rare & unusual » redwood beam blocks

Over the years, we have accumulated an amazing array of “end drop” from our remilling process. These handsome redwood beam blocks – in dimensions ranging from 12” x 12” to 16” x 16” by lengths up to 4’ – are among the most prized and unique.    

These stout redwood blocks are from massive redwood beams that once supported the historic Union Lumber Mill in Fort Bragg, California. Prior to that, they stood for hundreds of years as towering redwood trees along the coast of Northern California. California coastal redwoods, or Sequoia sempervirens, are the largest trees on earth. 

The as-is surface of these blocks shows the authentic aging acquired from decades spent as part of the Union mill, which supplied the bulk of the lumber used to rebuild San Francisco following the 1906 earthquake. Beneath the weathered surface of these blocks lies the incredibly dense, dark, tight grain that documents their centuries spent as living trees.

For the accompanying photos, we resurfaced some sides of several blocks and left the others as-is to create visual juxtapositions that also illustrate the material’s long and compelling history. Use these blocks for end tables, night stands or as free-standing elements. Or cut them into cross sections to create end-block paneling like no other. Our expertise, together with your design ideas and imagination, can yield phenomenal results.

Redwood is legendary for its ability to resist rot and decay. This rare characteristic, combined with the wood’s deep auburn beauty, accounts for its intense desirability. These unique attributes make old-growth redwood ideal for both exterior and interior applications. New redwood, with its high percentage of sapwood and loose grain structure, cannot compare with old-growth.

Thankfully, this kind of old-growth redwood is virtually unavailable new. Most of the old-growth redwood trees left standing are protected in state and federal parks, such as Muir Woods National Monument in Marin County north of San Francisco and Redwood National Park in Humboldt County near the coast of far Northern California.

Three record-setting redwoods were recently discovered in Redwood National Park. The trees – named Helios, Icarus and Hyperion – all measure more than 370 feet tall. Hyperion, the largest of the three and the largest known organism on earth, measures 379.1 feet tall. It stands only a few hundred feet from a clear cut conducted in the 1970s, when logging companies rushed to harvest old-growth redwood tracts before legislation protecting them could be enacted.

The trees that yielded these redwood beam blocks weren’t so lucky. But their beauty, and the fascinating story they tell, can be appreciated for generations.

Available in the following specifications:

• 12" - 16" thick x 12" - 16" wide up to 4' long

Air dried to 10 - 14% moisture content. Hardness rating 600.