New Wood Inventory

July-August 2021 Newsletter

Del Monte Warehouse 48

A little over 90 years ago Calpak, later known as Del Monte, built Warehouse 48 on Buena Vista Avenue in Alameda. The warehouse and nearby Encinal Terminal served as a worldwide shipping hub for the company’s canned Salmon product line. At first, this vast shipping operation was achieved by sail through Calpak’s Star Fleet, large iron-hulled tall ships 250 feet or more in length. The locations of Warehouse 48 and Encinal Terminal made them ideal for shipping, which proved to be invaluable during World War II. During this time, both served as the General Navy Depot assisting in shipping tanks, trucks, ammo, and relief supplies.

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Good Things Come to Those Who Wait

Nearly a year ago we put our big LX250 band mill through its paces and cut some of our widest slabs yet. With care, we stacked these slabs and allowed them to dry and cure over the last year. Ranging from 36″ to 52″ wide, these Ponderosa and Sugar Pine behemoths are now ready to become the focal point of your dining or conference room. Check them out!

Paneling
on a Pallet

Discounted price due to short lengths!

During trim out, we generate offcuts of great looking reclaimed wood in 1 to 3′ lengths.. We stack these short lengths on a pallet and unitize them in amounts of 100-200 square feet. These ‘as is’ pallets of paneling can be picked up the same day. Click here to read more.

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Posted: August 3, 2021 by

Crossroads Recycled Lumber Featured on Made in The Valley

Posted: July 22, 2016 by

CRL customers Nelson Treehouse & Supply featured in ABQ!

Posted: July 10, 2016 by

Rescued Blue Stain Pine is the Perfect Accent for Summer Projects

Help Crossroads Save Standing Dead Pine from the Sierra Nevada Foothills

It’s the perfect time to start your summer project with Crossroads’ Rescued Blue Stain Pine. As its name suggests, this lumber is remarkable for the shades of blue that streak this golden Ponderosa Pine and Sugar Pine wood—a chemical reaction spurred by the dying trees, which were rescued from the Sierra Nevada foothills where a Western Bark Beetle epidemic has killed 80% of the local Pine and is irreversibly changing the ecosystem.

The U.S. Forest Service reports that the beetle epidemic is due in large part to climate change. Drought-weakened trees are more susceptible to predators. Warmer temperatures allow Western Bark Beetles to reproduce two and three times as often as normal, while late winters extend their lifespan and impact on the woods. Usually by the time a tree shows symptoms of infestations, the beetles have already moved on, and the dying tree cannot be saved.

Furthermore, these dead and dying trees become a fire hazard. Fires are a natural part of the reproductive cycle of trees in the Sierra Nevada, preparing fertile seedbeds for new growth. However, with so many Standing Dead trees there is greater potential for bigger, hotter and more dangerous fires that span the summer months, destroying thousands of miles of forest and threatening surrounding homes and communities.

The trees themselves are natural wonders. Ponderosa Pines can live 400 years or more, while Sugar Pines can live past 500. In rescuing them before they’re lost to rot or fire, Crossroads is preserving the history and unique beauty of these centuries-old giants. Any summer project could benefit from using this versatile, soft-textured wood from trees that populate some of the most breathtaking landscapes in the world.

Blue Stain Pine is a smooth, soft-textured wood that’s most often used as siding, paneling and flooring. It’s also perfect for countertops or mantlepieces. The boards from these salvaged beetle-kill trees are perfectly sound with an occasional oblong hole, or multiple oblong holes showing where the beetles entered the trees – marks of history in the fashion of reclaimed lumber. Specialty cuts are available upon request, but available inventory includes, 1×6”, 1×12”, 2×6”, 2×12”, 4×6”, 4×12”, and slabs from 2” to 4” thick, 20” to 40” wide and 4’ to 20’ long. View our inventory of rescued wood at www.crossroadslumber.com, or call 559-877-3645 to speak to a specialist.

Posted: May 26, 2016 by

New Inventory & A Happy New Year!

