Alabama Sawyer’s Not So Secret Diary

Since we at Alabama Sawyer use urban wood instead of traditional wood, our lumber isn’t graded traditionally. That said, the system for grading hardwood is still valuable information that you as a consumer could benefit from learning about.  

What is the purpose of grading hardwood?

Hardwood is graded so that consumers know what they are getting when they purchase the sawn hardwood lumber. Basically, hardwood is graded for quality assurance.  

Who created the system that’s used to grade hardwood?

In the US, most hardwood is graded according to the National Hardwood Lumber Association’s (NHLA) grading system. 

How would I determine the grade of a hardwood?

Here are just a few things you’ll have to figure out about the lumber in order to grade it:

→Species of the wood

→Surface measurement (SM) 

→You’ll need to know the poor face, which simply refers to the side with the lowest grade

→Select a grade, and then see if the lumber could possibly fit into that particular grade

→See if the lumber size requirements for that grade could apply to the wood you’re working with

Keep in mind that these aren’t all of the things you’d need to know in order to grade lumber. 

What are the different grades?

As of the writing of this blog post, there are a total of 8 different hardwood grades:

→FAS, which is shorthand for “First and Seconds.” FAS is considered the highest grade of hardwood lumber. 

→FAS 1-face or F1F. A ‘Select’ piece that is six inches or wider. 

→Select. The second best grade that hardwood lumber can be assigned. This grade is determined by the “better” face of the board. 

→No. 1 Common. Generally considered an upper grade of lumber, and is suitable for furniture. 

→No. 2 & No. 3 Common. These grades tend to be used for things like hardwood flooring to wooden pallets. Considered not as high grade as No. 1 Common lumber.     

Sources & Further Reading

Alexander, Tania, and Brian Anderson. “Urban Wood - Wood Grading.” UFEI, ufei.calpoly.edu/urbanwood/grades.lasso.

Wagner Meters. “Hardwood Lumber Grading Explained.” Wagner Meters, 14 Aug. 2018, www.wagnermeters.com/moisture-meters/wood-info/explaining-lumber-grading/.

In case you weren’t aware, Alabama Sawyer is competing in the 2019 Best of the Year Awards! This competition is hosted by the company Interior Design, and the voting period takes place from October 7 - October 18. Our submission? A Lanett Credenza in Sweet Gum:

We’d love for you to vote for our submission. And the great thing is, you can vote on the same submission once per day until the voting period is over. Consider voting multiple days in a row to help us out, or sharing with friends on social media to spread the ALASAW love. 

Once all the votes are tallied, the results will be reviewed by an editorial panel that includes editor in chief of Interior Design, Cindy Allen.

A while back I had the opportunity to sit and chat with Cliff Spencer about the specifics of the work he does here at Alabama Sawyer. We discuss his background, a typical day for him, the challenges of the work he does, and several other topics:

What is your background, education, and work experience?

I'm from Birmingham. Went to college at Rhodes College in Memphis Tennessee and worked in theater there. I also did theater in high school in Birmingham. So, I built sets and continued to do that in college. English lit too though, so I'm a liberal arts person.

And then I moved to New York since I wanted to do theater. I worked in theaters doing anything and everything. But, to pay the bills, I started working in wood shops. Also worked for Saks Fifth Avenue back when they had a big production department and built all the indoor displays. I worked at Saks Fifth Avenue but also in other stores around the country. So that was a great experience to learn about woodworking, finishing, upholstery, and everything was done there. From there I worked for other display designers.

I also started working on films. That brought me to Los Angeles where I continued to work in films and on production design. This was where I also worked at wood shops and cabinet shops. Eventually, I got tired of the entertainment business and pursued woodworking. After I met Leigh we moved to Colorado since we had friends there. So we moved to Colorado for a while and worked in some wood shops. Made cabinetry in Aspen. After that we moved back to LA and started our business in 2004.

I think it's really interesting that you used to work on film sets. What did you learn from that position that you were able to carry over to this one? 

The first thing that comes to mind is efficiency because we always had limited resources and a severely limited amount of time. For film, the only thing that matters is the end result. What's being photographed. So you have to understand what's important to focus on and what's out of focus. That really trained me to work efficiently and effectively. Furniture is different because everything has to be perfect.

Everything has to be up to our standards of quality. But to get to that standard of quality you have to work efficiently. I've known woodworkers who fuss over one detail forever and never get anything done. Working in film taught me to see the objective, to see the thing that has to get done. You have to do good work, but you also have to make good decisions in a timely manner.

What is your favorite part of the design process?

