Woodworking Fundamentals: Week 1—All About Wood

Welcome to week one of Woodworking Fundamentals, a series designed to guide you through the foundational steps of woodworking. Whether you are just starting your journey or revisiting the basics, this guide will help direct you through the tools, techniques, and approaches that will set apart your work. This week is all about wood: different types, why that is important to you as a woodworker, and where to source it.

Open-grain vs. closed-grain wood

Understanding wood properties can help elevate your furniture making experience.

Having an understanding of how wood is sourced, cut, and dried to be use for furniture is foundational in knowing what to ask for. Sawmills meticulously select logs and mill for specific use, so when you are choosing material, you are given the most premium selection of lumber for your project.

From Log to Lumber

Follow the life of a tree as it makes its way from log to furniture-grade lumber

Before you ever step foot in a lumberyard, it’s important to have a grasp on what you are looking for. Making a cut list, or preferably, a parts list, will equip you with the amount of material you need for a project. Understanding the difference between different types of grain is an important part of design, and can help you know what to look for when you are picking through a pile of lumber.

There will be times where there are projects better suited for plywood, and understanding wood movement will help you to decide when to use it. Deciphering the differences between types of plywood can be intimidating as well. Suzanne Walton and Owen Madden have made a list of the pros and cons of each sheet good to help you decide.

Plywood and sheet goods for the woodworker

Veterans of a professional cabinetry shop give a rundown of 11 different sheet-good products, from plywood to MDF and everything in between.

Knowing how to calculate board feet is likely the most important thing when shopping for lumber. This simple and universal formula will help you know how much lumber you are actually paying for while you’re picking boards, and will help you anticipate how much you’ll actually be spending on your project.

What is a board foot?

A measure of volume, a board-foot calculation is really only pertinent when you sidle up to the lumer yard cash register.

There is a lot of information here, so try not to get overwhelmed.
Have fun, and good luck on your journey!
-Amanda

Dive Deeper:

Lumber run!

Go on a lumber run with Matt Kenney and he'll show you how he reads a stack of lumber to help him find the perfect board

Buying Hardwood Lumber

In this project video on building a bookcase, learn some insider tips for purchasing lumber for your project.

How Pros Look at Lumber

There’s more to selecting boards than counting board feet