Making sure that those in every sector of the lumber industry are following environmentally responsible guidelines just makes sense. After all, since trees are the natural resource which our entire industry depends on to be able to survive and thrive, it’s in our best interests, … [Read more...]
The Role of FSC Certification in Lacey Act Compliance
In the wake of the SWAT-team raid on Gibson Guitars in September 2011, many within the lumber industry were surprised to learn that FSC certification does not necessarily ensure Lacey Act compliance - even if the lumber includes CITES documentation. So if FSC certification isn’t … [Read more...]
Plywood Offerings from J. Gibson McIlvain
Quality. It’s what J. Gibson McIlvain makes its primary goal. Of course, quality control takes slightly different processes when it comes to hardwoods, tropical decking, softwoods, millwork, and plywood. Among those categories of lumber and lumber products, plywood may well be … [Read more...]
Why Plywood Grading Falls Short
Hardwood grading is pretty straightforward. If you’re used to how you can order hardwood lumber based on grade, you may be in for a surprise when it comes to plywood. While we’d all love to be able to rely on plywood grading to determine quality, we can’t live as if we’re in an … [Read more...]
Value Engineering at its Finest – Boat Builders
It might seem to make sense to you to use a completely different species than you have before to build something you’ve built many times before. But it may not work. Unlike manufactured products, where a simple color or finish type simply means a different pigment, each wood … [Read more...]
Why You Should Place Your Next Architectural Plywood Order with Us
With our in-house millworks, J. Gibson McIlvain is truly a full-service lumber supplier. Do you know what that means for you, as our customer? Options, and plenty of them! When you combine that factor with our primary aim of quality, you have a winning combination! We can either … [Read more...]
Lumber Color Demystified: Putting Color Matching in Perspective, Part 3
Color-matching is far from an exact science, as you’ve probably gathered from Part 1 and Part 2 in this series. While density and grain come out on top, when it comes to influencing lumber color, environmental exposure comes in a close second. After that, we have to consider the … [Read more...]
Lumber Color Demystified: Putting Color Matching in Perspective, Part 2
In Part 1, we considered how grain is the most significant factor affecting lumber color, due to how light reflects off the wood, depending on its density. Grain and density can be affected by many factors, and it’s only the beginning: local climate and weathering come in after … [Read more...]
Why Ipe Decking Is Better Than Composite Decking, Part 5
Composite decking is gaining popularity, and we certainly understand the appeal. After all, it has the appeal of exotic hardwood decking, and none of the potential problems associated with it, right? Well, as much as we all wish there were such a unicorn at the end of the decking … [Read more...]
Why Ipe Decking Is Better Than Composite Decking, Part 4
If you think we’ve exhausted all the deficiencies of composite decking compared to Ipe decking, think again (see Parts 1, 2 & 3). Despite conventional wisdom to the contrary, composite decking is not environmentally friendly; and that issue makes the fact that it will not … [Read more...]
