Don’t choose impregnated wood if possible

23 January 2011 kl 21:05

Treated timber often contains toxic metals such as arsenic, chromium and copper. Use less harmful alternatives as extensively as possible when you are building something in your garden, and you will protect both yourself and the environment. As a sawmill owner you have the possibility of making use of the heartwood when you are sawing cypress, cedar, pine or larch.

Untreated timber can suffice – don’t choose impregnated wood if possible!

"In many cases, heartwood from larch and pine can substitute for impregnated wood," says Bengt-Olov Byström, Logosol. “This is wood with a naturally longer durability, and it can ideally be used instead of impregnated timber when you need to build on exposed sites."
When it comes to long-term ground contact it can even be wise to avoid using wood and instead choose another material, such as concrete or stone. Another natural alternative to pressure impregnated timber is oak, which is very resistant to decay but expensive, extremely hard and difficult to process.
Pressure impregnated timber has been treated with biocides to prevent decay. The real environmental problem arises when the pressure impregnated timber becomes waste. If the timber goes astray, the toxic substances are spread and can cause environmental damage. Since arsenic and chromium cannot be destroyed by combustion, the timber must be disposed of in special dumps or in plants where it is burnt with high-efficiency flue gas cleaning.
"You are not allowed to burn timber that is pressure impregnated, since the smoke is toxic. The situation is unsustainable," Bengt-Olov Byström states. "And it isn’t funny to discover that the firewood you brought out in the forest to grill some sausages, contains a piece of pressure impregnated wood."
Used impregnated timber is to be treated as hazardous waste and be disposed of at a recycling plant. Another alternative to impregnated timber is to treat the timber several times with linseed oil. Ask for timber that has become more durable by the means of other methods, such as acetylation or heat treatment.

Heartwood, facts
Heartwood is the inner part of a tree, and consists of dead cells. Unlike the surrounding sapwood, the heartwood is no longer carrying water in the tree, and the cavities are often filled with resin. (Wikipedia)


All over Sweden traditional agriculture is being replaced by horse farms.
But a horse farm can be so much more than a place where you live with the horses.
Christian and Therese Sämberg have horses, but their plans are bigger than that.

It is wise to remove the trees that were felled by the strong winds this winter, otherwise there is a danger of insect infestation in the wood.
But how can you easily transport individual trees over logs and rocks?
Logosol has the solution, a smart log skidder trailer for four-wheelers.

In Sweden the trend is evident: Young people become more and more interested in crafts of the old times and dream of a life in the country.
Three of those are Johannes Kabell, Timothy Ohdin and Per Hansson.
They have started a crafts collective and are building a large workshop with the help of their jointly owned sawmill from Logosol.

Tormek’s grinding machines and their method for sharpening edge tools have a solid good reputation all over the world.
Here comes their top model in a bespoke version made for Logosol’s customers.

There are not days enough in the year for Anders Assarsson who runs Svenshult’s Sawmill south of Gothenburg on the Swedish west coast. Even though the largest model of Logosol-Låks frame saw is going at full speed and the neighbours are helping out.
Now, the frame saw is to be automated, with the help of a large circular saw.

”Slice up your storm-felled trees! It is done quickly and you preserve all the good qualities of the timber.” This advice comes from Logosol’s founder, Bengt-Olov Byström, who continues thinking small-scale after the hard winds of this winter.

800 million people live in and of the forest. Many are poor and would get a better life if their commodities and work were valued higher.
Part of a solution was presented this summer in a one thousand year old church ruin: doubly eco-labelled wooden flooring, produced in southern Chile with equipment from Logosol.

Boat building has ancient traditions. Lars Wigren belongs to the growing number that carries the traditions on with the help of an own sawmill.

This year it is the tenth anniversary of the Logosol Sawmill model 7. 
Logosol celebrates this by taking the next step in development, the M8. But what happened on the way here?

The Logosol Sawmill M8 is the new model of the world’s most sold sawmill.
”We collected feedback from Logosol Sawmill owners all over the world,” says the product manager Mattias Byström at Logosol’s headquarters in Sweden.

For the first time in ten years, the wood-processing company Logosol presents a new Logosol Sawmill. The model passes under the name of M8 and includes a number of new modifications. Comfort and performance have been further raised. A new design gives the small sawyer more possibilities for both efficiency and job satisfaction.

Arne Larsson is a man of actions. He seldom regrets anything. Except when he a couple of years ago, cut up a large quantity of alder into firewood.
”Alder is the most beautiful sort of wood in the Swedish forests,” says Arne, who recently built a sauna, panelled with spalted and oiled alder.

What will a boat builder do when he cannot obtain mahogany that is wide enough? He takes his sawmill and goes to the woods.
”In the Swedish woods there are several interesting sorts of wood, like oak, elm and ash,” says Johan Nilsson, one of three boat builders behind the company Båthantverkarna (‘The Boat Craftsmen’ in English) in Stockholm.

Just in time for the planing season, Logosol introduces a completely new machine, which combines simplicity with larger size. To those who are already acquainted with the Logosol range of products this is a long-awaited big brother to the popular Logosol SH230, that was introduced more than ten years ago.

After investing in a sawmill the couple bought a Soloplaner. "A sawmill without a planer, it's like a computer without a printer," says Ronny Karlsson.

John Haag in Sweden has found his niche in small-scale wood processing. With his two sawmills he started a log home factory. His band sawmill can handle the rough logs, the portable sawmill runs the log house molder.

With his own sawmill, Gerard Saulnier can finally realize his dreams: making logs from the trees growing on the family estate.

Eight Laks saws turned a wrecked pine plantation into profitable forestry with record-low investment costs. The alternative would have been to burn down the whole forest plantation.

A new bimetallic blade with HSS teeth has been developed by Hakansson Sawblades. We visited the company and met CEO Olle Bergren for an interview.

The big challenge when it comes to industrial projects in developing countries is to find simple and durable equipment that give high productivity and quality.  Klas Bengtsson in Sweden has made this challenge his mission in life.

Close