20
votes
Can 160-year-old wood still have sap?
The table top is still sipping out sap. Is this even possible from something that is 160 years old?
Sure, it's definitely possible. Sap doesn't just disappear from a piece of wood because it's old.
...
- 12.1k
18
votes
Accepted
How is it possible to let wood reach equilibrium moisture content?
In such a wildly changing environment, how is it actually possible to let wood reach its EMC, or is the advice misguided, and does it not actually matter?
It does matter, and the moisture content bit ...
- 12.1k
15
votes
Finishing a desk or tabletop?
oiling and applying something like polyeurethane which seems to be used in all the youtube tutorials
OK need to run though a number of basics first.
Firstly a general caution, lots of people who ...
- 64.4k
14
votes
Accepted
which direction does wood expand?
Wood is made of fibers. Think of wood as a bunch of soda straws or flexible rubber tubes bundled together. When you add water, the fibers expand to hold the extra water. When it dries, they ...
- 8,046
13
votes
Accepted
Why S4S boards sold at Home Depot aren't straight?
The boards did have 4 smooth surfaces, all perpendicular to each other, and were straight. That was when they came off the mill, though. Since then, they've been exposed to the elements, shipped to ...
- 2,602
11
votes
Accepted
Will black walnut dull my carving tools
I've never worked with it before, and was wondering if it would be a wood that could be worked by hand?
Yes, absolutely. Black walnut isn't really all that hard of a wood, comparatively. Looking at ...
- 12.1k
11
votes
Accepted
What is the difference between MDF and MDO?
MDF is Medium Density Fiberboard and it's made by essentially combining resins with sawdust and compressing it into a fairly dense, extremely flat and smooth sheet. In general it can be worked like &...
- 1,446
10
votes
Accepted
I accidentally used woodglue that doesn't stain. How do I fix it?
Almost every glue commonly in use won't take stain, and one or two that are said to stain don't stain as well as you'd like (similar story with 'stainable filler' incidentally) so it's good practice ...
- 64.4k
10
votes
How to fix a wooden floor
In the past removal of old finish from floors was done manually, by scraping, and it does a superb job and doesn't generate large volumes of dust. But it's backbreaking labour and can't be recommended ...
- 64.4k
9
votes
Installing fancy distressed wall hanger knobs
By to look of the "keyhole" shaped holes in the back of the knobs, you're probably supposed to slide them onto the head of a screw that's attached to the wall.
Here's the keyhole in glorious ASCIIart,...
- 191
9
votes
How to bind wooden pieces together, but detachable
You could try Lincoln Log™ style
A nice DIY write up at Lumberjocks
At least they are still made of wood.
You could use round magnets like those found here.
You'd want to make the hole with a ...
- 6,296
9
votes
which direction does wood expand?
In which direction do wood boards expand?
Short answer: across the grain.
Wood does move along its length but the amount is negligible and can almost always be ignored.
This has been posted ...
- 64.4k
9
votes
What is this hand tool with handles similar to a spokeshave? It has different selectable profiles around the edge of a disc
This looks like a beading scratch-stock.
Beading is a decorative detail added to the edges of boards to make them less prone to damage and to hide gaps in joinery or around doors. This tool creates ...
- 5,500
8
votes
Can 160-year-old wood still have sap?
It could be the 'reclaimed bit. By reclaiming the wood, one possibility is that they had to resaw the timbers to boards. It might have started out as 8" x 8" timber or some other large dimension. ...
- 15.7k
8
votes
Can wood dust cause irritation to other people in the house?
Yes it could
Please read on though
It is important to know that correlation does not equal causation. That is to say that what your husband is doing might be a coincidence as to your symptoms. However ...
- 20.2k
8
votes
How is it possible to let wood reach equilibrium moisture content?
There are many techniques for designing a piece of furniture that will not tear itself apart with environmental fluctuations, but the key point you're missing is that you ideally want to work the wood ...
rob♦
- 18.6k
8
votes
What is the type of wood that is often purchased in bulk at the hardware store?
Dimensional framing lumber is often referred to as SPF which stands for Spruce, Pine and Fir.
You will likely also find cedar and pressure treated lumber in the green or brown variants
- 4,788
8
votes
Accepted
What would be the best way to bevel an oval table top?
To expand upon @keshlam's answer, you're going to want to purchase a chamfer or low angle bevel bit. Amazon (among others) sells a 60-deg bevel bit (pictured below), and chamfer bits can be found at ...
- 12.1k
8
votes
Accepted
What is this hand tool with handles similar to a spokeshave? It has different selectable profiles around the edge of a disc
I found it! - Windsor Beader Type 1 - 1885
- 243
7
votes
Discoloration under label on cherry
My question is: What caused that? Was it some chemical in the glue? The paper? Trapped moisture? No oxygen, or blocking sunlight?
Black cherry is well known to darken due to sunlight exposure. In ...
- 12.1k
7
votes
Accepted
Discoloration under label on cherry
I would guess that the color difference is from the sticker blocking sunlight -- cherry can darken pretty quickly in the sun:
Cherry with one spot covered
Half of a sheet of plywood covered
Since ...
- 86
7
votes
How is it possible to let wood reach equilibrium moisture content?
To warp or to twist, that is the question
It is extremely important to let wood sit for a while in the environment it is intended to be used in before using it for a project so that it reaches ...
- 1,005
7
votes
How to attach table legs to wood that is too thin?
Ive looked everywhere for table legs which I can screw into the wood but every table leg I see needs a minimum depth of 25mm for the wood, whereas my wood is much thinner at 18mm.
For my Imperial ...
- 12.1k
7
votes
How to attach table legs to wood that is too thin?
18mm isn't actually particularly thin, many smaller pieces use 1/2" material (roughly 13mm) for their tops and numerous sizeable tables have tops 18mm thick or less.
For tables, legs are almost never ...
- 64.4k
7
votes
What wood is not good to use in a cutting board?
The Wood Database has an extensive database with details about "Allergies and Toxicities" for all its known woods.
Cedar (which has 12 varieties listed on their site at the time of this post)...
- 1,192
7
votes
Accepted
What wood is not good to use in a cutting board?
To a great extent this is just the flipside of the question "What woods are good to use in a cutting board?" and there was a recent thread on this subject that was closed for being more likely to ...
- 64.4k
7
votes
Finishing a desk or tabletop?
I am bit of a Danish oil bigot. It's been so good to me that I have trouble saying anything bad about it. Realize that you will get a matte surface.
About forty years ago, I made a table, which ...
- 3,667
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible