Very cool to see this salvage /recovery happening. My grandfather was born at Hillbank and lived there till the 1931 hurricane.

Hi Rich @ Green Lumber; I’m 84+, born & raised; Vancouver, BC.,& took Wood & metal working through HS.(Dad was homebuilder/finishing carpenter. So, from Gudamala Mahogany; I had, as a grade 11 project a “students desk” (3 rounded shelves right side & 1large drawer) I had a paper route & paid $15.00 for all materials; esp. the Guadamala mahogany to create my “masterpiece” (15 coats varnish, oil & Pumis rubbed) And for grade 10 a liquor cabinet with sliding glass doors also made from doweling the wonderful grains of the same mahogany & exquisite “decapos like” finish as above. These will be passed to Family when I DO!!! Al Hattie, Saskatoon, Canada.

@greenerlumber

5 жыл бұрын

Al Hattie it sounds to me like you got to use Mahogany that was still of the quality of the old stuff. Today it’s rare to see material with that kind of character. $15 for all the materials??? That was expensive wood back then too! I saw an old manifest for a shipload of Cuban Mahogany once from 1911 and it showed it’s worth at $0.18 per Board Foot!! You definitely built a couple of heirlooms there Al and I’m sure they’ll be appreciated long after we both are gone.

Simply fantastic! Great find, great story, great wood and great things made from it. Thanks a lot for making, taping, editing, uploading and sharing.

Great video! Bit of history, current day, and thank you for showing finished woodworking.

Thanx Indy! The big mahogany log in the video you see our ops manager David standing next to was pulled from a little river called the Sibun and we calculate it was hand axe cut sometime before 1790 when the first 2 man saws were introduced down there.

@daintree98

3 жыл бұрын

Just wondering, is any of these axe cut pre-1790 mahogany logs on display in a museum?

@greenerlumber

3 жыл бұрын

@@daintree98 not to my knowledge but it’s not a bad idea. Unfortunately COVID has canceled our operation for over a year now and it’s going to be awhile before any is available….

I ran into some underwater loggers in Florida last year. They were pulling up hand cut logs from the 1800's. Cool video!

You could just stare at it for hours and not get tired of the beauty. I am a new wood worker and I hope to be good enough someday to justify trying something in mahogany,

Thank you for producing this video, I watched with great internest, as I am lucky enough to own a Martin 0 14 sinker mahogany guitar. As guitars go, I abolutely love it for its resonance. To think that the wood is around 500 years old amazes me. Thanks again, very informative.

@greenerlumber

4 жыл бұрын

Thank you Hypnoray..... Its amazing what this wood does for resonance and sustain in a guitar.... they seem to have more "punch" also.

@ron.v

4 жыл бұрын

@@greenerlumber Agreed. Mahogany is a wonderful tonewood full of body and sustain. I too have a mahogany Martin, though it's the less expensive DM, basically made of "plywood." The layered mahogany shows nothing goes to waste and, through Martin's expert hands, produces an instrument that does indeed have so much more "punch" as you mentioned. Thanks for showing the beautiful guitar.

I can't believe it wouldn't be far more efficient to mill these logs in Belize than to send them all the way to Iowa and storage back in Missouri.

Hi Luke! Next vids will be up soon. Leaving on a trip to Belize on 3/20 and hope to get some updated video of whats going on this season.

Excellent piece of work

Rich.....I just happened to find this video and pop.....there you were. I really enjoyed this.

Very cool. Nice to see the whole backstory!

Much respect!

This is so cool. WOW.

The boom on the tractor was hillarious! But strong! 5:15

Beautiful mahogany !

Pretty interesting, though those logs sure do a lot of traveling! A company here in Oregon has been doing underwater timber salvage in the Columbia River since the early 2000's, using side scan radar & researching old log raft locations to find them; then bringing them up with an excavator onto a barge. They do all of their own milling, mostly hemlock which was heavier and didn't float well.....or long!