I guess I like the very beginning when you have ideas to the phase when you are starting to prototype. That is the phase when unexpected things happen. The piece might turn into something you didn’t expect it to. Don’t get me wrong, I like the whole process, but it’s work. Having to draw out every detail and make all these decisions is very painstaking. When you start making that prototype and think, “Oh! I didn’t expect it to turn out like that.” I think that’s really cool.

Can you walk me through a typical day for you here?

Well, one of my jobs today, on Friday, is to make the schedule. I might need to do that with Leigh. But I’m supposed to create the production schedule for the upcoming week based on the deadlines we have. So that I can come in on Monday morning with a full slate and making sure everyone knows what they are doing. So the morning starts with a meeting where I explain the jobs and hand out the jobs to everyone. Then it’s off to the races.

Most of the woodworkers are working on one project, and I have four or five projects I’m supposed to be making progress on that are either prototypes or special projects. Otherwise I’d have to be hand holding the employees. 

So I go to work on my various tasks. And they ask me questions or a machine breaks down and I have to figure out how to repair it. Or the mill calls and there is something over there that I need to deal with. Or maybe the Windows OS crashes and I have to get someone to help me fix it. 

So then the day is a series of interruptions. But it’s not always like that! My main task is to make sure that all the employees have plenty of work to do. There is a lot of juggling to make that happen.

What is the most challenging/ rewarding part of the job?

The most challenging part of the job is to do all of the work that needs to get done. It’s kind of difficult to get all of the work done on a deadline. We also need to make sure that we are producing work that is up to our standards on time and with limited resources. There’s no room for error but that’s all there is. Errors. Errors abound, that’s what life is like. 

The reward is getting to see the finished product. We have all this really cool stuff being made! We have two new prototypes being made and they are looking really good. We have all these completed ice buckets and they are looking really good. We have a compost table that’s nearing completion. 

I guess the most rewarding thing is seeing our team succeed.  

Well, thank you so much for taking the time to chat with me, I appreciate it.

Salvaged Wood: Wood that was never cut into lumber or used for construction. 

Reclaimed Wood: Wood that was previously used in the construction of a building.

The trend of using salvaged wood and reclaimed wood to create new products/ furniture is a good one, and we hope to see more and more companies use salvaged or reclaimed wood when possible.

Both reduce the amount of wood that will eventually go to waste in a landfill, so keep that in mind as you weigh the pros and cons of salvaged wood vs reclaimed wood. Salvaged wood tends to be more expensive than reclaimed wood since the salvaged wood must be transported, milled, and sometimes refinished before it can be sold.   

At Alabama Sawyer, we use salvaged wood, more specifically we use fallen urban timber sourced entirely from the greater Birmingham area as materials in our products. 

SOURCE: Scott's Liquid Gold | Reclaimed vs Salvaged Wood

As an Alabama business, we love promoting and discussing some of the best Alabama has to offer. In fact, the Old 280 Boogie is one of those businesses that we love promoting.

What is The Boogie?

The Old 280 Boogie is a concert and multicultural event that takes place annually along, you guessed it, highway 280. According to the Old 280 Boogie event website,

“The annual Spring ‘Old 280’ Boogie started 18 years ago on the one year anniversary of state Highway 280 opening-up and routing around our little town. This one-day spring gathering is set on the creative grounds of Standard Deluxe Inc. renowned for its cool and hospitable Southern ambiance.”

The boogie will be held Saturday April 19th, and honestly, the lineup looks awesome featuring Cedric Burnside, Sarah Shook & The Disarmers, Ben Sollee & Friends, Liz Brasher, The Pine Hill Haints, and Young Valley. Bands from previous years include Alabama Shakes, Jason Isbell, Lonnie Holley Band, Heath Green & the Makeshifters, and so many more!

But it’s not just Alabama Sawyer that thinks the Old 280 Boogie is great, Garden & Gun had great things to say about it too, “Part music festival, part yard-party, this BYOB event draws fans twice a year to tiny Waverly. Also called the Waverly Boogie, its spring installment has been going strong for seventeen years, and organizer Scott Peek added the Fall Boogie in 2012. Music runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., with as many as six bands.”

So what are you waiting for? Go to their website and buy a ticket! 

SOURCES & FURTHER READING

This Is Alabama | Southern hospitality and one heck of a party in Waverly, Alabama

Garden & Gun | Your Guide to Summer Music Fests

1) If you've never listened to 90.3 WBHM, then you're really missing out. They deliver high quality news broadcasting on topics ranging from the arts to science & technology. We love supporting them, even if that support goes out in the form of simply tuning in and paying attention. But we also like to give them money, and you should too.

