There is an article In the latest issue of FWW about "using the grain"
in lumber. I have not read the entire article because it disturbed me.
Most of the time when I buy my lumber I am most concerned with just
getting pieces with minmal defects (sap wood and knots). If I can find
the sticks need that pass my requirements for these defects I am
happy. Finding pieces that meet grain rwquiremwnts that also pass my
defect requirements? Fagettaboutit. I recently bought some cherry
lumber (hardwood store) and I has difficulty finding pieces that had
no sap on both faces.
Enough with these "grain" articles already.
Just venting.
"Leon" wrote
>
> Think out side the box. Almost any lumber can be made to be beautifully
> unique if you resaw it and book match the pieces. Almost 100% of the time
> any board can be made into a work of art. To get an idea of what any
> board
> would look like lay a small mirror down beside it at a 90 degree angle.
> You
> will see the book matched image.
>
I always get in trouble when reading things literally. I got this immediate
image of a peice of furniture. One half of it was done in wood and the
other half....., well...., it was a mirror. I knew that wouldn't work.
Ok, I got it out of my system. I am reasonably certain that is not what Leon
meant. I will try to stay out of trouble for the rest of the day.
"Lew Hodgett" < wrote
>
> "GarageWoodworks" wrote:
>
> At every yard I've been to (three), the overwelming objective is to
> pick through the sap and the knots until you find adequate lumber.
>
> You need to find a somebody that is actually a real hardwood lumber
> supplier, not a make believe hardwood yard.
>
And pay the real hardwood prices as well.
> Most of the time when I buy my lumber I am most concerned with just
> getting pieces with minmal defects (sap wood and knots). If I can find
> the sticks =A0need that pass my requirements for these defects I am
> happy. Finding pieces that meet grain rwquiremwnts that also pass my
> defect requirements? =A0Fagettaboutit.
It seems that part of the issue here isn't so much finding good
quality wood with pleasing grain as much as it is finding it at a
price you can afford.
Do you own a planer? Do you have a place to store a fair amount of
lumber?
There is another way to approach obtaining wood with pleasing grain at
an economical price, which is to buy _cheaper_ wood, in a greater
quantity than you need, and then pick through it to get the quality
and grain you want. I don't know about in your area, but near me
there are a number of places that sell roughsawn hardwood, often small
producers with bandsaw mills and the like who make more than they need
for their own use and sell the rest for cheap money. Keeping your eye
on the local ads will often turn up deals along these lines.
It may require changing your project ideas somewhat. For example, if
you can't get cherry where you are, but can find a good deal on pecan,
you could still end up with some very nice looking pieces if you're
willing to work with it. It also helps if you have other woodworking
friends nearby to share out on "...but you have to take it all" deals,
and to serve as aditional sets of eyes in the hunt.
Or if you don't have a sharp time deadline on the piece, and can spend
more time looking for the stock; or have the space to stockpile
against future projects...
Having a larger amount of lumber to pick through, because you obtained
it at a price you could afford can give you some of the flexibility to
work with some of the other features of the wood that simply aren't
available to you when you have to figure your cutlist out to the last
inch.
--Glenn Lyford
GarageWoodworks wrote:
> I'm sure it would if the lumber required was obtainable.
It is obtainable. Whether you're willing to spend the time
to find it and/or pay the price for it . . .
One of the interesting (read "fun") things about doing solid
wood furniture is flipping and turning and sliding boards around
to get the best grain look for panels and table tops, rails and
stiles and so on. If you do it right you get a nice flow of grain
rather than a "well at least I got the most out of the boards
I bought". Sometimes "waste" is mismatched grains and grain
heading in obviously and glaringly different directions,
Lucked out with this one, had very little leftovers after doing
the drawer faces. Those went into the top where the sapwood
next to heartwood were used intentionaly put bands in the top.
http://web.hypersurf.com/~charlie2/DrillPress/DrillPressDrawers.html
Tom:
In a world heavily trending towards the typically vacuous brevity
of texting and twittering comes - Sir Tom to the rescue, waxing
eloquently on those and that which are precious to him - and
passing on knowledge of, and insights into, wood and woodworking
(as well as life).
