Aching Glue Joints
Diagnoses and cures for a variety of problems related to the gluing up of panels in solid lumber. 1998.

Wood Handbook -- Wood as an Engineering Material
Information on engineering with wood, properties of wood and designing with wood. September 28, 2002

Acidity: Common Cause -- of Panel Gluing Problems
How pH contributes to adhesion problems in glued-up panels. 1998.

Conditioning DH-kiln-dried white oak
July 18, 2000

Don't send a home dehumidifier -- to do a commercial kiln's work
Are domestic dehumidifiers adaptable for use in drying small quantities of lumber? March 12, 2000

Lumber Strength, Dimensions, Orientation, and Grain Direction
An explanation of factors that influence the strength of a wood floor joist or rafter. October 1, 2009

Glue-ups and growth rings
Does ripping and re-gluing drawer faces reduce cup? June 24, 2001

Laminated Gunstocks: Grain Direction Considerations
Strength is gained when the wood grain direction of plies is alternated. Here's a discussion. August 15, 2012


Market for persimmon?
Once popular in the manufacture of golf clubs, the demand for persimmon has slowed. March 2, 2000

Steaming beech for veneer production
Questions and answers on various technical aspects of steaming beech lumber, preparatory to producing veneer. Includes ideas for further reading.

Sawn Wood Versus LVL Header Strength
Sawmiller needs to verify the allowable bearing capacity of a sawn timber for code inspection purposes. February 9, 2008

Raised glue lines after curing
A glue line that is raised days after parts are assembled and the glue has cured is a sure sign of wet lumber. 1998.

A good, cheap end sealant?
A discussion of the pros and cons of various sealants used on ends of boards in primary lumber processing. April 22, 2000

Working with casehardened lumber
Casehardened lumber should be returned to the processor, or planed to the desired thickness; resawing is not an option. 1998.

Laminating different species
In a triple lamination, it's OK to use two species of lumber, given a few conditions. 1998.

A facility for storing kilned lumber
What's a good facility for storing kilned lumber without raising its moisture content? May 6, 2000

Estimating BF yields
Some formulas for calculating board foot yields from rough logs. March 1, 2000

Controlled spalting
Is it possible to control spalting to produce unique turning stock? June 20, 2000

Correcting case hardening
Correcting case hardening in processed lumber. July 11, 2000

Drying small pieces of wood
Unusual methods for drying wood, including boiling. February 28, 2001

Wet bulb, dry bulb
An explanation of the terms "wet bulb" and "dry bulb" in reference to temperature measurement, and their particular usefulness. March 6, 2000

MC in imported mahogany furniture
Moisture contents higher than eight percent are suspect, and suppliers must be notified. 1998.

Casehardening explained
The Wood Doctor describes casehardening, its causes, and cure. July 18, 2000

Graduate-Level Information on Woodworking
Ideas on where to find well-researched information about woodworking. 1998.

Black locust vs. treated wood -- for barn poles
Comparing black locust to treated lumber for use in barn construction. June 21, 2000

Pilings to Resist Marine Borers
Untreated wood is vulnerable to attack when submerged in ocean water. But CCA-treated wood is still allowed for use as salt-water pilings. November 28, 2006

Birch for outdoor tool handles?
White birch's comparative weakness renders it a poor choice for handles on tools that must sustain high impacts. 1998.

Using PEG for dimensional stability
The discovery and use of PEG for stabilizing previously unseasoned lumber. 1998.

Drying discs from a walnut log
Ideas for drying and protecting circular slices taken from a walnut log. November 15, 2000

Cottonwood: O.K. for rafters?
Is cottonwood appropriate for the structural parts of a building? January 31, 2001

Salt pastes and PEG
Polyethylene glycol is high-priced, but the alternatives for stabilizing green wood are few. 1998.

A PEG primer
Some general information on this green-wood treatment. 1998.

Troubleshooting vacuum kiln problems
An extensive discussion on vacuum pumps and vaporization of organic compounds in wood. February 28, 2001

Stabilizing Details for a Mahogany Island Top
Concerned about wood movement, pros consider options including threaded rod reinforcement, sliding dovetails, or thin-sawing the wood. December 10, 2008

Ripping and Re-Gluing to Limit Cupping
The Wood Doc weighs in on the old-timer technique of ripping and re-gluing boards in order to lessen moisture-related cupping. February 19, 2008

Certified construction lumber
Laws governing the lumber used in building. December 17, 2002

WOODPRO - Species Selection Made Easy
A free complete working computer program (that can be downloaded at WOODWEB), allowing woodworkers to select the most suitable wood species for any particular application - 1997

Support and Span Limits for a Concrete Top
A discussion of table design involving issues of wood deflection and concrete span capability. June 15, 2009

Steambending
How much time to allow based on thickness and proposed radius of wood. September 23, 2003

Free Span Limits of Cabinet Shelving
For wide cabinets with double doors and no center stile, how far is too far for the shelves to span? Here are suggestions for stiffening wide span shelving. March 27, 2012

Green barn siding
Making board and batten siding from freshly sawn lumber. June 19, 2003

Eliminating springback problems
Determining the radius to aim for when creating a curve with vac-laminated plywood. September 23, 2003

Why Glass Tops Can Warp Tabletops
A cautionary tale of a table that cracked because of glass resting on it. October 19, 2005

Engineering for Tables
A discussion of the stresses applied to a heavy table in use, and what they imply in terms of appropriate dimensions and construction details. March 28, 2012

Table Top Mistake/Wood Movement
A craftsman gets into trouble with incorrect wood orientation in a table top. It's a learning experience. April 20, 2011