2) According to its description on Google, Red Mountain Park is a "1,500-acre park with 15 miles of scenic trails, historic mines, zip lines, tree house & a dog park." Speaking of hiking, there's nothing better than hiking a Red Mountain trail with loved ones. For me "loved ones" refers to my framed picture of Frances McDormand bench pressing a grizzly bear.

3) The first time I visited the Birmingham Zoo, I got to bottle feed a koala. Then I got pooped on by some birds at the Aviary. Needless to say it was the best day of my life. On a completely different note, Alabama Sawyer has made a bunch of different stools for the Birmingham Zoo, so be sure to check them out the next time you visit!

4) The Birmingham Museum of Art is a great place to visit if you get the chance. I know I know. You might hate museums because you think they're boring. That was my position on museums before I ever visited one, the BMA being the first. Honestly, they've had some pretty great exhibits and pieces on display over the years. And I'm not just saying that because they've exhibited some of our furniture before. No, I've liked visiting the BMA long before I started working here. 

5) Here is a description of Workshops, Inc. taken directly from their website, "Workshops, Inc. provides outsourcing solutions for local businesses. All outsourced handwork is completed by people with disabilities and other barriers to employment who are striving for their highest vocational potential." We've worked with Workshops, Inc. in the past, and would love to work with them again. 

Alabama Sawyer is practically a toddler compared to some of the more classic Birmingham businesses. In their honor, here are some of our favorite companies that have been in Birmingham for quite some time.

1. Trilogy Leather: a leather repair & craft shop established in the 70’s by Sam Sicola and brothers Tony + Salvatore Pardi. They offer a wide variety of products from crocodile + gator hide belts to handbags and briefcases. According to their website, “the name Trilogy was chosen to signify the 3 of them.”

Sam, Tony, and Salvatore - image taken from the Trilogy Leather website

2. Buffalo Rock Co.: Founded in 1901 by the Lee family as an independent Pepsi bottler, Buffalo Rock even created its own grape flavored beverage in the early 80’s called Grapico. According to their website, “The mission of the Buffalo Rock Company is to be the premier provider of beverages and food products. We have 10 divisions inclusive of 2,100 employee-partners who are committed to this mission.”

Image take from Buffalo Rock’s website

3. Bromberg & Co. Jewelers: This family owned jewelers founded by Frederick Bromberg has been around since 1836, and has been providing its customers with the highest attention to detail in jewelry making ever since.

4. Davis Architects: Founded in 1912, Davis Architects is the oldest still running architectural firm in Alabama. They even employed the first registered female architect in the state. According to their website, they prefer to take a client centered approach to architecture. Some of their work includes the Birmingham Crossplex, the College of Health Sciences at Samford University, the Center for the Arts at Montevallo University, ect... One of their quotes? “Every problem has a solution. As optimistic as it may sound, it is the driving force behind our work. Great design starts here.”

Image taken from the Davis Architect website

5. Golden Rule Barbecue: Opened in 1891, Golden Rule is the oldest continuously running restaurant in the state of Alabama.

Image taken directly from Golden Rule’s website

There are a lot that I didn’t mention here, so take a look at this AL.com article that I drew from to learn more about some of the longest running businesses in Alabama.

Sources

AL.com article: “These Alabama businesses have operated 100 years or more”

Buffalo Rock Company Wikipedia article: “Buffalo Rock”

Trilogy Leather website

Buffalo Rock “About Us” website

Bromberg’s Website

Tommy Daspit photography website

Golden Rule Barbecue “About” page

Golden Rule Barbecue website

First thing's first. Let's talk about the psychology of color, specifically the colors that tend to facilitate focus & concentration. Green tends to promote concentration and focus while also playing into aspects of biophilic design. Blue is incredibly calming, which means using it in your office or home would promote calm and aid concentration.

Read more about color psychology here. Now, on to actual design elements. One important consideration is space. Do you want the area to be more open to encourage collaborative discussion, or closed off to ensure individual work gets done?

According to InteriorArchitects.com - in open office spaces "employees experience more uncontrolled interactions, higher levels of stress, and lower levels of concentration and motivation." Clearly there is a need for balance between collaboration and individual work that promotes concentration and productivity. Consider creating "focus areas" - places where people can work independently, and make the rest of the space more open to encourage collaboration and effective group work. 

Another possibility is to set up the space similar to a library layout, that is, long conference tables (see image below) that serve as collaborative meeting spaces, (but don't have to if an employee would prefer to work individually.)

Alabama Sawyer Furniture

There are a ton of different ways to approach the maximization of concentration and focus in interior design elements, and these are just a few, so be sure to check out our sources and further reading section!

Sources & Further Reading

Source: Curbed

Source: Focus on Focus | Interior Architect