But it's the poet in you I appreciate the most. And this post on
grain and figure is filled with ideas beautifully expressed which
should be inscribed in a pieces of wood and placed in every
woodworker's shop as both inspiration - and reminders of why
we play with wood.
Thank you sir, once again.
With your permission, I'd like to share your post with others
over in a WoodCentral woodworking forum.
charlie b
"Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> At every yard I've been to (three), the overwelming objective is to
> pick through the sap and the knots until you find adequate lumber.
>
> You need to find a somebody that is actually a real hardwood lumber
> supplier, not a make believe hardwood yard.
Agreed. The problem isn't that decent wood doesn't exist. The problem is
that most people don't want to spend the money to buy it. Can't say I blame
them, because I'm usually in the same category. But, I know that if I'm
prepared to shoulder the cost, I can find the sap free, knot free wood that
I want.
On Jun 7, 8:03=A0pm, "Lew Hodgett" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "GarageWoodworks" wrote:
>
> At every yard I've been to (three), the overwelming objective is to
> pick through the sap and the knots until you find adequate lumber.
>
> You need to find a somebody that is actually a real hardwood lumber
> supplier, not a make believe hardwood yard.
>
> Lew
Does this qualify as a "real hardwood yard"?
http://www.hardwoodstore.com/ (this is where I was yesturday that
sparked this thread)
or this one:
http://www.walllumber.com/default.asp (I use to go here. Lumber is
roughly the same quality)
Where do you get your lumber Lew?
On Jun 7, 1:20=A0pm, GarageWoodworks <[email protected]>
wrote:
> There is an article In the latest issue of FWW about "using the grain"
> in lumber. I have not read the entire article because it disturbed me.
> Most of the time when I buy my lumber I am most concerned with just
> getting pieces with minmal defects (sap wood and knots). If I can find
> the sticks =A0need that pass my requirements for these defects I am
> happy. Finding pieces that meet grain rwquiremwnts that also pass my
> defect requirements? =A0Fagettaboutit. =A0I recently bought some cherry
> lumber (hardwood store) and I has difficulty finding pieces that had
> no sap on both faces.
> Enough with these "grain" articles already.
>
> Just venting.
The article is called "Designing with Grain"
"charlieb" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> Lucked out with this one, had very little leftovers after doing
> the drawer faces. Those went into the top where the sapwood
> next to heartwood were used intentionally put bands in the top.
> http://web.hypersurf.com/~charlie2/DrillPress/DrillPressDrawers.html
Nice matching. I had a related decision to make when I was cutting the book
matched plywood panels for my entertainment centre. I picked out the best
looking sections of panels for the sides and top of the entertainment centre
(2ea 21" x 60" and 1 ea 21"x 72"). The less handsome pieces when for
interior shelving and dividers. It made for some difficult cuts to get the
best looking pieces where they'd be viewed most often, but that's all part
and parcel of woodworking as far as I'm concerned.
On Jun 7, 2:21=A0pm, "Joe" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> Reach enough next levels and your woodworking might reach a whole new
> plane.... (I just had to, you realize)
ouch
On Jun 7, 6:15=A0pm, "Joe" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "GarageWoodworks" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:[email protected]...
> On Jun 7, 2:21 pm, "Joe" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>
>
> > "GarageWoodworks" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> >news:[email protected]...
>
> > > There is an article In the latest issue of FWW about "using the grain=
"
> > > in lumber. I have not read the entire article because it disturbed me=
.
> > > Most of the time when I buy my lumber I am most concerned with just
> > > getting pieces with minmal defects (sap wood and knots). If I can fin=
d
> > > the sticks need that pass my requirements for these defects I am
> > > happy. Finding pieces that meet grain rwquiremwnts that also pass my
> > > defect requirements? Fagettaboutit. I recently bought some cherry
> > > lumber (hardwood store) and I has difficulty finding pieces that had
> > > no sap on both faces.
> > > Enough with these "grain" articles already.
>
> > > Just venting.
