As a card-carrying member of the woodworking fraternity (and sorority … no bias here, sister), I have no problem making this general observation – we are a thrifty bunch. No shame to our tendency to stretch a dollar until it snaps, in fact, our penny-pinching ways are a badge of honor to most of us. Perhaps connected to this money saving mania, but perhaps a separate malady of it own, is the fact that we are opposed – perhaps on cellular level – to throwing scrap wood away. The combination of these two traits can lead to some frighteningly large collections of virtually unusable wood … until now!
Archive for the ‘Wood’ Category
The Value of Roughing It
October 16th, 2009 by Chris Marshall1 Comment »
There are cheaper ways to buy quality stock than with bar codes on it, but you'll have to tool up to make the most of those savings.
When I started woodworking, and my tool budget was really lean, I bought my boards from the home center. It seemed logical to shop there. They were already surfaced, and that was necessary because I didn’t have a jointer and planer. Plus, I could see the knots, pitch pockets and splits easily, which gave me some confidence that I was finding the best of what was available.
I’d dig through the stack looking for the straight stuff. Usually I could find a few good pieces. If I couldn’t, I’d settle for less and live with some twisting and cupping. I didn’t like it, but what could I do? Even then I knew I was spending too much money on that wood. And, I was.
Skid Row
October 12th, 2009 by Chris Marshall17 Comments »
What's in a skid ... trash or treasure trove? You decide.
In a manner of speaking, I’ve hit the skids.
Well, hit them, tripped over them, shoved them around the shop and eventually, piled them just outside the door here. My stack of skids come from various places. Sometimes two skids arrive with a tool shipment, but only one goes back. Other times I’ll order a load of lumber, and the only thing left when the lumber is gone is the skid. The pile keeps growing…they don’t seem to go away on their own.
Extensive Wood Library Just a Few Clicks Away
October 9th, 2009 by Chris MarshallLeave A Comment »
Do you ever run across a wood species at your lumber supplier that’s brand new, but you don’t know where to learn more about it? That often happens for me when I’m experimenting with new turning woods. The yard help or store clerks don’t always know, either.
Before I dive into using a new type of wood, I think it’s wise to find out what its working characteristics are and what, if any, health implications there may be to cutting, sanding or even handling it. You’ll definitely want these kinds of details to prepare for gluing or finishing.
Well, thanks to the internet, databases abound for just about everything these days — even unique types of wood. Recently I reported on Woodworkers Source for our “Industry Interview” in issue 233 of our eZine. If you didn’t happen to read that article, here’s a link to it:
http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/Ezine/Public/IndustryInterview.aspx
Can’t Smell the Roses
August 24th, 2009 by Chris Marshall1 Comment »
I can’t smell the roses anymore…and I don’t mean that figuratively.
I’ve literally lost my ability to pick up their aroma, for some reason. My wife likes to tease me about it, especially since I find that loss a bit alarming. But, thank goodness I can still smell wood.
Hopefully, that doesn’t sound too weird in the company of woodworkers, but I really do like the odor of most woods. I’ve been known to do a “scratch and sniff” test to wood right on the rack at the lumber dealer, so I’m not afraid to do it—even in public. Especially if it’s a wood I haven’t worked with before. It’s all part of the fun of woodworking for me.
Here are just a few of my olfactory favorites, and I’d like to hear about yours, too. That’ll give me good reason to head to the lumber store sometime soon and sniff out something new (as if I needed another reason to go…).