Dear Friends and Customers,

As we leave 2015 behind us, our company would like to thank you for your continued patronage and support!  As you know, we are a small business, and we pride ourselves on doing exceptional work that helps our local economy and contributes positively to the ecologies of the forests of California and the world.

Events in the past couple of years have led to the arrival of two enormous sources of inventory at the Crossroads Recycled Lumber yard.  The first, and most exciting, is the arrival of timbers and decking from the Port of Oakland, the former Oakland Army Depot.

The quality and historic value of this wood cannot be overstated.  This lumber expands our current inventory by half!  It includes several hundred thousand board feet of Douglas Fir 2×6″ and 2×8″ Tongue & Groove Decking, plus beams at 4×12″x22′, 6×6″, 6×12″, and 10×22″ at 31′ and 32′ in length. Negotiations for procuring this wood took several years and a heck of a lot of work from our owner, Marc, who monitored parts of this project since 2007 and worked with the demolition crew during part of the tear down.  Watch StopWaste.org’s video about the beginning of the project!

Continue reading New Inventory & A Happy New Year!

Posted: January 4, 2016 by

Viking Boat Carved from Salvaged Sugar Pine

From our friend in Port Townsend, Ron Myhre, who carved the prow of this beautiful Sugar Pine Viking Boat:

“…it was a one-off happening in San Diego for the epic series “The Vikings” on the History channel. Took place on the roof of a hotel in San Diego during Comic-con 2013, transforming the rooftop into a Viking Village to celebrate the first season of The Vikings for the cast and crew.”

Kudos and credits to Master and Commander Jay Smith (Aspoya Boatworks) of Anacortes, Washington; traditional Norwegian Boatbuilder and project manager Dan Packard of Port Townsend, Washington; and carver, woodworker, jack -of-all-trades Ron Myhre, friend of Pacific Northwest Timbers and Crossroads Recycled Lumber.

“Ron is in training in the Norske tradition, the 26th generation to the Kings throne of Norvay, Ronaldo Johannes Myhre. Marc Mandel, world renowned purveyor of all things wood, supplied the much favored wood of choice for this project, Sugar Pine.”

Posted: November 5, 2014 by

Nail Pullers and Removing Metal from Reclaimed Lumber

Nail puller [neyl pool er] 
1. One who pulls nails.

Pulling iron from our reclaimed lumber is one of the most important jobs here at Crossroads. A lot of our wood is remilled on site and due to the expense and time involved in keeping the milling blades sharp, making sure the wood is metal free is important.

Armed with a hammer, cat’s paw, crowbar, and a White’s metal detector, a nail puller will spend hours insuring a unit of wood is free of iron. Along the way he will also be trimming out damage and grading the wood.

The two piles of nails represent a day of nail pulling. The larger of the two piles was created by a two-man team working on 4×12″x21’ beams. In the course of eight hours they metal-detected 80 of these beams…..that’s 6,720 board feet of material! There is a lot of heavy lifting and use of 4’ crowbars when working on these 21′ long beams.

The smaller pile was just one man metal detecting 2x decking material. Over five hours, he cleared 1500 board feet of wood. Most of the metal was pulled with a hammer and cat’s paw.

These units are fairly direct and not difficult items to get nail free. It simply requires strict attention and hard work.

On the other hand, there are times when our nail pullers run into broken off nails, screws or bolts. We even find bullets and other unusual metals buried in our old wood. We have had times where it took two men 2-1/2 hours to clean a 10×12″x20’ timber, which is 120 board feet in five man hours. That is slow going and one reason reclaimed wood costs more than new lumber.

Posted: May 5, 2014 by

Historic Church Lumber on its way to CRL!

This morning a load of historic lumber out of beautiful Saint Joseph’s Church in San Francisco is on a truck, making its way to us!   The current church building was erected in 1906.  The wood is old and sturdy rough-cut, full-dimension 2x material, and as far as we can tell is 108 years old.   The structure has been out of use since the 1989 earthquake.  Luckily the contractors are just gutting the building to restore and reinforce it, and this beautiful edifice will remain standing in San Francisco.  The information below is copied directly from NoeHill in San Francisco – Historic Sites and Points of Interest in San Francisco, as is the exterior photo. The interior photo is from the contractors.

