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 many to be honest and this episode gets into why that is.  
Plus I answer a bunch of your questions on tree growth rate, why wood is anisotropic, and what to do with Buckeye.

73 - Alternatives to Russian Birch Plywood?

An 8/4, Kiln dried podcast all about lumber and your questions about it.  Let's dispel some myths and broaden an understanding of this ancient industry and help us all become a little more wood savvy...woodier??

Leisure

Today I discuss Hemlock, our featured species.  This is a wood with an identity crisis.  Its long been a mainstay in construction lumber yet has more refined purposes as a high end clear, CVG siding and cladding product.  Now it has an even brighter future as a thermally modified option for both interior and exterior uses.

126 Hemlock

Today I look at Monocots.  The Bamboo and Palms that you may have seen showing up in flooring or plywood or even turning blanks.  I also answer questions about branch wood, air dried wood, and the commercial vs local names of lumber.

125 Monocots

This week I welcome Brandon Long, a structural engineer who plays as a woodworker at night.  Brandon actually knows what he is talking about when it comes to structures and fatigue rates and all that stuff that I pretend to know about from watching "The Big Bang Theory".

124 Wood Structure from a Rocket Scientist

A word of warning on this episode.  New levels of nerdery on display here.  If I had a white lab coat I would have worn it while recording.  To sum up, woods with a higher T/R ratio will be harder to dry.  But if you are like me and want to know why a higher T/R ratio is harder to dry, keep watching to dive into some organic chemistry and cellular structure.
Also I feature Sapele this month.  A much more mainstream species but one worth looking at closely due to how it has taken over the Mahogany market.  A reminder that Walnut tier supporters on Patreon will be getting the fancy Sapele sticker with all of the details I discuss in this episode.

Become a supporter at:
https://www.patreon.com/lumberupdate

123 - Wood Cell Structure & Sapele

Lots of breaking news in the Lumber world and it was time I dust off my teleprompter and read everything that is on it.  News from Notre Dame, the Paris Aquatic Center, Carbon Fiber and Mass Timber, Key Bridge Tragedy, and lots of great feedback from y'all.  Plus I fit a few questions in about drying end grain cookies, lumber jobs, and Aniegre.

73 - Alternatives to Russian Birch Plywood?

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