Reclaimed Wood Beams
Reclaimed Wood Beams for Design and Inspiration, But Not Structure Anymore.
These wood beams were once the backbone of old barns and buildings across America.
While no longer used structurally and in limited supply, they support inspiration for rustic wood beams created by contemporary craftsmen and stylish decorative ceiling beam decor.
- AVAILABLE ENGINEERED,
- SOLID BEAMS BASED ON AVAILABILITY
Before modern woodworking equipment standardized the process, wood beams were rough sawn or hand hewn with simple tools that left imperfect cuts.
The resulting imprecise effect is responsible for a large part of beam appeal and why exposed beams in vaulted ceilings have regained popularity. It’s also what ensures each beam is unique.
Today reclaimed wood beams are no longer used for actual structural support but instead supply architectural accents in homes and commercial spaces. Decorative ceiling beams are especially popular whether solid construction or a lightweight wood beam wrap.
WE LOVE LOVE LOVE OUR BEAMS!!! Dealing with Whole Log Reclaimed was an absolute joy and top notch experience from the first phone call. We were blown away by the product delivered – it was exactly what we were looking for. This type of internet purchasing is always nerve wracking and risky. I can recommend them without hesitation. The entire company puts pride and professionalism first and you’ll absolutely be satisfied with the quality product they deliver.
Beam Textures
Texture, rather than tree species, is what defines the unique character of each reclaimed wood beam style.
We offer (4) craftsman textures in engineered box beams. Solid beams in all textures are subject to availability.
Circle Sawn
When one thinks of a saw blade, generally what comes to mind is a circular saw. These big blades are generally 36” in diameter or more and leave graceful, arching patterns on a Circle Sawn beam. The texture is much finer than hand hewn, but still rough enough to give a nice rustic look. Large old hardwoods are very tough on the teeth of circle saws, so iin addition to Circle Sawn Oak, we offer this texture in softwoods such as Douglas Fir. The rough cut usually masks the grain on the wood, so along with our coloration and aging process, it is tough to discern species anyway.
Hand Hewn
Hand hewn rustic beams were cut and hewn with broad axes and simple hand tools in locations where primitive sawmills were not available or not used. Hand Hewn reclaimed barnwood beams are recovered from historic structures that often date back to The Civil War, if not earlier. Due to the use of hand tools, sizes can be inconsistent and surfaces irregular with clear adze and axe marks. Hand Hewn timbers generally have mortise pockets chiseled into them as well where they met with other timbers in the original structure. We can fill these voids with authentic reclaimed patches if the customer desires. Species of these beams vary greatly as the pioneers used whatever trees were growing in the forests nearby. Most timbers are hardwoods, but it is the aged patina that you see and even experienced woodworkers are hard-pressed to be able to discern species.
Smooth Surface
Smooth texture is created by planing away the rough surface to expose the grain of the wood. Once removed, the smooth beam shows off the subtleties of the interior grain patterns and its rich natural color, which we call “the mystery within the wood.” While the surface may be what we call “planed clean”, you will still be able to tell these beams are reclaimed due to the non-structural cracks or “checks” that formed in the wood as it aged over the years along with possible nail holes, bolt holes and mortise pockets that are left behind from where the structure was fastened together. These irregularities can be patched or filled, if you wish, but will never truly disappear. Our craftsmen are experts in working reclaimed timbers and celebrating the marks of history. If your taste is one that wishes to have minimal irregularities on the faces of your beams, we suggest reclaimed Heart Pine as these timbers generally had long spans without intersections that needed joinery and are usually less cracky than hardwood species.
Band Sawn
Cutting a timber to achieve Band Sawn texture leaves rough straight lines perpendicular to the grain on the wood. This is a great rustic texture that is much finer than hand hewn and our process generally shows a bit more of the grain than circle sawn. So, this texture lends itself very well to hardwood species, such as Oak. Customers can enjoy seeing how our coloration and aging process accents the grain in some areas of the beam while the bandsaw leaves a much more rustic texture than smooth planed.
RECLAIMED BEAM WOOD SPECIES
How the beam will be used - as a solid wood beam or box beam - can affect the surface texture, and the surface texture choice often dictates the wood species best used.
With hand hewn beams and rustic sawn or original surface textures, it can be difficult for an untrained eye to identify between specific wood species. Early builders didn’t always find it necessary to discriminate and use just one wood species for a project - especially building barns. Size conformity was and still is a big factor. And if deconstructed from the same location, a variety of different species may today look very similar after aging for many years under similar conditions. But sourcing proper sizes of reclaimed solid beams without excessive waste to satisfy specific dimensions, has become something of an issue for reclaimed suppliers as well as customers.
When choosing a band sawn or a smooth surface texture, the wood species is more easily discernible, and may be a more important consideration.
Wood beams we currently source are primarily Red & White Oak though Douglas Fir and Pines, which are considered softwoods, are used efficiently in box beams and wraps as well.
Our Process
Whole Log Lumber Reclaimed has been carefully salvaging reclaimed wood beams from old buildings and large barns since 1984. Often the old beams were a couple of centuries mature when first harvested and were raised and stood prior to deconstruction for another 100+ years or more. Beam dimensions range from 4” x 4” up to 12” x 12” and even larger. We've been kiln drying timbers like this up to 27’ long since the early 1990's.
More recently, to satisfy customer needs and provide custom selections., we've expanded our material sourcing to include recovery and processing of magnificent forest relics that have been naturally felled by storms as well as old age and other perils.
Removing and transporting wood beams and large trees is a project in itself considering that one solid beam or tree 10” x 10” x 15 ft long, can weigh roughly 500 lbs! Once transported, the process of refurbishing and refining these natural treasures begins.
When the restoration or milling process is complete, we’re ready to deliver or ship solid or box beams from our Western North Carolina workshop to your home or business.
Finishing Oils
We recommend natural oil finishes that maintain healthy and natural reclaimed wood quality.
View Available Finishing OilsView More Photos
I've dealt with Jim a few times on critical projects over the years and always came away feeling that meeting my needs regarding quality and price were very important to him. The service and final product that resulted surpassed my expectations. I hope to do much more business with Whole Log Reclaimed in the future.