LU158 Ponderosa

LU158 Ponderosa

Author: Shannon Rogers October 30, 2025 Duration: 55:19
Today I feature the mighty Ponderosa Pine. I was marveling at these trees on a recent trip out west and knew I had to feature the species. A mainstay of the construction lumber industry often labelled as PP/LP on lumber racks. But also a species with a different life in the form of clear boards in moulding, interior flooring, paneling, etc. The species is fire propagating and is a perfect example of how healthy forest management needs a little fire from time to time. The Beetle Kill Pine is the result of weak forests without natures cleaning mechanism. Ponderosa is a yellow pine but a pale version of yellow pine both in appearance but in workability with softer and less difference between early and late growth. It makes for a more uniform working experience with planing, sawing or cutting joinery. Also in this episode I answer questions about: - Kiln Drying schedules to reduce trial and error when drying lumber - How pulp wood forests no longer destined to a paper mill could be turned into saw timber forests. - Typical construction lumber species in the 1920s in the NE United States

Shannon Rogers hosts Shannon's Lumber Industry Update, a podcast that feels like a conversation with a knowledgeable friend in a well-stocked workshop. Forget dry industry reports; this is an accessible, engaging dive into the world of wood, framed around the questions real people have. Each episode tackles the practical and the curious, from selecting the right board for a project to unraveling the history and science behind how trees become timber. The goal is to cut through common misconceptions and foster a deeper appreciation for the material that has shaped human civilization. You'll come away not just with answers, but with a sharper, more nuanced understanding of lumber's journey from forest to finished piece. It’s a space where beginners and seasoned woodworkers alike can develop a more intuitive sense for their craft, becoming, as Shannon puts it, a little more wood savvy. Tune in for a consistently informative and surprisingly relaxing listen that makes the complexities of an ancient industry feel relevant and fascinating. This podcast naturally finds its home in the Leisure category, perfect for anyone who enjoys working with their hands or simply wants to understand the stories hidden in the grain.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 100

Shannon's Lumber Industry Update
Podcast Episodes
77 - Poplar is so Popular [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:04
Let's talk about Poplar...or Tulip Poplar...or Eastern Cottonwood...or White Poplar or Yellow Poplar or Quaking Aspen or (gasp) Tulipwood. No they are not all the same tree. Or are they? Today I talk about the Populus ge…
76 - Wood Identificaton [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 45:12
Let's talk about wood identification and the process I go through. In this episode I give you a few resources to use but mostly a hierarchy of things to follow to get you very close to a positive ID of that unknown wood…
LU 75 Finding Lumber at Auction with Tommaso Valeriano [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:17:19
This week I have Tommaso Valeriano join me to talk about the ways in which he has acquired nearly 30,000 board feet of lumber without ever visiting a lumber yard. Mostly his success has come through auctions and he share…
74 - CD's Trees [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:09
I talk with Caleb Darnell of CD's Trees. They are a tree removal service out of Hot Springs, AR that has gotten into sawing and drying lumber and even custom woodworking projects using the trees they fell for customers.
73 - Alternatives to Russian Birch Plywood? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:51
Russian Birch plywood prices are tripled at minimum. Moreover even paying the higher price isn't something the general market wants to do and support the Russian economy. So what are the alternatives? There aren't very m…
72 - Cambium Carbon [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:04:30
On this episode I have Ben and Paul from Cambium Carbon join me to talk about urban logging and repurposing a waste stream into a new circular industry. Saving the planet, one urban log at a time with the company Cambium…
71 - Trending to Local Timbers [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:58
In my predictions for 2022 I stated that there would be more focus on domestic lumber. Today I dive deeper into that and look at how local timbers present opportunities and challenges to the commercial lumber market as w…
70 - Choosing Wood for a Workbench [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:09:38
On this episode Alex Adams joins me to talk about choosing wood for his upcoming workbench projects. He wants to incorporate as many locally sourced woods as he can in order to gain experience with many species that he c…
69 Got a Log?  Now What? [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:54
So you've decided to saw your own boards from a log. In this episode I discuss how and where you might get a log when first starting out and then the care and feeding of that log before you begin to saw it.

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