This category is all about wood for woodwork and explains all of the different types of wood you may come across. It covers everything from real wood to man-made woods such as MDF and plywood.
I have had wood cut at Ikea and a few other big boxwood stores, and I think they have spoiled me. Now I expect to have the wood cut to size at almost every establishment. The Bunnings in my area actually cuts wood, but I wasn’t sure I could get my MDF cut to size…
While I love working with wood, I rarely use it for cabinets. I’ve found that plywood is great for cabinetry and medium-scale projects. A type of plywood can work well for sheathing as well. But did you know that there are types of plywood that work outdoors as well? You can use them for fences,…
If you’ve worked with plywood, you know that its rigidity, quality, and load-bearing capacity depend on its grade. Cabinet-grade plywood is most commonly used for cabinetry and shelf-building. I have been working with plywood for the last 20 years as a cabinetmaker, and this is what I have learned about plywood warping. Cabinet-grade plywood will…
In my 20 years of woodworking, I have come across different sub-crafts within this profession. Spoon-carving is a niche that some people dedicate their entire lives to. Others shave a few blocks of whittling wood and make spoons to put on their resumes. But both types of people need to answer one question: which wood…
If you are building a sturdy project that’s meant to last, you’re probably not planning to use softwood as its key material. But hardwood prices might put you in a bit of a pickle. Given that lumber prices weren’t as high when I started woodworking 20 years ago, I still feel the sting of having…
