Dr. Richard Jagels
Photo 1—A simple device for measuring comparative wood-bending strength characteristics uses a pair of ½″ × 5″ black-iron pipe nipples capped and screwed into pipe flanges mounted 12″ apart on a ⁵⁄₄-thick oak plank. When this assembly is clamped into a bench vise and leveled, a hanging-crane scale with 300kg (660 lbs) capacity measures the bending force to the point of fracture.
Reclaiming timbers from ocean wreckage is a centuries-old enterprise practiced by many cultures, especially those who lack land-based timber resources. Inuit of the Arctic regions, South Sea islanders, and even Newfoundlanders who lack diversified forests have sourced wood from beach flotsam. Finds can range from shipwrecks to logs accidentally freed from water-transport rafts.