Mohawk Blog

Champion of Craft: Sawkill Lumber Co.

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Mohawk
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Here at Mohawk, environmental commitment, social responsibility and corporate stewardship are woven into the fabric of our culture and business practices, and we believe the origin of exceptional craft lies in exceptional materials.

Over the next several weeks, we’ll take a closer look at many of the talented artisans, craftspeople and makers featured in past issues of the Mohawk Maker Quarterly who choose only the highest quality, sustainable materials for their products.

Today we highlight Alan Solomon of Brooklyn-based Sawkill Lumber Co, a company that brings together material, history and design through reclaimed lumber.

What makes your materials special?

There are at least three features that distinguish reclaimed woods.

  • Beauty: Reclaimed woods are often antique or vintage, meaning that they grew in dense old growth forests that yield a rich dense grain and through a century or more of use, they have acquired marks such as nail holes,  stress cracks, that truly give the wood it’s character.
  • History: Reclaimed woods carry the history of a specific site, and have a story to tell. Some have called this ‘embodied history’.
  • Sustainability: The re-use of old growth woods saves trees, water and energy.

 

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Image Credit
Sawkill Lumber Co.

What unique qualities are found in reclaimed lumber? 

Reclaimed woods grew in dense old growth forests for hundreds of years, before being felled in the 1800’s. The trees grew slowly to enormous heights, yielding a wood with rich color, and a dense clear (relatively knot free) grain that is more durable than anything that is freshly cut today. The nail holes, stress cracks and other marks of its past speak to qualities that don’t meet the eye. They help us imagine the journey of the tree, from it’s original seed in a virgin American forest, to the logging crews that felled it three hundred years before and then the old sawmills, ships, lumber yards and builders that handled the wood; and then it serving a building and generations of people, before re-emerging through the demolition process, to be transformed as a material for modern building and design.

Image Credit:
Alan Solomon
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What unique qualities are found in reclaimed lumber? 

Reclaimed woods grew in dense old growth forests for hundreds of years, before being felled in the 1800’s. The trees grew slowly to enormous heights, yielding a wood with rich color, and a dense clear (relatively knot free) grain that is more durable than anything that is freshly cut today. The nail holes, stress cracks and other marks of its past speak to qualities that don’t meet the eye. They help us imagine the journey of the tree, from it’s original seed in a virgin American forest, to the logging crews that felled it three hundred years before and then the old sawmills, ships, lumber yards and builders that handled the wood; and then it serving a building and generations of people, before re-emerging through the demolition process, to be transformed as a material for modern building and design.

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Image Credits:
Sawkill Lumber Co.

What unique qualities does your reclaimed lumber give to the end products that are created with this wood?

They provide a beauty and quality in the materials. Their transformation from salvage into modern building products represents a kind of magic.

Do you celebrate the history of the lumber you source? Do people like to know where it came from?

As a practice, we document the site where all the reclaimed woods are sourced. Currently, we’ve only been able to research a selection of historical buildings in detail. We also organize a furniture exhibition every year called 12 x 12 that featured twelve furniture designers and the reclaimed woods from twelve dismantled structures.

Is reclaimed lumber essentially another form of recycling? What would happen to this wood if you didn’t collect it? 

Reclaimed lumber is essentially another form of recycling. Reclaiming lumber works to realize the highest and best use of the material. It would otherwise go to a landfill, wood chipper or fuel pellet facility.

Sawkill Lumber Co. was originally featured in Issue 02 of the Mohawk Maker Quarterly. The Mohawk Maker Quarterly is a vehicle to support a community of like-minded makers. Content focuses on stories of small manufacturers, artisans, printers, designers, and artists who are making their way in the midst of the digital revolution. Learn more about the quarterly here.

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