Thanx Ray! It's been quite an adventure. This is how I prospect in Belize...lol. Hopefully I'll have some of the same luck in Missouri this spring and summer lookin' for color in my pan. Rich.

this is awesome

Nice guitar "Infinity Luthiers".

Well done video.

Very enjoyable and inspirational. Makes me want to make something. I especially like the last few pieces show, he, he, he

@mrwess1927

3 жыл бұрын

Plant some trees you. Trees take 100 years to grow massive.

Beautiful timber, mate. 👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🇦🇺

@greenerlumber

4 жыл бұрын

Thank You Cathy, it is some amazing stuff for sure.

Wow amazing video loved it I want some of that wood

I helped put mahogany shelves in apts in the 70's. Whent to clean there and they are all painted. Made me sorta sick. I remember coughing up red dust for days.

@greenerlumber

4 жыл бұрын

Hi Nancy, Yes we've seen a lot of beautiful Mahogany painted over in many of the older homes and buildings in Belize.... I'm sure there is a lot of the same going on here with "white" being the new norm where remodeling is concerned.... sad.

Thanx Justin.... You can get some of this wood by going to the website listed above.

Great video. Very interesting. Thanks for sharing. I bought a large, wooden chest carved with the Mayan alphabet and figures in Guatemala in 1986. It cost $30 and that much extra for the plane ride back. A lumberman saw the chest in the airport and said that it wasn't cured properly and that it will crack. He was right. It did crack. But, it is still a cool, albeit bulky, possession. Not sure of the kind of wood but it's stained walnut.

@greenerlumber

8 жыл бұрын

+Victor D. Easley, Thanx for you comments. I can't tell you what wood your chest was made of but I can tell you the price for it and what it cost to get it into the US was very good... even for 1986. Today, depending on the species is was made of, the cost would be prohibitive. RP

Ah, the perfect combination of leather bound books and rich mahogany.

Using a log stuck in the skidder tow frame is typical of Belize. It made me laugh and brought back memories of when I was on a freezer plant project down there. Unfortunately for us, the guy in charge was an alcoholic and the availability of rum caused him to bring the whole project down. I had a plane ticket to Los Angeles and used it to get out of there with pretty much what I had when I went down there.

@greenerlumber

8 жыл бұрын

+Allen A ...... WoW!!! Yes there is definitely always an adventure to be had down there. There is something about the climate, or the food, or something in the water that has a tendency bring out the "what the heck" in us while there. We spent a lot of time and money having a metal boom designed and built for that skidder and we were told by our ops manager down there that we should just do it the "Belizean Way"... "Use whats available and make do mon" Oh no, we were much smarter than that.... we had this monstrosity built and when we mounted it on the skidder it would barely lift the weight of itself without the front end coming off the ground, god forbid lifting a wet log out of the water....sheeeeesh.... as you see in the video it was a simple matter of sticking a Billy Web log in the tow frame and it lasted us 3 seasons before needing replacement. Thanx for sharing... RP

@kengregory1541

8 жыл бұрын

Ouch. 'spent time and money designing a metal boom for that skidder', yet no one thought to calculate the weight? OUCH.Damage to both pride and pocketbook... guess that wood pays for all though? Hope the locals are getting a reasonable chunk of the pie... gorgeous wood, kudos on the salvage!

love this !

@greenerlumber

7 жыл бұрын

Thanx Urge!! Glad you liked it.

Cool stuff.

@greenerlumber

9 жыл бұрын

GWAIN Andrews Thanx for your comments. Wait till you see some of the guitars this material produces.....amazing!

Great music.

@greenerlumber

9 жыл бұрын

subsailor1 Thanx, Gregor Hilden is a crazy good guitar player. He was kind enough to let us use his music in the "Present Day Belize" segment of the video.

Looks to me like you guys need a woodmizer sawmill down there so you can reduce your shipping freight and maximize available space inside your container. I've got a LT 40 super hydraulic and have travelled around Belize, specifically San Ignacio, and Bullet Tree. I'd love to spend a month or two sawing cants for you. best wishes from coastal oregon.