>
> > Just think of it as one more thing that takes your projects to the 'nex=
t
> > level'.
>
> > Reach enough next levels and your woodworking might reach a whole new
> > plane.... (I just had to, you realize)
>
> I'm sure it would if the lumber required was obtainable.
>
> gw,
>
> I read the whole article and don't really see where there's any bad
> advice/guidance in there.
>
> To be sure, most people aren't buying their lumber in the boule, but that
> doesn't mean you can't apply the concepts presented to your project.
>
> Sorry you don't have a better selection where you shop.
>
> jc
>
> I guess you could always work in basswood
At every yard I've been to (three), the overwelming objective is to
pick through the sap and the knots until you find adequate lumber.
Shopping for "grain" can not feasibly be entered into the equation.
You get what you get from the piles of sap ridden cherry. Years ago
maybe it wasn't as big a problem with old growth trees (?). That's
not to say I can't make do with what I bring home. I just dont expect
my decision making process to come down to which stick has the best
grain. It's always, which stick has the least amount of sap and can I
make it "work".
"Beacon of Truth and Light (maybe)" <[email protected]> wrote in
message news:[email protected]...
> GarageWoodworks wrote:
>> On Jun 7, 1:20 pm, GarageWoodworks <[email protected]>
>> wrote:
>>> There is an article In the latest issue of FWW about "using the grain"
>>> in lumber. I have not read the entire article because it disturbed me.
>>> Most of the time when I buy my lumber I am most concerned with just
>>> getting pieces with minmal defects (sap wood and knots). If I can find
>>> the sticks need that pass my requirements for these defects I am
>>> happy. Finding pieces that meet grain rwquiremwnts that also pass my
>>> defect requirements? Fagettaboutit. I recently bought some cherry
>>> lumber (hardwood store) and I has difficulty finding pieces that had
>>> no sap on both faces.
>>> Enough with these "grain" articles already.
>>>
>>> Just venting.
>>
>> The article is called "Designing with Grain"
>
> But if the grain is wonky then the wood is more apt to crack and splinter
> and that can be very bad in some cases, like if you fashioned a big ol
> wooden dildo and shoved it up your butt. Do you know how embarrassing to
> go to hospital and ask to have splinters pulled out of your butt hole?
> And then you get wheeled around naked with your butt sticking up in the
> air, the cover it with a sheet but it gets pulled off every two minutes.
Fake Beacon has a strange taste in topics....
Tom Watson wrote:
> On Sun, 7 Jun 2009 10:20:14 -0700 (PDT), GarageWoodworks
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
>> There is an article In the latest issue of FWW about "using the grain"
>> in lumber. I have not read the entire article because it disturbed me.
>> Most of the time when I buy my lumber I am most concerned with just
>> getting pieces with minmal defects (sap wood and knots). If I can find
>> the sticks need that pass my requirements for these defects I am
>> happy. Finding pieces that meet grain rwquiremwnts that also pass my
>> defect requirements? Fagettaboutit. I recently bought some cherry
>> lumber (hardwood store) and I has difficulty finding pieces that had
>> no sap on both faces.
>> Enough with these "grain" articles already.
>>
>> Just venting.
>
>
> When I am working on an individual piece that I hope will be
> meaningful both to myself and the client (these days, mostly my wife,
> myself and my children) I usually begin with the gross parameters,
> such as size, shape and function, but this inevitably involves the
> recognition of how the grain, color and figure of the piece will come
> into play. To design otherwise would be to deprive myself of one (or
> two) of the premier elements of a wood object. Taking these into
> consideration makes me a painter. Ignoring them makes me a draftsman.
>
> Grain and figure are not entirely the same. I have not read the FWW
> article but I would hope that they admired the difference between
> grain, which is a structural consideration, and figure, which is an
> aesthetic component of a piece.
>
> They inform each other but are not equal.
>
> Grain comes into play mostly in the engineering area of the design. It
> informs you as to how to do the joinery. When it becomes a design
> component on the visual level, as in QSWO stuff, the line is blurred.
