Industrial hemp is is a trending topic these days, and for good reason. It is versitile and its been around for a long time. It is likely the oldest plant cultivated for fiber. It has been used for textiles, rope, paper, food, and medicine. Now there is a new use for hemp - HempWood! HempWood is created by combining hemp stalks with soy based glue, then compressing and curing them. The resulting product is a strong wood substitute that is sustainable and can be produced in much less time than the decades required for traditional hardwoods. See https://hempwood.com/ for more info on the product.

I am recently visited the factory in Murray, KY and came home with a couple of HempWood timbers to test out.

I cut some of the HempWood into blanks to turn on my lathe and let the chips fly! It is a bit different than traditional wood to work with, but the 'grain' is very appealing. It has the look of spalted wood due to the soy glue between the compressed hemp stalks.

I see the potential for some new produsts in my lineup! Of course I plan to make some shaving sets from the HempWood as well. Keep any eye on my facebook page https://www.facebook.com/sylvansoaps/ to see my latest offerings and find out where I'll be next.