@greenerlumber

5 жыл бұрын

Thanx for the offer Ryan!! Since this video was done we have begun sawing and drying the material in Belize. The only time I bring logs to the states now is when they're too big for the mills down there. I have a couple of options here in Missouri for sawing slabs up to 6' wide that works very well and slabs seem to be all the rage at the moment for large conference room and dining room tables.Our Ops manager and his family live in San Ignacio on the west side of town on Benque Viejo road. Let me know the next time you plan on going down there and I'll get you in touch with them.

Amazing process. 500 year old lumber in that furniture.

Mexico Missouri! Fantastic to see Missouri business kicking ass. How does one vacuum dry wood?

awesome video...thumbs up !!!

@greenerlumber

4 жыл бұрын

Thanx Magician!! It's been a real adventure..... more to come soon.

This video is by far the most comprehensive video on this subject that I've seen. But, after reading the "log on a skidder" comments, I have to ask; why not use an excavator with a thumb? Either way, awesome video.

Hi, at start it says the logs would sink quite quickly while waiting in lagoons? how quickly does a log sink? Or is mahogany so hard and heavy it sinks quickly?

@greenerlumber

8 жыл бұрын

+Rose White , Logs were harvested during the "dry" season when rivers and streams were too low to float the logs to the harbor in Belize City to be loaded onto ships. So the logs from the start of the dry season sat in the water for a long time, (upwards of 8 months), and a dense old growth log like that will not float that long and sinks to the bottom. When the rainy season comes it raises the river levels up enough to float the logs over the shallow riffle areas. The rain, (over 100 inches in 4 months), would also wash tons of sediment into the streams which would cover the sunken logs with a layer of mud, sand and small cobble. With the next dry season the process would start all over again. Right now we are recovering the logs that are visible on the bottom. In time we will begin recovering the buried ones. Those logs will be very interesting indeed! Thanx for your comment. Rich.

@rosewhite---

8 жыл бұрын

Hi Rich, thanks for explaining. I ask because I'm Fundamental Christian and accept that 4,300 years ago Earth was flooded and all vegetation washed off to create all the oil, gas ans coal and lots of people claim trees would not have been deeply buried in flood. Obviously if they sank in the standing water months of flood they would then get covered in the deep sediment during the massive drain offs. Don't see much fancy furniture in UK these days as everyone shops at Ikea.

@johnmacsporran2632

7 жыл бұрын

greenerlumber

And the search for More Hogany continues.

beautiful wood

@greenerlumber

4 жыл бұрын

Thanx Roger.... glad you like it.

I was one of the trainers in the jungle training school at Guatchemallo bridge a few miles away from a logging camp that had alcohol in 79

@greenerlumber

4 жыл бұрын

I was just at the Guacamallo bridge on my last trip to Belize in September. The BDF camp is still there on the west end of the bridge and still active today. I don't know where they get their alcohol now as I'm not sure the logging camp is still there but I know it was run by the Bedran family and they still log in that part of the forest today. it has changed a lot since 1979 that is for sure!!

@richardwilliams3031

4 жыл бұрын

@@greenerlumber not sure what the camp looks like now but we built the original so 1 gas fired fridge and a gas ring and 1 chef 4 or 5 royal irish rangers and me ( a gunner medic)

That woodgrain is outstanding.

@greenerlumber

9 жыл бұрын

Thanx ddf, This is what REAL mahogany is supposed to look like when the trees were allowed to grow to a greater maturity than what is being cut from the rainforest or plantations today. Most all of the logs we recover are old and sometimes virgin growth material with amazing figure and grain. Its always exciting to see what kind of figure shows up when we put a log on the sawmill... Rich.

