When I last wrote, I let everyone know about my selection of wood for my clock. I was initially really excited about the prospects of using the Carolina Cherry, but my excitement quickly turned to disappointment during the milling process.

Several people had warned me about the potential pitfalls with using urban lumber, so I wasn’t completely surprised, but disappointed none the less when my beautifully figured wood began to crack every step of the way.

Below is a view of an approximately 6-inch by 7-inch section of a 4/4 board that is 10” x 30”. The crack labeled epoxy was a crack that reared its ugly head when I originally sent the rough lumber through the planner. This occurred in all but one of 5 pieces. I filled all visible cracks at that time with epoxy and crossed my fingers. Unfortunately, there was so much tension in the boards that they continued to crack right before my eyes.
We tried resawing instead of planning, but that only exasperated the problem. After sitting for over a month, I can still find new fractures on a daily basis. I’ve noted some examples in the photo.

Luckily for me this was all part of the big picture, which is to learn about woodworking. What did I learn? I learned that the wood wasn’t going to work, and moved on.

I’ve since selected a nice Mahogany for my clock, and all is going well so far. I’ll continue to look for ways to utilize the Cherry, but just not for this project.

I spent yesterday and today trying to decide on what lumber to use for my project. In the end it has been a wonderful learning experience, and ended with me feeling excited about my selection, but along the way it was a bit nerve racking.

This being my first project, I want it to turn out great, and be something I can be proud of for a lifetime. I realize that placing such high expectations on something you are doing for the first time is probably not the best idea, but that’s just the way I am.

My hunt for the perfect stock started yesterday with several trips through the schools supply of lumber – both Urban Forestry Lumber, and lumber they have purchased for resale. Let’s just say that I didn’t find anything that gave me a warm and fuzzy feeling on my first run through. From the start I have wanted to use a piece of Carolina Cherry that was processed by the schools Urban Forestry Program (UFP). For one, it would help support the program, and two, it just seems like a cool addition to my first project.

During yesterday’s hunt, all of the Carolina Cherry that was visible on the pallets that recently came out of the kilns didn’t look like what I had envisioned, so I left a little disappointed, dejected, and rethinking my plans.
Needless to say I spent a lot of time last night thinking about what I was going to do. Regular Cherry? Walnut? Black Acacia? …what the heck was I gonna do?

Fast forward to today. Today was my first day volunteering for the UFP, and as serendipity would have it, my first task was to unload that pallet of Carolina Cherry. As we dove into the pile and began placing it in the storage racks, a treasure trove of beautiful boards began to appear. I was once again excited.

After getting a firsthand look at every piece in the lot, I decided on three pieces. My project calls for 10 board feet, but I purchased a little more so I can be selective with my cuts, and maybe get a head start on another project or two. Below are pictures of the pieces. I took these while on my way out today, so the quality is lacking, but I will get better shots before I start milling it next week. To me they are just what I was searching for. I would love to hear some feedback on them from others. I realize that it will be difficult to analyze them from these photos, and the fact that they haven’t been planed, but hopefully some of you will have some comments.

Among the three pieces, I have one that is 4/4 12” x 6’, and one that is 4/4 11” x 8’. The other piece is 4/4 and about 36” long. From the small piece I am really only looking to get something really interesting to book match for my dial face.

With the selection of my lumber complete, I will start the process of turning it into a beautiful clock next week. I promise to include a photo tour of the shop I will be working in next week, complete with pictures of a huge 30” planer from a World War II battleship.

I’d also like to tell you all about my first day volunteering with the UFP today.

WOW …what a great way to learn about lumber. In six hours I got the chance to put my hands on and get a close up look at: Cherry, Carolina Cherry, Black Acacia, Walnut, Ash, Elm, Live Oak, Black Oak, Red Oak, Torrey Pine, Canary Island Pine, Poplar, Mahogany, African Mahogany, Birch, Maple, Cypress, and a few others. What better way to learn to recognize species of wood than moving a few hundred board feet of each one around.

