Lumber Archives | WoodWorkers Guild of America

3 Reasons to Use Quarter Sawn Wood

March 7, 2017 By George Vondriska & filed under Skill Building, Understanding Wood.

Quarter-sawn wood costs about twice as much as plain-sawn. So, why use it? In order to understand the benefits (and extra cost) let’s look at how the material is milled from a tree. Imagine this is a log ready to go through a sawmill. I’ve sketched out plain-sawn cuts on the bottom half, and quarter-sawn cuts on the…

Ask WWGOA: Using Fallen Wood

February 11, 2014 By Editor & filed under Blog, Woodworking Q & A.

Question: In Ontario, Canada, I have free fallen trees cut down by the city to walk away with. How long is too long to consider fallen wood to be not green enough for re-sawing? The trees have been down two winters. What tools and blades will do the job? Submitted by anonymous Answer: It can…

Ask WWGOA: Drying Cut Wood

September 10, 2013 By Editor & filed under Blog, Woodworking Q & A.

Question: Simple question maybe. How is the best way to dry wood cut from trees? I have several around the farm here, ranging from Pecan to Oak. During fall we trim them up and think they would be a cheap supply. I have heard several ways using a coat of latex over the cut ends…

From Logs to Wood Flooring Part 2: Kiln Drying

October 18, 2011 By George Vondriska & filed under Skill Building, Understanding Wood.

You saw my pine logs get milled into planks, leaving me with a big pile of wet wood (about 30% moisture content). Can’t make that into flooring. It needs to be kiln dried, and that’s the next step. Stickering. The material is stickered to create air spaces between the rows of planks. If this isn’t…

Steps for Air Drying Lumber

April 4, 2011 By Paul Mayer & filed under Skill Building, Understanding Wood.

Like many woodworkers, I go through a lot of hardwood. Lots, and lots and lots of it. And at the $4-$8 per board foot price that I normally pay at my local premium hardwood retailer, this takes its toll on my family’s budget. I have tried buying lower grade lumber and dealing with the knots…

9 Steps to Sizing Rough Lumber

July 26, 2010 By Bruce Kieffer & filed under Furniture Making, Skill Building, Understanding Wood.

Hardwood lumber yards offer you wood either rough or surfaced. Rough is how it’s cut from the log at the sawmill. There they use giant band saws and circular saws with very coarse saw blades, so the work happens fast. Rough lumber looks like it was sanded with a garden rake! Buying it rough, and…

Working with Large Pieces of Wood

April 16, 2010 By David Munkittrick & filed under Furniture Making, Skill Building.

Tips To Help You Prep And Handle Big SlabsI take advantage of the ample supply of hardwoods that surround my old farmstead here in western Wisconsin. I focus primarily on fallen trees or ones that are slated for removal. I built a solar kiln to dry the lumber and my barn is ideal for storage.…

Air-Drying Lumber with Stickers

January 29, 2010 By Reader Submitted & filed under Blog, Skill Building, Understanding Wood, Woodworking Q & A.

“Can I use 3/4″ or 1″ exterior grade plywood or OSB for stickers, for air drying lumber – or do I have to use kiln-dried material?” Submitted by: harmannfamily WWGOA Editor Response: I talked to a handful of people about this and here’s the consensus. The best bet is always to make stickers from the…

Cutting and Drying Logs into Boards

January 6, 2010 By Reader Submitted & filed under Blog, Skill Building, Understanding Wood, Woodworking Q & A.

“I have some red-oak, hickory, cherry, red elm, and spalted maple that I want to cut into boards. I have a band saw mill. Should I cut the boards into 5/4, 11/8, or 1” material? I also want some 4″ mantel material. Should I let it air dry or have it kiln dried? Should I…

Using Air Dried Lumber

September 8, 2009 By Reader Submitted & filed under Blog, Skill Building, Understanding Wood, Woodworking Q & A.

“I have a barn full of red oak, some black walnut and some white oak; it was sawn by my Dad 7 to 9 years ago. It seems to be very dry and ready to be used. The material is off of our farm and I would like to use the material for tongue and…