I have found endless hardwood and pine here in Northern Maine, the riverside saw mill closed over 100 years ago. I need a list of suspected buyers before i am allowed a permit. In log form I am willing to sell very reasonable, it seems to be the coolest job. We have birch beech and maple, I hooked a monster yellow Birch with my anchor fishing. I got a underwater camera i found a stack of timber down there 20 foot high. this business requires a large start up fortune, if your lucky after that you can make a small fortune. A DYING BUSINESS No money in it, I have to purchase the logs from the State, I have to pay rent on the distance of river from the State. EQUIPMENT KILNS TAXES No money in it just fun

@greenerlumber

8 жыл бұрын

+Barry Thacker If you ever get something going and find a substantial quantity of Maple please contact me. I have a client who would be interested in it. Thanx, Rich.

@barrythacker7281

8 жыл бұрын

greenerlumber The state keeps giving me the run around, Is that in log or board form? I really do appreciate that I will save your site. I do not see a lot of demands for this wood , I only know of a few people up here in this business, I had to put a small motor on my fishing boat I keep hitting logs, All of our rivers are full of logs we were number 1 in log driving if you have buyers you might want to work up here

@mrwess1927

3 жыл бұрын

There is a reason why logging and sawmills stopped 100 years ago. From the first european settlers in the 1600s to recent times. All of that land was dense old growth forest harvested for ship masts. These are all, natural resources full of value. But they need space and time to grow. I want to make things out of wood and harvest the forest responsibly. It goes to show that if that many logs are just the “leftovers” we can get-an idea how many were taken. Because of the massive deforestation across the world we need to temper our lust for raw materials with sustainability. Talk with foresters. This is our chance to learn from past mistakes where people took from the land without an afterthought. The land has given us these great natural resources to use lets give back to the land that supports our livelihood. Massive forest replanting on a global scale. Work to reverse desertification. If we put land conservation as a priority over immediate profits we would be able to harvest 10-100x more witha plan to regrow and replace what we take. Nature allows us to take from her as a part of her natural cycle, but we have disrupted natures process and many lands no longer produce anything of value because we inhibited the land to recover to the Point of environmental collapse. Bottom line: harvesting trees is okay if you have a proper plan to restore what is taken and maintain forest lands. Give forests the space and time to grow and regrow.small communities managing local forests using resources locally without depleting the woodstock = good. Imperialistic nations claiming dominion over natural resources clear cutting millions of acres of white pines for ship masts to enforce their conquest attitude across the globe=bad.. we need to look at how native Americans managed the land because we don’t see millions of acres of desolate lands until the europeans arrived hungrily lusting after the natural resources of north america. I want to harvest the natural resources but I feel before any of that can move forward, a plan for restoring our lands to their former glory takes precedence. Too many times through history we destroy a renewable resource for a one time cash profit.... Look to the Indians for lessons on how life could be. There is a sickness in the mentality of the “modern” world. Greed, selfish, shortsighted thinking got us here to our current state of affairs. I wish the world could put aside the differences we have and return to land and water conservation and instead of humans dominating and decimating the landscape we find our niche and grow.

That is some gorgeous wood. Makes me wonder how it would look with an epoxy resin over it

@greenerlumber

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Jesse, go to the website gallery and you can see all manner of what’s been produced with this sinker material.... www.greenerlumber.com/hardwood-project-gallery

What kings were buying the logs? The labor of that furniture started couple hundred years ago. Would be nice to have a peice

How do I purchase some of this lumber

@greenerlumber

3 жыл бұрын

Hi Nakia, You can go to www.greenerlumber.com and click on the "Shop Our Store" link to purchase material. If you don't see what you want there please goto the "Contacts Us" link and give us a call. Thanx.

That grain is very impressive.Old growth wood is unmatched in quality

@greenerlumber

4 жыл бұрын

Yes.... You really can't appreciate it till you see it in person....makes you understand why journeymen back in the 18th century loved working with it....especially with hand tools.

