The Carolina Sandhills Lines in HO Scale

[OldEastRR]

Sadly, it still took a lot of sorting to even pick out decent pieces of poplar.  It was a challenge.  I also forgot to mention that I visited three stores before I chose where to buy the lumber.  The quality of wood is terrible.

DFF

That lousy cheap Canadian wood!! Why don't they make it in America? 

[casmmr]

Most of the wood I have seen at L/HD is marked as originating in Sweden or Norway.  Think about that, it is cheaper to import the wood from Northern Europe rather than from the South or Pacific NW of this country.  EPA rules at  work.

[Ed Kapuscinski]

EPA rules at  work.

How so?

[Dave V]

How so?

This.  Not to derail Dave's thread but when I see these sorts of assertions (on either side) I want to see documentation.

[Philip H]

From my days in the PNW - the timber industry there viewed EPA regs on pesticides near streams as a price killer. The regs were put in place to protect salmon runs for salmon listed as endangered or threatened under the ESA. At the time it didn't stop mills from shipping while stripped trees to china and Japan, but it has been a factor in the alleged price issues in timber.

[wazzou]

Well, being in the Timber Industry in the PNW, I can assert that the biggest harm to the industry is the US Forest Service's complete closeout of logging on nearly all Federal Forest lands. 
A well managed plan of thinning which promotes healthy growth and removal of dead or dying timber in National Forests is really necessary to sustain the forests and the industry.
This is one of the main reasons for the explosive wildfires in Western US Federal Forests over the last several years.

[Dave V]

Well, being in the Timber Industry in the PNW, I can assert that the biggest harm to the industry is the US Forest Service's complete closeout of logging on nearly all Federal Forest lands. 
A well managed plan of thinning which promotes healthy growth and removal of dead or dying timber in National Forests is really necessary to sustain the forests and the industry.
This is one of the main reasons for the explosive wildfires in Western US Federal Forests over the last several years.

This I understand.  Problem in Colorado too...  Between well-meaning but actually harmful forestry management and the pine bark beetles (for whom our locally warming climate has been a boon), Colorado has a much worse wildfire problem than it used to.

I do remember when I worked as a contractor two plus decades ago (summer while in college) my boss complaining about the sh!tty lumber and blaming it on some spotted owl or something in the PNW that prevented them from cutting the "good trees."  I don't count that as a source document, though, LOL.

[svedblen]

Most of the wood I have seen at L/HD is marked as originating in Sweden or Norway.

Too bad you also have to suffer from the trend in the forest industry over here - fast growing trees, with less quality timber as a result. In "the good old days" the trees were left standing for a much longer time, growing slowly.

[3DTrains]

That lousy cheap Canadian wood!! Why don't they make it in America? 

Last I checked, Canada was still a significant part of America.

Cheers!
Marc - Riverside

[wazzou]

Too bad you also have to suffer from the trend in the forest industry over here - fast growing trees, with less quality timber as a result. In "the good old days" the trees were left standing for a much longer time, growing slowly.

Yeah, in common framing lumber, there aren't many rings to the inch anymore.
It is still possible to find some dense fiber at some of the cutting mills that saw timbers, but dense today, by rule is 6 rings to the inch.

[Chris333]

Select pine from Sweden has went up a lot the last few years, but at least you can find straight boards. Menards sells 3 grades of boards and I can usually find straight boards at the mid level.

[peteski]

And I thought that the lumber in places like Home Depot or Lowe's came from China (just like pretty much every other thing we buy nowadays). 

[wazzou]

And I thought that the lumber in places like Home Depot or Lowe's came from China (just like pretty much every other thing we buy nowadays). 

No, US companies ship massive amounts of logs to China but I think the only lumber we see coming back is in the form of Crating, Pallets and bad Plywood. 

[davefoxx]

I've been working on the benchwork as time allows this week.  This afternoon, I finished the bracing for the legs and added an L-girder at the end of the table to support the yard that extends beyond the end of the table a few feet.

The completed legs:


An overview of the benchwork, which is actually very sturdy:


The L-girder from which the yard will be extended at the right end:


Hopefully, tonight, I can begin building the set of legs that will support the other end of the yard.

For perspective, here's the tentative track plan:


DFF

[conrail98]

I've been working on the benchwork as time allows this week.  This afternoon, I finished the bracing for the legs and added an L-girder at the end of the table to support the yard that extends beyond the end of the table a few feet.

The completed legs:

May I suggest a cross brace from between your two pieces on the bottom to your cross section half-way up for just a little more sturdiness, especially since you're on casters. Also, on MRV benchwork that's similar to yours, there's usually a connector on the bottom of the legs between them, centered to add stability that was as well,

Phil