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Here at Michigan Lumber we are
concerned about the needs of our customers. In order to help you out in the best
possible way we ask you to email or talk to
us personally with one of our qualified professionals and sales
managers. 
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What is the difference between
grain and figure in wood?
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That is a subject that has
been debated probably before power tools came along. Generally speaking, grain is
referred to as the pattern on a piece of wood created by the annual growth rings.
The pines merely have a light and dark pattern, produced by early wood growth and late
wood growth. But in the Oaks, you have a band of large pores, followed by more solid
wood fiber --that is what makes the Oaks and Ash so dramatic when finished. Figure
is referred to as any abnormal growth pattern, such as curly grain, birdeye, blister
figure, etc. Some people confuse the large ray fleck observed in quartersawn oak as
figure, but these are normal wood cells seen on edge as a result of the type of cut of the
wood. Flatsawn Oak produces the grain we are used to seeing.
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Are eight foot lengths
standard in hardwood? Should I figure my cutting lists out of this length?
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We buy our hardwoods in the
"rough" kiln dried, random width and random length. After we plane, rip,
defect out by end trimming, we may have more 7' and 9' lengths than 8'. Always be
flexible in your length needs, often hardwood sellers will have many shorter lengths than
longer lengths. For example, if you require 6' lengths of 1x4, you don't really need
to order 12'. The next time, you may really need those 12' lengths!
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Is poplar harder than pine?
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Yellow Poplar is harder and
more dent resistant than most pines. Popple (Aspen) is about the same in hardness as the
softest pines.
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If some softwoods are as hard
as some of the hardwoods, how are they grouped or classed? |
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Generally speaking, hardwoods
come from the broadleaf trees, softwoods come from needle bearing trees.
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I am just getting into woodworking.
I would like to work with maple, but I have read it is difficult to work with.
Should I stick with Pine? |
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Any beginning woodworker
should stick with projects that are simple in design, but functional and pleasing to the
eye. Pine is easier to cut, mold and sand, but if one started out with a simple
project that was easy to complete in a weekend, you could use any of the beautiful
hardwoods. Keep in mind, many experienced woodworkers find that applying the finish
sometimes takes as long as making the piece.
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I would like to start wood carving as a
new hobby. What types of wood should I use as a beginner? |
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When carving, you should look for wood
that is as grainless as possible. On grainy wood, the chisels tend to follow the grain,
rather than along the patterns you want to carve. Start with a soft wood, such as a sugar
pine or a basswood. Once you gain some confidence, you could choose a harder species such
as mahogany or walnut. |
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I received some bar clamps for Christmas,
and I want to glue up some 24" tapletops. Can I just glue up the widest pieces
I can find, such as 1x12? |
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You certainly can, but the result would
probably be less than pleasing. We try not to glue pieces wider than 6" but
some woodworking experts say no wider than 4". The reason for this is
stability and flatness. The wider the piece, the more prone it is to cupping across
the width of the board. Try to alternate the growth rings when laying out the piece. |
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When I glued up some wood
recently, I had a split at the glue line. Was this a fault of bad glue?
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The most likely cause was a
starved glue joint. This comes from using too much clamp pressure. All you are
trying to do is squeeze some glue out, not all of it when applying clamp pressure.
The other most likely cause is the boards not fitting tightly when "dry
fit". Make sure the mating surfaces align perfectly, do not try to make them
come together by clamp pressure.
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