I also got a good feel for the difference in density among the various species. Let’s just say I have a new found respect for an 8/4 piece of Ash that is 24” x 10’. We moved about 10 of those bad boys.

My plan is to volunteer at least one day a week for the duration of the semester. I think the learning experience will be invaluable.

Until next week, keep making saw dust.

Besides selecting our project plans we covered in detail how to read the plans. Not overly compex stuff, but the explanations really helped the learning curve. We also did a group exercise in figuring out how many board feet the project will take. My plans will call for roughly 10 board feet. Now the exciting process of selecting my stock begins. So many choices ….YIKES!

After class, myself and two classmates ventured over to Tropical Exotic Hardwoods in Carlsbad. WOW …this place has an amazing selection of woods. I won’t even begin to try and list the incredible inventory they have, but here is a link to the price list. CAUTION ...drool will cause rust on the electrical components of your keyboard, cover with plastic before clicking this link.

Before my next post I will have selected my lumber, and hopefullly have begun the process of milling if for project use. I will do my best to document the process in great detail. Now I just have to decide if I go with some stock from Palomar’s Urban Forestry project (discount prices), or if I go for the gusto and select something really exotic. I’m leaning towards the Urban Forestry route, just because it’s my first project, and I know there will be learning opportunities (mistakes ;P). Besides, they have a really nice selection – I have my eye on a nice piece of Carolina Cherry. Any words of wisdom would be appreciated.

Thanks for reading.

On with the wood.

Perhaps the least most anticipated thing about my taking this class was the fact that there would be days that we would spend the entire 8-hours of class listening to lectures. This week’s class was one of those days, but it was anything but boring.

Today’s lecture was dedicated to wood technology. I never realized there was so much to know about the medium. Of course I had taken the obligatory biology classes in college, but never really thought in depth about how a tree grows, and how that growth impacts how a piece of finished lumber will look.

I realize that the majority of readers here are experienced Lumberjocks and probably have a pretty good handle on what I was introduced to this week. With that said, I will highlight the parts of the lecture that I found most interesting and/or the topics that will guide some of the decisions that I make when selecting the stock for my project.

Detailed information on wood, and lumber.

The thing that stuck in my mind the most was the fact that growth factors affecting trees are significant in determining how a piece of wood looks and feels. For instance, a piece of Maple from the Midwest would be different from a piece of Maple grown in a different geographical location. What I gathered was that the biggest cause of this is the amount of time the tree stays in certain stages of growth over a year period. Primarily this is caused by weather conditions. For example: A tree in Wisconsin will endure a much longer dormant state due to longer winters, where as a tree in say California will continue to grow for a longer period of time, this changes the early year and late year wood growth patterns, thus affecting the appearance of the lumber extracted from the tree.

Man has certainly influenced this process over the years as well. Early American settlers primarily constructed things from mature timber that was in abundance at the time. As the demand for lumber has grown, man has devised ways to have trees reach maturity at a much faster rate, in turn affecting the way the lumber presents itself.

Dave (my instructor) provided the below pieces of Douglas Fir to illustrate the point. Notice the growth rings on both pieces. While both sections are 2×4’s, the upper piece is from modern timber farming and grew at a much faster pace, making it less dense, lighter weight, and much softer than the piece cut from old growth trees. This really drove home the concept for me. Look and you will see that just this small piece has 100-years of growth rings …WOW!

We also covered how a piece of lumber is cut from the tree. I’ve seen this discussed here numerous times, so I will spare the details. Below is an example of a piece of flat sawn lumber (top), and a quarter sawn piece. What I learned is that not only does the quarter sawn lumber usually have a more desirable grain pattern, but it also results in less movement of the wood.

