We’ve already looked at two ways you can save money, help eliminate waste, and enjoy higher quality lumber: Purchase narrow or shorter boards. In both cases, you’re purchasing smaller boards for a lower price-per-board-foot. (There’s more to pricing than size, but that’s besides the point.) Depending on your job, the smaller size may not be a problem — but it probably won’t be a huge benefit, either. This third issue regarding lumber size is different: You can actually get longer boards for less money than shorter boards. Yes, for real.
And we’re not talking about reclaimed lumber or plantation species or anything of the sort. The same exact board, a foot longer, can actually cost less money.
Just like the nomenclature of “short” boards is unique to the U.S. lumber market, even-length boards are pretty much an American thing. Especially when it comes to Ipe and other species of exotic hardwood decking. While most U.S. importers of Ipe purchase only even-length boards, J. Gibson McIlvain has moved in a different direction, for the benefit of their customers.
Because the global lumber market does value odd-length Cumaru and Ipe, when U.S. importers refuse odd lengths, they greatly limit their buying power. Many mills actually refuse to do business with buyers who will purchase only even lengths. If a mill does allow a buyer to purchase only even lengths, the volume will be limited, causing the supplier — and, by extension, their customers — to miss out on the benefits of buying in bulk.
The trees will yield various lengths of decking, and the mills will produce a variety of lengths. If a mill allows for our peevishness about even lengths, do you know what they’re going to do? They’ll take the 11-foot boards and cut a foot off them to make them 10-foot boards. And they’ll charge us for the extra labor — as they should.
So you, the customer, end up spending more money for a 10-foot board than you would have paid for the same piece of wood as an 11-foot board. What’s more, you’ve wasted a foot of premium exotic decking. We really don’t want that to happen. We don’t think it makes sense for us or our customers, and we really don’t want to be part of perpetuating unnecessary waste.
Wouldn’t you rather have a 17-foot deck that costs you less than a 16-foot one would? That’s what we thought, because we feel the same way. No one is going to walk up to your finished deck with a tape measure — and even if they did, who cares? If we’re the only lumber importer whose customers have longer (if odd-length) decks that they paid less for, then so be it. Everyone else can call us “odd,” if they want to: We all know who’s smarter.
J. Gibson McIlvain Company
Since 1798, when Hugh McIlvain established a lumber business near Philadelphia, the McIlvain family has been immersed in the premium import and domestic lumber industry. With its headquarters located just outside of Baltimore, the J. Gibson McIlvain Company (www.mcilvain.com) is one of the largest U.S. importers of exotic woods.
As an active supporter of sustainable lumber practices, the J. Gibson McIlvain Company has provided fine lumber for notable projects throughout the world, including the White House, Capitol building, Supreme Court, and the Smithsonian museums.
Contact a representative at J. Gibson McIlvain today by calling (800) 638-9100.
What’s wrong with short lumber? What’s wrong with short people? Contrary to 
How Saw Mills Operate
Mahogany trees tend to be small, yielding a fairly high percentage of short boards — about 20% of a load. Sapele and Utile grow fairly large, easily producing extra wide, long, and thick boards, so only 5% of a typical load will be shorts. Other imported species such as African Mahogany and Spanish Cedar are someplace in between those two extremes.
Allowing for short lumber needs to start early in the building process, all the way back in the planning stages. You’ll also want to keep this “short lumber” card in your back pocket for when a customer asks you how to save money without compromising quality. You just might win a new lifelong friend!
Did you know that the U.S. lumber market tends to be a little different than the rest of the world? For one thing, we generally want completely perfect lumber and are unwilling to settle for anything less — for any application. For another thing, we’re big on size. Maybe too big.
Examine the Reasoning
Much of the time when a premium supplier like J. Gibson McIlvain has lumber that isn’t quite “top grade,” it’s because of size, not defects. We even have Select or Common grade lumber that’s completely free from any defects! We’re talking 95% or better, perfectly clear wood. But because of size, it’s not technically” top grade, which means you don’t have to pay top grade prices.
If you’re planning to rip and crosscut your boards, why not just buy thinner ones, instead? If you’re going to end up chopping up the board anyway, you’d be better off starting with smaller pieces. Not only will you be able to purchase higher quality boards, but you’ll also be able to save some cash.
Illegal wood is a problem that affects all of us. As a buyer, you need a way to know that the wood you are purchasing is, in fact, legally harvested. FSC certification once provided that guarantee, but recent events have caused people to wonder.
Because we want to be aboveboard, J. Gibson McIlvain looks for suppliers that offer more than just the FSC guarantee. The Timber Legality and Traceability Verification (TLTV) is one of these. This certification is overseen by the Societe Generale de Serveillance (SGS), and through regular audits and continued monitoring, the SGS verifies a company’s wood production and also its tracking information. This is so thorough that it literally tracks everything a lumber mill does, and this easily weeds out illegal practices. Basically, TLTV takes over in verifying the legality of the wood once it leaves the forest and the protection of FSC oversight.