Wood Column Suppliers and Manufacturers

Wood Columns are sometimes difficult to find online and when you do find them prices are not usually listed.

I have put together a list of wooden column suppliers here who have good selections, listed prices, or both. Of course you can call any of them for prices and some offer free online quotes when you submit their contact forms.

HB&G Columns - My favorite wood columns site. They have, and display, round and square wood columns and openly list their pricing. The site is nice, clean, and easy to use. The site includes the full range of information you might need about their columns whether you are an architect, builder, or DIYer. HB&G even has an installation video and a pdf.

Melton Classics - Good selection of wood columns and the site shows technical specifications of the column options. No prices posted. 10 year warranty on columns.

Chadsworth's 1.800 Columns - simple to use website and a good selection. They do not post prices due to fluctuating raw materials costs as they say on their "special announcement" dated September 21, 2005 (this posted 6-12-07).

Timeless Architectural Reproductions - Paint grade and stain grade wood columns. No prices listed on their website.

Colonial Columns - I am not a fan of the design of this site but that is not the point of this. Colonial Columns has a good list of wood columns and caps and bases and an installation guide for caps and bases.

Pagliacco Turning & Milling - Their website makes choosing the style you want simple.

Worthington Millwork - Nice site with a great column installation guide. If you need to know how to install a column, look here. They also have a great list of allowable capacities for their columns as well as specs and cad drawings (free cd).

AIC Millworks - Interior columns. They show pricing (and they are not bad) but have a somewhat limited variety.

Imperial Columns - If your eyes can handle the website you can see their prices. My vision was collapsing so I don't know if the prices were good or not.

Columns.net - They have a good selection of wood columns and great tool for choosing your cap, column, and base that shows what your column will look like.

Elite Crown Moldings - A Canadian company with a limited selection of wood columns but they do have a price list and you can order online.

Redwood Suppliers and Information

I get a lot of questions about redwood and where to buy it. Here is a list of companies that supply redwood lumber. Redwood is an excellent wood for decks, fences, gazebos, and patio because it is strong and naturally resistant to damage from termites and rot. Typically, there are two categories of redwood grades:

• Garden or Construction Grades - ranges from rough with large knots to pretty clean (sometimes called "construction heart" or "con heart redwood")
  
• Architectural Grades - tight or no knots (sometimes called "clear heart redwood")
  

To learn more about redwood grades and uses, start at the California Redwood Association. They have a fairly comprehensive redwood FAQ and an excellent page about available redwood grades.

Redwood Suppliers

• OregonWildWood sells very high quality (furniture quality) redwood.
• Himes&Starr in Carrollton, TX supplies redwood deck materials and some redwood timbers.
• Redwood Lumber & Supply Company in California specializes in redwood.
• Capital Lumber supplies redwood from multiple locations across the west and southwest and also has a redwood MSDS.
  
• R.H. Wilson supplies redwood in the UK.
  
• McGee Lumber in North Carolina supplies redwood lumber.
  

I found this redwood supplier locater on the California Redwood Association's website. They have it covered. I have given them enough links in this post, I should get some kick backs.

Good luck. I hope you find the redwood you are looking for.

Chain Saw Safety Video - Directional Face Notch

Below are two videos about chain saw safety that are definitely worth watching.

The first video shows how to safely and correctly cut a Directional Face Notch.




The second video is produced by Lowes Home Improvement and is a very thorough safey guide for using a chainsaw - especially for a home user.

It covers topics such as:

• General chain saw safety features
• Protective clothing and equipment
• Safely starting a chainsaw
• Checking area where you are going to cut
• Limbing and bucking
• Binding and kickback
• Common sense
  

If you are going to be using a chainsaw, be careful.

Earthquake Test on Two Story House

This video shows a controlled earthquake test on a two story wood house. Watch how much the house flexes with the ground movement, especially at the connection between the first and second floors.

It is easy to imagine the damage an earthquake can cause to the structural integrity of a house and this demonstrates that very well.

Setting a Utility Pole with Air

This is a video of a utility pole being set in the sandy ground using an air jet. According to the guy on the video they are using 13,000 cubic pounds of air per minute. I have never seen this method used on dry land. It is often used to "jet" pilings into the ground along sandy shorelines. This is great, especially considering the size of the pole.

Lumberjacks Logging Giant Trees

This is an interesting and fun video of lumberjacks cutting some really big trees. It's called "A Tree Story." I didn't realize the last step in felling a giant tree is RUN!

Unfortunately, you have to click this link and leave Woodscience.blogspot.com but it is worth the visit. Lumberjacks cutting giant trees video.

Splitting Logs with Black Powder

This is pretty cool. These guys had a really big log they needed to split into smaller pieces. I am kind of impressed at the precision with which they split the log. Do not try this at home.

Cutting Timbers with Portale Band Saw Mill

This is not a video of professional sawyers (at least it does not appear so) but it does show the basics of how logs are cut with a portable saw mill - logs on ground, logs on mill, band saw cuts, timbers stacked.

Discovery of the Tallest Tree in the World

This video is about the discovery and climb of the tallest tree in the world. The tree is 115.55 meters, or 379.10 feet, tall. The view from the top is pretty cool.