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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      ...

Ipe – Wood or Metal? By Tom Caspar Ipe (pronounced E-pay) is a South American wood as exotic as its name. When you hold a piece, you know it’s something...

            I’m always on the lookout for orphaned boards. I’ve reclaimed lots of useful material from old pallets, downed trees, remodeling job sites [...]

Get the best yield from the least-expensive wood. Cut Big Boards into Small Pieces You might think the best strategy for milling rough lumber is to flatten as large a piece...

        Nothing makes a cabinet look worse than door panels with unattractive grain that runs at weird angles. It pays to be picky about grain direction, even...

Working with Melamine It’s dirt cheap, it’s practical, and best of all, there’s no sanding and finishing! by Dave Munkittrick Melamine is the professional cabinetmaker’s [...]

Q. I’m building outdoor furniture from rough cedar. When I cut the wood, it’s soaking wet on the inside. Should I use polyurethane glue since it’s a moisture-cure glue? A....

  Q. A recent storm left a large tree limb in our yard. I'd like to slice cross sections for plaques and trivets. How do I keep the slices from...

Melamine is the professional cabinetmaker’s best friend. Build a cabinet with it and you have a complete, durable interior that requires no sanding (yes!) and no finishing (oh, yeah!). Pros...

How two versatile woods can be both a blessing and a curse. by Karen Nakamura Cheap, plain and definitely not wood. That’s how many woodworkers describe particleboard and MDF (medium-density...

The Virtues of No. 1 Common Save money by using boards that aren’t perfect. By Tim Johnson and Ed Krause Want to make your head spin? Just try to figure...

            I came across some wonderful oak boards for a small table I wanted to build. The problem was the boards were too wide for...