>
> Figure comes in on the visual level in a different way. It talks
> about how the piece is viewed as a piece of woodworking art.
>
> This is not an absolute delineation. I am mindful that 'joinery is
> the beginning of ornament'. However, in a general sense, once you
> have gone beyond the basics of size and shape, it is figure and color
> that describe the piece.
>
> There are some craftsmen who begin with the wood. Nakashima might be
> considered one, although his ultimate form was also informed by the
> grain and figure.
>
> There are others who would make a piece of a given form and look to
> grain, color and figure to give it life.
>
> That's where I live. While I am drawing a fairly rectilinear object,
> like the desk I am building for my daughter, I am thinking about what
> wood, what grain, what color and which figures to use in the piece.
> Then I go looking for the wood that fills my eye.
>
> It is a kind of design circle, you see. You may start with the need,
> and the room that it will be in goes a long way to determine the size
> and shape and color. The use of figure will determine if it is to fit
> in, or to stand out.
>
> You might also start with a beautifully figured stick and say to
> yourself, "I wonder what I can best make from this?"
>
> I have wood that is waiting to be a jewelry box. I have wood that is
> clearly meant to be a chair. I have wood that is useless for joinery
> and needs to be turned.
>
> Right now I have a desk to make. Because it does not have to fit into
> any particular room, excepting to be small enough to fit in a college
> dorm, I get to go crazy on the color and figure. It is a wildcard. It
> is a surd. It is a gift.
>
> And you should see the figure and color of the fiddleback cherry.
>
> That I saw in my mind's eye when I was drawing it.
>
> Found the perfect sticks.
>
> Nirvana.
Pure poetry ... thank you, Tom. Made my day!
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 10/22/08
KarlC@ (the obvious)
"Lowell Holmes" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>
>> Think out side the box. Almost any lumber can be made to be beautifully
>> unique if you resaw it and book match the pieces. Almost 100% of the
>> time
>> any board can be made into a work of art. To get an idea of what any
>> board
>> would look like lay a small mirror down beside it at a 90 degree angle.
>> You
>> will see the book matched image.
>>
>
> There you go again. :-)
>
> In Houston, Mason's Mill, Clarkes Hardwood, and Houston Hardwood comes to
> mind.
Add Hardwood Products, West Belt, south bound side, south of Hammerly.
> I've never been to Texas Kiln, but their web site shows some pretty nice
> wood.
I have been there, I would not make a special trip but worth a stop when
going between Houston and austin. Not much variety but lots of nice
Mesquite. I have to buy a piece each time I stop in to look around.
> M&G in Huntsville also comes to mind.
Certainly a place to go for a large purchase.
"GarageWoodworks" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> There is an article In the latest issue of FWW about "using the grain"
> in lumber. I have not read the entire article because it disturbed me.
> Most of the time when I buy my lumber I am most concerned with just
> getting pieces with minmal defects (sap wood and knots). If I can find
> the sticks need that pass my requirements for these defects I am
> happy. Finding pieces that meet grain rwquiremwnts that also pass my
> defect requirements? Fagettaboutit. I recently bought some cherry
> lumber (hardwood store) and I has difficulty finding pieces that had
> no sap on both faces.
> Enough with these "grain" articles already.
>
> Just venting.
Just think of it as one more thing that takes your projects to the 'next
level'.
Reach enough next levels and your woodworking might reach a whole new
plane.... (I just had to, you realize)
On Jun 7, 2:21=A0pm, "Joe" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "GarageWoodworks" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:[email protected]...
>
> > There is an article In the latest issue of FWW about "using the grain"
> > in lumber. I have not read the entire article because it disturbed me.
> > Most of the time when I buy my lumber I am most concerned with just
> > getting pieces with minmal defects (sap wood and knots). If I can find
> > the sticks =A0need that pass my requirements for these defects I am
> > happy. Finding pieces that meet grain rwquiremwnts that also pass my
> > defect requirements? =A0Fagettaboutit. =A0I recently bought some cherry
> > lumber (hardwood store) and I has difficulty finding pieces that had
> > no sap on both faces.
> > Enough with these "grain" articles already.
