American Chestnut
We are offering virgin American Chestnut for the first time.
Virgin American chestnut lumber is one of the rarest, most sought-after hardwoods in North America. It is essentially a finite, non-renewable resource, often referred to by woodworkers as "ghost timber."
It is from a lone American Chestnut tree that was found growing in an isolated woodlot in Northern OH. Chestnut trees were once numbered in the billions throughout North America until the chestnut blight that was accidentally introduced at the turn of the 20th century wiped them out. They still sprout from the occasional old stump, but the blight finds them and kills them before they can reach any size. We are now experiencing the same thing with or ash trees. This chestnut tree, that this lumber was milled from, somehow/someway escaped the blight. This is not reclaimed, ratty, wormy lumber!
I sent a piece of this chestnut lumber down to the University of Tennessee where there is an expert in identifying chestnut lumber. He was skeptical when I told him that not only do I have wide flatsawn, clear boards, but I also have wide quartered ones as well that were cut from a live tree. He received my sample and confirmed that this is indeed American Chestnut. He called it an extremely rare find to find a living tree that was large enough to produce lumber, and also one that bore the light blonde color that this log produced.
Virgin American chestnut isn't just rare—it's a finite piece of American history. Its rich, golden-brown patina, lightweight strength, and complete lack of modern availability place it among the most expensive and prized timbers in existence, usually reserved strictly for high-end musical instruments, historic restorations, or luxury heirloom furniture.
I will be offering more here-and there. I believe that I have listed all of the quartered pieces though. When it's gone, it's gone! These boards are pretty much clear. I will note if there any defects in each listing, so please read the descriptions.
The sawmill I bought this from had it kiln dried and on a pallet for several years because the original owner did not want to part with it, but he ended up leaving it behind when he sold the mill. The new owner wanted it sold because they were tiring of moving it out of their way. It was then finally (after years of me asking about it) sold to me, and I redried it in my kiln. Three weeks later that sawmill completely burnt to the ground.