Wood Selection for Laminated Curved Stair Stringers
Here's a discussion about the structural considerations involved in making a glued-up stringer for a curved staircase. September 15, 2011

Span Capability of an 8x8 Timber
Here's some realistic and practical feedback on a proposed long-span use of an 8x8 sawn beam. September 27, 2012

The Dimensional Effects of Wood Moisture
Understanding how moisture interacts with wood can help you avoid problems from moisture-related wood movement. September 13, 2012

Supporting Framework for a Built-In Concrete Countertop
Cabinetmakers share their structural intuition concerning a light built-in-place framework designed to support a concrete countertop.March 13, 2014

Intentional Spalting
Can you treat logs with fungus and humidity to create spalting on purpose? Some say "yes," but it's more art than science. June 23, 2005

History Snapshot: A World War II Wooden Airplane
A video and discussion of an Australian World War II fighter plane built with wood and glue. February 19, 2013

Architectural Woodworking Forum -- Span Limits and Materials for Library Shelving
Furniture and cabinet makers discuss the theory and practice of bookshelf sag control. February 16, 2006

Installation Tips for Board and Batten Siding
Nail location is important. November 28, 2006

Green Douglas Fir for Timber Framing
Advice on framing with fresh-cut Douglas Fir posts and beams. April 2, 2013

De-Warping Table Leaves
A draw-leaf table has warped, and the maker asks for advice on fixing it. Colleagues suggest ways to quickly straighten the crooked parts. October 19, 2005

Wet Cottonwood with Wind Shake
Some comments about the dubious strength and quality of lumber from Cottonwood logs having noticeable wind shake. July 28, 2006

Timber Framing with Red Oak
The material needs to be kept dry. Here's info on that, and some other useful tips. November 3, 2010

Red Elm for Kitchen Cabinet Doors
Woodworkers discuss the appearance and workability of Red Elm for kitchen cabinetry. August 11, 2009

Table-Leaf Warping Problem
Why are extra leaves from a tabletop warping? Experts explain causes and cures. June 28, 2005

Sawing An Old Elm Tree
Tension wood from growth stress may call for a modified technique. April 10, 2005

Green Douglas Fir for Barn Framing
Green softwood lumber is fine for framing an outbuilding. August 29, 2006

Using Oak Logs for a Wooden Bridge
Thoughts on converting site trees to a foot bridge for a landscaping project. January 17, 2011

Keeping solid doors flat
Techniques for preventing warpage of solid wood cabinet doors. June 14, 2000

Long-Span Shelves
Ideas and resources for dealing with long shelf spans. December 30, 2005

Straightening Old Bowed Floor Joists
Overloaded wood deforms over time (it's called "creep"). There's no quick way to reverse the process. December 1, 2005

Slope of grain
How to process lumber to achieve a given slope of grain. March 28, 2001

Epoxy for Laying Up Ipe Stair Treads
Epoxy should hold a joint for glued-up stair treads in Ipe wood at 20% MC for an exterior exposure. November 28, 2006

Steam bending wood
Information resources on how to steam bend wood. January 24, 2001

"M" particleboard grades
The difference between grades of particleboard is explained. June 14, 2000

Stains on wood
remove. June 27, 2000

Black Locust Timbers For Fence and Gate Posts
A long discussion of Black Locust as a utility wood. October 1, 2009

Home DH for drying lumber
Home dehumidifiers versus bought kilns for drying wood. September 2, 2002

Home-made house materials
Advice on sawing out the lumber to build your own house. February 28, 2001

Producing Stable Part Stock
With little time and no system in place, can this shop produce parts that won't move over time? October 20, 2004

Buckling Tongue-and-Groove Siding
An example of Ipe siding falling victim to expansion caused by moisture. April 3, 2012

Bowing in a Panel Glue-Up
Woodworkers consider why a one-inch thick shelf made up of a 3/4-inch wood layer glued to a 1/4-inch MDF layer came out of the vacuum bag bowed. October 13, 2012

Pronouncing Exotic Wood Names
Does "Wenge" rhyme with "Ben-Gay"? Well, that depends on who you ask. November 23, 2012

Optimal Joint Method for Making Curved Beams
Woodworkers discuss the best way to fabricate a curved beam, and learn about an interesting historic example of curved laminated timber barn construction. October 19, 2013

Dining Table Stability
Here's an enlightening, if confused, discussion of the forces required to tip over a table based on its mass distribution. Also, this is a cool looking table. July 16, 2012

CNC feed rates for melamine
Concerns on purchasing a CNC router and software for cutting melamine. August 12, 2001

Lumber Grading, Quality, and Small Mills
Here's an extended discussion of the public policy issues involved in lumber grading, and construction using un-graded lumber, as seen from the point of view of the small sawmill operator. May 18, 2010

Processing trees to lumber -- for the hobbyist
A primer on sawing and drying lumber for projects at home. March 13, 2001

Steam bending and lamination
Switching from glulam to steam bending of curved furniture parts. July 22, 2003

Bending wood -- options
Products and methods for bending wood. March 23, 2002

Walnut Butcher Block Countertops
Techniques for creating a beautiful butcher block countertop are shared. May 10, 2005

Laminating a Curved Exterior Beam
Here's a detailed discussion of adhesive selection and clamping methods for a large, curved, laminated beam for an outdoor structure. March 12, 2014

Plywood Shelf Deflection
Thoughts on plywood shelf thickness, ways of reinforcing shelves, and othe ideas. February 26, 2007

- Wood species
Information on tree species and their uses. March 20, 2001

Floating Shelf Installation Methods
Ideas and an example for successfully installing heavy "floating" shelves using rods driven into the wall studs. October 27, 2009

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