Furniture crates

[DC]

I'm taking delivery of a new Ashley living room suite today. Since they come from eastern U.S. I'm wondering if the the wood from the packing crates might be useful. Anyone have any idea what wood they might use for packing crates? Most likely junk wood but in 1980 I ordered my metal lathe which came from China. The packing crate was made of Lignam Vitae. I'm just using the last of it now.

[Eric Krewson]

At the power plant I worked out they had a scrap wood pile where they discarded pallets and packing wood to burn later. I hunted the place looking for special wood but only found a few notable pieces. I found every species but my best finds were pieces of very curly maple, walnut and a 6' 4x4 of very clear ash.

I once had a wife that worked in a huge sawmill where they culled substandard wood they called "dunnage" and sent it to the pallet factories.

[Pat B]

Probably pine but it might be thinner oak. Both pretty common here but the pine is lighter. Lots of pallets are made from oak or hickory.

[DC]

Nevermind, they were being fast and loose with the term crating. It was wrapped in form and cardboard. Not much use.

[Pat B]

You might be able to do a lam bow with it. 

[bjrogg]

Maybe you can make a play house for the grandkids.lol mine always love boxes.
Bjrogg

[DC]

I wasn't even boxes, it was just big sheets of cardboard and foamy plastic wrapped and taped. It didn't do a good job either, the front of the chair was all smashed and had to go back.

[Hawkdancer]

They just don't make them like they used to!
Hawkdancer

[DC]

Even the ones they used to make won't survive a fork lift.

[Marc St Louis]

I used to be a mechanic for a motorcycle shop, Japanese.  The bikes came on a hardwood pallet that seemed to be mostly made of Mahogany.  The shop also had a wood stove for heat and I would break up the pallets and burn the wood.  Sometimes it was easy to break the wood up into stove length pieces and sometimes my weight was insufficient to break even a small piece.  The wood was full of nails and holes so not good for bows but it did make me think