“Wood comes from trees. This is the most important fact to remember in understanding the nature of wood.” This quote from R. Bruce Hoadley‘s Understanding Wood should be the first thing that comes to mind when you’re puzzled by by a piece of wood.

The Basics:
• Wood moves: Wood is a living, breathing material, and as a result it moves. Learning why and where it moves will help you become a better furniture maker.
• Rays, vessels, and figure: The cell structure of lumber defines its look as well as how to work it.

Wood moves
Wood movement depends on several factors, all of which must be accounted for when constructing a project. Wood expands as humidity increases, and it shrinks as humidity decreases. Another factor to take into account is how lumber has been sawn from a log. A flatsawn board will undergo a greater degree of expansion and contraction than a quartersawn board because of the way the growth rings are oriented. All of these movement issues can be accounted for with the right construction method. They include frame-and-panel construction, breadboard ends, and mortise-and-tenon joinery.

Rays, vessels, and figure
The structure of wood affects its appearance, as well as how easy it is on a hand-tool or power-tool blade. The wood cells that radiate from the center of a tree to its perimeter, known as rays, can add a great deal of beauty to a board. Quartersawn oak, for example, is known for its beautiful “ray fleck” pattern, which is the result of the surface intersecting the ray. Vessels are wood cells that extend parallel to the grain. They appear on the surface of a board as long open tubes and on the end grain as small, open pores. Figure is the display of the varying densities and color of the annual growth rings as they intersect with the surface of a board. Every species of wood has its own characteristic patterns and tooling characteristics.

Fine Woodworking Recommended Products

AnchorSeal Log and Lumber End-Grain Sealer

Good for both sealing the end grain of freshly cut logs and boards, this wax prevents end-grain checking and saves material

Buy at Amazon

DeWalt 735X Planer

At high speed, the planer works fast and leaves a smooth surface. But the slower, finish speed produces an almost glass-smooth surface. Knife changes are easy.

Buy at Amazon

Ridgid R4331 Planer

Priced nearly $300 less than the DeWalt 735X, the Ridgid R4331 is an excellent value. Its three-knife cutterhead left wonderfully clean surfaces on plainsawn white oak and white pine. It did not perform nearly as well on curly maple as the 735X.

Buy at Amazon