>
> > Just venting.
>
> Just think of it as one more thing that takes your projects to the 'next
> level'.
>
> Reach enough next levels and your woodworking might reach a whole new
> plane.... (I just had to, you realize)
I'm sure it would if the lumber required was obtainable.
"GarageWoodworks" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
On Jun 7, 2:21 pm, "Joe" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "GarageWoodworks" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:[email protected]...
>
> > There is an article In the latest issue of FWW about "using the grain"
> > in lumber. I have not read the entire article because it disturbed me.
> > Most of the time when I buy my lumber I am most concerned with just
> > getting pieces with minmal defects (sap wood and knots). If I can find
> > the sticks need that pass my requirements for these defects I am
> > happy. Finding pieces that meet grain rwquiremwnts that also pass my
> > defect requirements? Fagettaboutit. I recently bought some cherry
> > lumber (hardwood store) and I has difficulty finding pieces that had
> > no sap on both faces.
> > Enough with these "grain" articles already.
>
> > Just venting.
>
> Just think of it as one more thing that takes your projects to the 'next
> level'.
>
> Reach enough next levels and your woodworking might reach a whole new
> plane.... (I just had to, you realize)
I'm sure it would if the lumber required was obtainable.
gw,
I read the whole article and don't really see where there's any bad
advice/guidance in there.
To be sure, most people aren't buying their lumber in the boule, but that
doesn't mean you can't apply the concepts presented to your project.
Sorry you don't have a better selection where you shop.
jc
I guess you could always work in basswood
"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Lowell Holmes" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>
>> "Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>>
>>> Think out side the box. Almost any lumber can be made to be beautifully
>>> unique if you resaw it and book match the pieces. Almost 100% of the
>>> time
>>> any board can be made into a work of art. To get an idea of what any
>>> board
>>> would look like lay a small mirror down beside it at a 90 degree angle.
>>> You
>>> will see the book matched image.
>>>
>>
>> There you go again. :-)
>>
>> In Houston, Mason's Mill, Clarkes Hardwood, and Houston Hardwood comes to
>> mind.
>
> Add Hardwood Products, West Belt, south bound side, south of Hammerly.
>
>
>> I've never been to Texas Kiln, but their web site shows some pretty nice
>> wood.
>
> I have been there, I would not make a special trip but worth a stop when
> going between Houston and austin. Not much variety but lots of nice
> Mesquite. I have to buy a piece each time I stop in to look around.
>
>
>> M&G in Huntsville also comes to mind.
>
> Certainly a place to go for a large purchase.
>
Alabama?
please tell me yes.
"Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Think out side the box. Almost any lumber can be made to be beautifully
> unique if you resaw it and book match the pieces. Almost 100% of the time
> any board can be made into a work of art. To get an idea of what any
> board
> would look like lay a small mirror down beside it at a 90 degree angle.
> You
> will see the book matched image.
>
There you go again. :-)
In Houston, Mason's Mill, Clarkes Hardwood, and Houston Hardwood comes to
mind.
I've never been to Texas Kiln, but their web site shows some pretty nice
wood.
M&G in Huntsville also comes to mind.
GarageWoodworks wrote:
> On Jun 7, 1:20 pm, GarageWoodworks <[email protected]>
> wrote:
>> There is an article In the latest issue of FWW about "using the grain"
>> in lumber. I have not read the entire article because it disturbed me.
>> Most of the time when I buy my lumber I am most concerned with just
>> getting pieces with minmal defects (sap wood and knots). If I can find
>> the sticks need that pass my requirements for these defects I am
>> happy. Finding pieces that meet grain rwquiremwnts that also pass my
>> defect requirements? Fagettaboutit. I recently bought some cherry
>> lumber (hardwood store) and I has difficulty finding pieces that had
>> no sap on both faces.
>> Enough with these "grain" articles already.
>>
>> Just venting.
