TEMPE, Ariz. – Last week’s microburst in Tempe left behind more than just damage—it left hundreds of uprooted trees. Instead of ending up in the landfill, some are getting a second life, thanks to one local sawmill.
Big picture view:
After the storm, dozens of trees in Tempe were left split, uprooted, or broken. Rather than let these trees rot or be hauled to a dump, they are being turned into furniture.
“So those trees, I didn’t want them to go to the landfill,” said William Hemphill, Sawmill Manager. “So we arranged with Corey, the landscaper, to drop them off here so that we could process them into lumber.”
More than 40 tons of logs from the microburst have already been unloaded at Wine Glass Bar Sawmill.
“Most of this microburst affected acacia trees and mesquite trees,” Hemphill said.
By the numbers:
Hemphill sorted through the deliveries looking for straight, long logs suitable for slabbing.
“The ideal log would be six to eight feet long, 16 to 24 inches around and straight,” Hemphill said.
Then, it’s into the sawmill, where the logs are cut. Hemphill said he goes for the slabs, rather than a horizontal bandsaw mill.
After cutting, the wood can either air dry or go straight into the kiln to speed things up.
“The turnaround on that’s about 10 days,” Hemphill said. “We slowly raise the temperature so that the wood stays flat and even. And then we kick it up for the last two days to kill any potential bugs.”
Dig deeper:
Once dried, the wood is flattened, sanded, and finished by hand.
“We finish it with a blend of tung oil and fresh beeswax,” Hemphill said.
Some of these pieces end up as custom furniture in Arizona businesses like Industry Standard and the new AZ Wilderness.
“No resource left behind,” Hemphill said. “Ecologically, we can’t afford to just keep throwing away our future because it’s inconvenient.”
Hemphill mills about 150 logs a year.
What’s next:
He said the logs from the microburst should be completed by January.
The Source: This information was gathered by FOX 10’s Lindsey Ragas, who spoke with the sawmill manager on Oct. 20.