (air-dried): The versatility of air-dried fir wood lies in its exceptional strength-to-weight ratio and minimal maintenance needs. This adaptable softwood finds common application in building and carpentry, serving well for beams, frames, and various interior uses where structural integrity is key.
The Advantage of Air-Dried Timber - While kiln drying (KD) speeds up the process, air drying (AD) is often preferred for specialty and large-dimension woods:
- Reduced Stress: Air drying allows moisture to leave the wood fibers slowly and naturally, reducing the internal stress that can cause checking, cracking, and honeycomb defects common in rapid kiln drying, especially in very thick timbers.
- Color and Workability: Slower drying preserves the wood's natural color and oils, which can be essential for fine finishing. Many craftsmen also feel AD wood works and planes more smoothly than KD wood.
- Equilibrium Moisture Content (EMC): AD woods are stabilized closer to the ambient humidity level of the Pacific Northwest region, making them less prone to movement after installation compared to woods dried to extremely low MC levels.
The Workhorse Hardwood - Apitong (also known as Keruing) is highly valued in industrial applications where durability is paramount:
- Industrial Flooring: Apitong's primary specialty application is truck and trailer flooring and container floors. Its extreme density and high resistance to abrasion make it superior to almost any domestic wood for handling heavy, sliding loads and severe road conditions.
- Durability Class: It falls into the high end of the durable classification, making it suitable for unexposed exterior construction where the material is expected to last for decades.
- Finishing Note: Due to its density and occasional resin content, pre-drilling is required for fasteners, and the wood may require a solvent wipe before gluing or sealing to ensure proper adhesion.
Are you looking for top quality specialty woods like apitong, sipo, fir, and more for your upcoming project? As your local domestic & exotic supplier, local marine & cabinet grade plywood supplier, and local rough sawn & surfaced lumber supplier, Edensaw Woods (Edensaw.com) offers a wide selection of top-quality specialty woods for demanding architectural and construction projects. From our locations in Port Townsend-Tacoma, Washington, USA, we provide professionals and hobbyists in Seattle-Port Townsend-Tacoma and the nearby Pacific Northwest region with premium materials. We also offer a wide array of products and services, including local hardwood flooring supplier and local specialty decking supplier options; please contact us for assistance with your material needs.