>
> The article is called "Designing with Grain"
But if the grain is wonky then the wood is more apt to crack and
splinter and that can be very bad in some cases, like if you fashioned a
big ol wooden dildo and shoved it up your butt. Do you know how
embarrassing to go to hospital and ask to have splinters pulled out of
your butt hole? And then you get wheeled around naked with your butt
sticking up in the air, the cover it with a sheet but it gets pulled off
every two minutes.
In rec.woodworking "Beacon of Truth and Light (maybe)" <[email protected]> wrote:
<snip of snot>
Guess they have internet access at summer camp now.
-- Andy Barss
On Sun, 7 Jun 2009 10:20:14 -0700 (PDT), GarageWoodworks
<[email protected]> wrote:
>There is an article In the latest issue of FWW about "using the grain"
>in lumber. I have not read the entire article because it disturbed me.
>Most of the time when I buy my lumber I am most concerned with just
>getting pieces with minmal defects (sap wood and knots). If I can find
>the sticks need that pass my requirements for these defects I am
>happy. Finding pieces that meet grain rwquiremwnts that also pass my
>defect requirements? Fagettaboutit. I recently bought some cherry
>lumber (hardwood store) and I has difficulty finding pieces that had
>no sap on both faces.
>Enough with these "grain" articles already.
>
>Just venting.
When I am working on an individual piece that I hope will be
meaningful both to myself and the client (these days, mostly my wife,
myself and my children) I usually begin with the gross parameters,
such as size, shape and function, but this inevitably involves the
recognition of how the grain, color and figure of the piece will come
into play. To design otherwise would be to deprive myself of one (or
two) of the premier elements of a wood object. Taking these into
consideration makes me a painter. Ignoring them makes me a draftsman.
Grain and figure are not entirely the same. I have not read the FWW
article but I would hope that they admired the difference between
grain, which is a structural consideration, and figure, which is an
aesthetic component of a piece.
They inform each other but are not equal.
Grain comes into play mostly in the engineering area of the design. It
informs you as to how to do the joinery. When it becomes a design
component on the visual level, as in QSWO stuff, the line is blurred.
Figure comes in on the visual level in a different way. It talks
about how the piece is viewed as a piece of woodworking art.
This is not an absolute delineation. I am mindful that 'joinery is
the beginning of ornament'. However, in a general sense, once you
have gone beyond the basics of size and shape, it is figure and color
that describe the piece.
There are some craftsmen who begin with the wood. Nakashima might be
considered one, although his ultimate form was also informed by the
grain and figure.
There are others who would make a piece of a given form and look to
grain, color and figure to give it life.
That's where I live. While I am drawing a fairly rectilinear object,
like the desk I am building for my daughter, I am thinking about what
wood, what grain, what color and which figures to use in the piece.
Then I go looking for the wood that fills my eye.
It is a kind of design circle, you see. You may start with the need,
and the room that it will be in goes a long way to determine the size
and shape and color. The use of figure will determine if it is to fit
in, or to stand out.
You might also start with a beautifully figured stick and say to
yourself, "I wonder what I can best make from this?"
I have wood that is waiting to be a jewelry box. I have wood that is
clearly meant to be a chair. I have wood that is useless for joinery
and needs to be turned.
Right now I have a desk to make. Because it does not have to fit into
any particular room, excepting to be small enough to fit in a college
dorm, I get to go crazy on the color and figure. It is a wildcard. It
is a surd. It is a gift.
And you should see the figure and color of the fiddleback cherry.
That I saw in my mind's eye when I was drawing it.
Found the perfect sticks.
Nirvana.
Regards,
Tom Watson
http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/
On Tue, 09 Jun 2009 07:25:36 -0800, charlieb <[email protected]>
wrote:
>Tom:
>
>In a world heavily trending towards the typically vacuous brevity
>of texting and twittering comes - Sir Tom to the rescue, waxing
>eloquently on those and that which are precious to him - and
>passing on knowledge of, and insights into, wood and woodworking
>(as well as life).
>
>But it's the poet in you I appreciate the most. And this post on
>grain and figure is filled with ideas beautifully expressed which
>should be inscribed in a pieces of wood and placed in every
>woodworker's shop as both inspiration - and reminders of why
>we play with wood.