@jeffmedina007

4 жыл бұрын

@@greenerlumber I very much agree.I work with a lot of different exotic woods and wood burls.Ive got some mahogany burl that is my treasure.Its almost too nice to cut for inlays.The richness is without comparison to anything else

@ron.v

4 жыл бұрын

@@greenerlumber Well said. It would be nice if striped wood that's been finished could be viewed in the right light with the camera moving over the stripes to show how they "move" with the eye. I compare such figuring with star jewels such as a star sapphire where the "eye" of the stone follows the eye. The beauty of the wood must seen in person to be believed.

My grandfather use to log mahogany in Belize, until there were no more trees. So new trees were planted - it takes 100 years to get to maturity for logging. Those trees will be making 100 soon...

@washnon

Жыл бұрын

cool lets go cut them

I really. Enjoyed that! Stunni g timber! Any still selling?

@greenerlumber

4 жыл бұрын

Yes Swedish, there is some available.... please contact us through the website at www.greenerlumber.com.

#woodworking #wood #guitar #furniture #cabinets #interiordesign #architecture #homedesign

I'm kind of surprised that Gibson Guitar Co doesn't want to get in on this action.

@kasperbrinkestam3128

8 жыл бұрын

+Rich Firyn Guess what? www.gibson.com/Products/Electric-Guitars/2016/USA/Les-Paul-Sunken-Treasure.aspx#LPSST16RGNH1

@richfiryn

8 жыл бұрын

+Kasper Brink That's cool, thanks for sharing that back at me.

Where's the Timber Guys who came to Scotland in WW2 in the history bit

For every log that is re-floated or dug up that is 1 less that will be sawn down to meet the requirements of the mill and in the end the general public. They say wood that has been underwater for some time takes on an entirely nicer patina than the 'fresh sawn' stuff and having been connected with both sorts for some time I believe that to be entirely true, - providing the under-water wood is not kiln dried. Mind you Mahogany never was a 'cheap' wood to start with - no 'Hardwood' is as it is so slow growing.

@greenerlumber

7 жыл бұрын

You're right Chris. We have found Sinker Mahogany logs sporting over 60 rings per inch which today is unheard of. It is a better quality of wood and the color of it is much deeper than the 12 - 16 ring per inch material being harvested from the rainforest now. RP

@christopherlovelock9104

7 жыл бұрын

That ring count as you say is unheard of today, - makes for beautiful figuring on the board. I have restored a lot of period furniture and it is hell to get a good match unless you use wood of the same age, - todays veneer is absolute rubbish. I have bought old 'rough' and broken C of D's in order to get the wood / veneer in order to restore better pieces. I'm intrigued how you are going to find the buried logs, - without giving too much away would I be right in saying 'sonar' of some form.

Wow how much did all of that Labor, effort and shipping cost? Must be crazy expensive to make any profit on the material. Definitely worth it though the stuff is beautiful!

Is any of that beautiful old Mahogany ever offered to the local market in Belize?

@aldomoraigne3403

4 жыл бұрын

Why? I would think they have other concerns.

@ianabbott785

4 жыл бұрын

@@aldomoraigne3403 And what other concerns would they be? Those of us who live here should have the opportunity to purchase what belongs to the people

@greenerlumber

4 жыл бұрын

Ian, you can purchase this material locally by contacting River Works Ltd. in San Ignacio.....Thank You.

@ianabbott785

4 жыл бұрын

@@greenerlumber Thank you for your response, I shall make contact with them

@ianabbott785

4 жыл бұрын

@@greenerlumber Can you please provide e mail or contact number as River Works Ltd is not listed in the phone book

So are those logs worth money? Even after sitting up water for almost a century

Great guitar work, who is this?

@greenerlumber

3 жыл бұрын

That’s a guitar built by Chris Oliver of Infinity Luthiers.

I have a small log of mahogany sitting next to my firepIace. Handed down thru the family and it sits on the mantle next to and around the fireplace. It's a nice heavy chuck. Seasoned, beautiful and heavy. I'd say it's about 3 fr long..give or take a few inches, and about the size of a Basketball around. I was a forestry major, wildlife conservation etc....I love nature and animals, but I can't keep this chuck of wood any longer. I set a petrified wood exaple with it, hoping for conersation starter lol. I found the petrified bit in my back yard tornado shelter on a farm in NE Oklahoma, along with native american artifacts. Anyone wanna buy that mahogany chuck LOL. I need money

Love the music

If the log starts to dry it will split wide open.....

