What We Learned After 2 Years With Dawn Redwood

It's been two years since this Dawn Redwood log first arrived in our yard, and today we're finally putting it on the sawmill. That gave us the perfect opportunity to share everything we've learned about this unique species after seeing it firsthand and working with it over time. Despite the name, Dawn Redwood isn't related to the famous California redwoods. It's a unique tree from China that's often described as having characteristics similar to cedar and cypress. Many people planted them as ornamental and nursery trees during the 1970s, but very few people know much about how the wood performs once it's milled. As we saw this log into lumber, we talk about what makes Dawn Redwood different. The wood has a beautiful rose-colored grain with an appearance that reminds us of cedar, while the smell is much closer to cypress. It's surprisingly lightweight and very soft, which means it dents easily and probably isn't the best choice for things like tabletops or bowl turning. Where we think it really shines is outdoors. It has shown excellent resistance to decay during the time we've had it, making it an interesting option for outdoor projects where rot resistance matters more than hardness. The customer receiving this lumber plans to build benches for hiking trails and similar outdoor applications, which we think is a great fit for the species. There may still be many uses for Dawn Redwood that simply haven't been explored yet, and we're excited to see more people experiment with it. In this video: ✔ Sawing a Dawn Redwood log ✔ Our two-year review of the species ✔ Grain, color, and smell ✔ How it machines and works ✔ Outdoor durability ✔ Best uses (and worst uses) ✔ Why this overlooked wood deserves another look Have you ever worked with Dawn Redwood? We'd love to hear what you've built with it and what you've learned. #BeardedLumber #DawnRedwood #Sawmill #WoodSpecies #PortableSawmill #Woodworking #Lumber #SawmillLife #Hardwood #WoodReview #WoodMizer #OutdoorProjects We want to give a huge shoutout to Solomon. He helps us so much editing some of the videos. Be sure to check out his channels. ‪@ThirdBeardfishing‬ ‪@11charliescalemodeling‬ Be sure to check out Shearton Park Farms here on YouTube! They are an awesome farm and channel right here in Western North Carolina! ‪@SheratonParkFarms‬ Big thanks to Joe Maine and Wood Mizer for the saw blades we use. Contact Joe Maine @ 229-563-1172 Check out our website www.beardedlumbernc.com We hope you enjoy this video! Please feel free to like, comment, and share, and as always, we will see you back at the mill! The Bearded Lumber Crew