St. Joseph's Church    St. Joseph Church Interior

San Francisco Landmark #120
Saint Joseph’s Church, Parish Hall and Rectory
1401 Howard Street At 10th Street
Built 1913

Saint Joseph’s Church, Parish Hall and Rectory have been vacant since they were damaged by the Loma Prieta Earthquake on 17 October 1989, but things are looking up for the neighborhood. The new headquarters of Twitter, Inc. is located just two blocks from Saint Joseph’s Church.

Saint Joseph’s Church is also National Register Listing #82002250.

The following is adapted from San Francisco Planning Commission Resolution No. 8591 dated 22 July 1980.

St. Joseph’s church and parish were founded in 1861 by Rev. Hugh Gallagher, under the direction of California’s first Archbishop, Joseph Alemany. The congregation outgrew the first frame structure, which was followed in 1865 by a structure which was destroyed in the 1906 fire. The cornerstone of the present Neo-Romanesque church, designed by architect John Foley, was laid in April 1913.The church founded two parochial schools in 1867 – one for boys and one for girls – and has had educational facilities at the site since that time. The present parish hall, built in 1906, once served as both the church and school. The Young Men’s Institute, a fraternal organization, was founded here in 1883, and was expanded into chapters nationally.

St. Joseph’s Church and complex has had important meaning to many ethnic groups in the city, not just to its South of Market parishioners. The complex reflects the many social and economic changes in the city, and is an example of a church coping with these conditions, to remain a vital force in the city.

From its originally predominantly Irish parishioners, the Church now [1980] serves a primarily Filipino parish, the largest in the United States. In April, 1979, the Image of the Santo Niño de Cebu, the Philippines’ patron saint, was enthroned in the church.

Posted: March 20, 2014 by

We Are Now FSC Certified!

"The FSC trademarks provide a guarantee to consumers that the products they buy come from responsible sources" -Forest Stewardship Council
“The FSC trademarks provide a guarantee to consumers that the products they buy come from responsible sources” -Forest Stewardship Council

2013 was a fantastic year for Crossroads Recycled Lumber.  We finally were able to shake the drag of the shattered economy, and our investment in infrastructure and marketing over the last two years really paid off.  One of the more exciting new developments here is that Crossroads is now certified by the Forest Stewardship CouncilTM!

What Is FSC Certification?
The Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) is an international organization that helps consumers protect the world’s forests by providing certification that sourcing for lumber products is environmentally appropriate, socially responsible, and economically viable for the world’s forests and the communities that depend on them.  FSC certifies forests, as well as vendors of forest products down the “chain of custody,” from lumber yards to paper mills.

What changes does FSC certification mean for Crossroads’ business practices?  Just a lot more paperwork for our office staff!  Crossroads Recycled Lumber has been providing lumber products that surpass the FSC standards since we began in 1981. But for our customers, FSC certification is a third party guarantee of our dedication to preservation and sustainable forestry.  And lumber certified as FSC Recycled garners twice the LEED points as regular FSC.

Continue reading We Are Now FSC Certified!

Posted: February 18, 2014 by

Saying Goodbye to Pete Seeger

This week we are remembering the incredible life and impact of folk musician Pete Seeger, who passed away on Monday at the age of 94.  Like many people, Crossroads’ founder Marc Mandel is a great admirer of Seeger, and the spirit of Pete’s music and work has been an inspiration for Crossroads Recycled Lumber and the nature of our operation.

Pete Seegar sang and fought for the rights of workers like the loggers and millhands whose labors we strive to honor by salvaging and reusing the old timbers they made.  He was an environmental activist in his music and in his daily life, something that is obviously a big part of what we do.

Along with playing great music of his own, Pete revived and popularized many old, beautiful folk songs.  He not only preserved history and honored the great works of the artists who created these songs, but he also gave the music new life and new meaning for a new generation.  On a more profound level, this is what we aim to do with our products at Crossroads.  This is why we feel like we are not JUST a lumber yard.

Thank you, Pete, for all that you did with your life.

Posted: January 28, 2014 by