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More than a year ago, before I joined the staff, Megan Fitzpatrick and I talked about an article I wanted to write about lumberyards and the perennial discussion about domestic versus exotic [...]

Rollers Ease Plywood Storage Before I installed these rollers, sliding plywood in and out of my storage rack used to wear me out. It also damaged the edges of the sheets. Now plywood sheets glide [...]

The Way Wood Works: Reading Grain Direction By Tom Caspar “Going against the grain” is a familiar phrase. It means doing something the wrong way.When you’re talking about wood, [...]

Tips for Buying and Using Rough Lumber Buy smart to get the best deals and the best wood. By Tim Johnson Start out thick Rough lumber thicknesses are measured in 1/4-in. increments. The thinnest [...]

Figured Cherry Spectacular wood and where to get it. By Dave Munkittrick Nature truly is the greatest artist and figured cherry is living proof. If you’ve ever admired the fluid motion of a [...]

The Way Wood Works: Curly Wood How to buy, machine and finish this amazing wood. By Tom Caspar Hidden within a few trees in every forest lies a mysteriously distorted wood that has always [...]

Butternut Tips for working with black walnut's blond cousin.  By Tim Johnson Butternut is one of our prettiest domestic hardwoods, but most people have never seen it. Butternut trees are [...]

        Whenever you’re looking for some wood with “wow” appeal, consider lacewood. Large rays create the intricate, lace-like pattern. The [...]

        In my basement shop every square inch counts! Out of necessity I found a wealth of unused space tucked right under my nose,or should I say feet.That [...]

      Sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) is North America’s tallest hardwood. It is a close-textured wood with interlocking grain that makes it notoriously difficult to split. [...]

      I like working in my basement shop, but the floor space is limited. So when it came time to put up a lumber rack, I screwed it to the ceiling because that’s the only [...]

Stunning grain. Huge boards. Highly rot resistant. A dream (or a nightmare) to work. What one wood fits this bill? Mahogany, of course.   by Tom Caspar           [...]