@greenerlumber

4 жыл бұрын

The trick is to saw and dry the lumber before that happens.

Send some to Canada .

And, now you know why it's called "KING WOOD"

@greenerlumber

4 жыл бұрын

Exactly! I get comments in emails and phone calls from period furniture builders who have used this material and many of them tell me they now understand why this wood was so popular back in those days. It works like a polymer when using hand tools.

red mahogany I assume.

@bradleyasztalos6650

4 жыл бұрын

No this is what is called "genuine/hunduran mahogany"-- the real deal -- see www.wood-database.com/honduran-mahogany/

This lumber has to be some of the most expensive lumber ever sold in the U.S..

@greenerlumber

9 жыл бұрын

BigRalphSmith this material is not cheap but not ridiculous either. When compared price wise with young growth mahogany being sold in some markets today it runs about twice as much. It all depends on the figure found in the wood. That is what will drive the price over the top. But then again, what is the highest quality worth in any material????..... Whatever the enduser is willing to pay for it.

So you guys dont cut down trees you just get them from rivers

@greenerlumber

9 жыл бұрын

Hi Jenny, Yes, you are correct. We deal only in River Recovered timber in several different species but mainly Honduras Mahogany. Thanx, Rich.

'gently lifted to minimize river bank damage" oh., BULL SHIT. that skidder without chains on it's tires would chew/bog down on that river bank. the driver doesn't have any choice but to drive it slowly/carefully. this time. Next time: rip rap the crap out of the river bank. !!! skidders make a mess.

And why can't all this be done in BELISE DUMB flicks minus allo that shipping there's should be good profit invcountry and waate can be made intro chRCOAL FOR COOKING kiss PRINCIPLE

@greenerlumber

4 жыл бұрын

Hi Gary..... this video was made during the early stages of our operation..... we now saw 90% of the logs in Belize and ship the lumber to the US and other countries.

The destroyers of the great forests.

@greenerlumber

4 жыл бұрын

At least they left it behind in the rivers instead of letting it rot in the forest.... maybe by getting a taste of what real old growth material was like we will now let the forests renew themselves through different and more effective methods of sustainable forestry in hopes of growing some more material that could be considered "old growth".

cut out the music

Not much of a log.

Lose the music track

not much if any value of the lumber stays in the country of origin, you blew that getting all the booty back to the land of the "free"

@greenerlumber

9 жыл бұрын

pete aplin in some circumstances you would be right. Where this material is concerned though it's a bit different. By agreement with the government of Belize only Belizean citizens perform all the work up to the point of the material export. The ground crews, equipment operators, boat captains, and divers are paid a wage that is much better than the prevailing wages in the country. No big contracted offshore companies coming in and sucking up all the resources for free. We also, (after realizing what it was costing to ship all the water hidden in these logs), are now sawing these logs into lumber in Belize and drying down to

@peteaplin8324

9 жыл бұрын

It certainly is a surprise to read this but a welcome surprise and I guess something that must be expected in this day and age.

I just don't like that you have make something historical into business. I don't agree with your video. It is sad for me to see this that our history is given away to foreigners. Sad indeed! :(

@Masonaterx

6 жыл бұрын

What do you think they were out there in the jungle cutting the trees down for fun? Get real lol

For best enjoyment mute the annoying music.

If you want to watch and listen to this video be prepared to listen to some overly loud, unnecessary and mind destroying MUZAK!

'gently lifted to minimize river bank damage" oh., BULL SHIT. that skidder without chains on it's tires would chew/bog down on that river bank. the driver doesn't have any choice but to drive it slowly/carefully. this time. Next time: rip rap the crap out of the river bank. !!! skidders make a mess.