>
>Thank you sir, once again.
>
>With your permission, I'd like to share your post with others
>over in a WoodCentral woodworking forum.
>
>charlie b
Thanks for the kind words. Please feel free to use them however you
wish.
Regards,
Tom Watson
http://home.comcast.net/~tjwatson1/
On Jun 7, 2:21 pm, "Joe" <[email protected]> wrote:
> "GarageWoodworks" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>
> news:[email protected]...
>
> > There is an article In the latest issue of FWW about "using the grain"
> > in lumber. I have not read the entire article because it disturbed me.
> > Most of the time when I buy my lumber I am most concerned with just
> > getting pieces with minmal defects (sap wood and knots). If I can find
> > the sticks need that pass my requirements for these defects I am
> > happy. Finding pieces that meet grain rwquiremwnts that also pass my
> > defect requirements? Fagettaboutit. I recently bought some cherry
> > lumber (hardwood store) and I has difficulty finding pieces that had
> > no sap on both faces.
> > Enough with these "grain" articles already.
>
> > Just venting.
>
> Just think of it as one more thing that takes your projects to the 'next
> level'.
>
> Reach enough next levels and your woodworking might reach a whole new
> plane.... (I just had to, you realize)
I'm sure it would if the lumber required was obtainable.
Think out side the box. Almost any lumber can be made to be beautifully
unique if you resaw it and book match the pieces. Almost 100% of the time
any board can be made into a work of art. To get an idea of what any board
would look like lay a small mirror down beside it at a 90 degree angle. You
will see the book matched image.
"Joe" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> "Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
>>
>> "Lowell Holmes" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>>>
>>> "Leon" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>>> news:[email protected]...
>>>>
>>>> Think out side the box. Almost any lumber can be made to be
>>>> beautifully
>>>> unique if you resaw it and book match the pieces. Almost 100% of the
>>>> time
>>>> any board can be made into a work of art. To get an idea of what any
>>>> board
>>>> would look like lay a small mirror down beside it at a 90 degree angle.
>>>> You
>>>> will see the book matched image.
>>>>
>>>
>>> There you go again. :-)
>>>
>>> In Houston, Mason's Mill, Clarkes Hardwood, and Houston Hardwood comes
>>> to mind.
>>
>> Add Hardwood Products, West Belt, south bound side, south of Hammerly.
>>
>>
>>> I've never been to Texas Kiln, but their web site shows some pretty nice
>>> wood.
>>
>> I have been there, I would not make a special trip but worth a stop when
>> going between Houston and austin. Not much variety but lots of nice
>> Mesquite. I have to buy a piece each time I stop in to look around.
>>
>>
>>> M&G in Huntsville also comes to mind.
>>
>> Certainly a place to go for a large purchase.
>>
> Alabama?
> please tell me yes.
>
Unfortunately for you, Texas. They have a nice web site you can look at
though.
GarageWoodworks" wrote:
>>Where do you get your lumber Lew?
I wrote:
=======================================
> Depends.
>
> There are some pretty good marine lumber yards here in SoCal.
>
> Also several good plywood specialty yards that I use.
==================================
What I forgot to include is that they would never try to pass off sap
wood if they ever expected to get another order.
Lew
>
> Lew
>
>
"GarageWoodworks" wrote:
>Does this qualify as a "real hardwood yard"?
Good question that only you can answer.
Web sites can be funky, but looks good.
>Where do you get your lumber Lew?
Depends.
There are some pretty good marine lumber yards here in SoCal.
Also several good plywood specialty yards that I use.
Lew
...
There is another way to approach obtaining wood with pleasing grain at
an economical price, which is to buy _cheaper_ wood, in a greater
quantity than you need, and then pick through it to get the quality
and grain you want.
...
That has been a very effective approach for me. The other approach is to
simply overbuy. If you count on 30 or 40% waste rather than 10% you can
pretty easily ensure that all rails and stiles are rifft or quatersawn
rather than flat. Even then, only the last 10% is really ever thrown in the
burn pile. less than optimal grain usually makes an acceptable drawer back.
-Steve