What is movement? I’m sure you all know this better than I, but here’s my shot at it. Lumber that has been dried has a certain level of moisture, say 6-8% for a Kiln dried piece, while an air dried piece might be 12-15%. With that in mind, if more or less moisture is introduced to that piece of lumber, the lumber will expand or contract accordingly. This causes movement in the wood, which can affect the structure of the lumber, and anything you have constructed from it. Common things that can happen are bowing, cupping, crooking, etc.

The Wood Whisperer has a great video that explains the process.

We also covered various defects in wood and how that can be a good or bad thing. Below are several examples.

Needless to say, I know much more about how to analysis a piece of wood than I did three days ago. This information will come in handy over the next week or so when I pick the lumber for my project. Just for fun, I made a dry run through three local hardwood stores today to get a feel of how they were laid out, and how to find what I was looking for. There are some incredible species of wood out there. Hopefully one day I will possess the skills to turn that raw stock into works of art.

I realize that this post is far from being a complete guide to lumber; hopefully others will fill in the gaps, and share their expertise on this subject. In particular, I would be interested in hearing about any internet resources that categorize lumber by its density, grain structure, etc.

Till next week.

GO CHARGERS!
All images Copyright 2007 Wayne Short, All rights reserved.

Feast your eyes on what I came into possession of today. My buddy has been remodeling his house for the last two years, and had purchased this Rigid T3650 10” table saw during the process. Well the remodel is over, and the saw is all mine to use.

Needless to say the saw needs a good cleaning after sitting idle for a few months, but you think I’m complaining …HECK NO. In fact, one reason I’m posting is to get some suggestions for cleaning the deck. There is a lot of rust from being exposed to moisture and not getting any TLC for awhile. If anyone has any ideas, please let me know. What is the best way to maintain and protect from rust once I have it cleaned up? I’m going to give it a nice going over this weekend.

The feature I like most about it is the Herc-U-Lift™ mobile base. One push with your foot and the casters lower to make it as easy to push around as a shopping cart, then one more push and it’s solid as a rock.

I can’t wait to get it all cleaned up, and start making some saw dust. I do need a good work bench, maybe that will be my first real project.

If you want to read more about it, check it out at Rigid .

Here is a gallery of the photos for those that are unable to see the images.

With that said, let me just say that my first day of class was one of the most enjoyable things I’ve done in a long time, and I never touched a piece of wood. Today’s session was devoted to covering policies and procedures and getting acquainted with the facility.

The Facility

WOW! What a facility. My decision to take a class over striking out on my own was justified in spades today. This is one incredible place. At 15,000 square feet, the facility is enormous. Equipped with three complete machine shops, each with adjoining class rooms, there is every possible machine that a woodworker could ever dream of. Can’t wait to get my hands on them, but I have to keep telling myself …patience grasshopper. More on the facility in a moment.

One of 3 machine shops.

Awesome sharpening station.

All kidding aside, the facility really is amazing, and the staff is top notch. My instructor, Dave Thomsen, has been teaching at Palomar for 17 years after spending many years building cabinets. Also on staff is Russ Filbeck. Many of you may have seen Russ featured on HGTV’s Modern Masters series. Just do a quick Google on his name, and I think you will be impressed. There are a number of other staff members, but I haven’t had a chance to meet them …yet.

Timber Frame Structure built by students.

Several impressive things about the program at Palomar: They run 600 students per school year through some 50 classes that are offered. Among the classes are everything from my Woodworking 100, to timber frame structures, to specialized classes like guitar making. There really is something for every skill level. They’re even starting a bamboo fly rod class this semester.

One of several lumber storage areas.

Newly arrived lumber waiting to be stored.

Just an example of how respected the program is. In my class is a lady named Sue Spray. Sue builds most everything, but her specialty is canoes and kayaks. Her award winning work is already incredible, but she decided to start going through the Palomar program to fill any gaps she missed from being self taught. I’m really excited to have her as a potential resource to learn from, and bounce ideas off of.

So what did I learn today? Mostly that I have a lot to learn. We really won’t get into the shop until week four or five. Our class meets every Wednesday from 8am to 4:30pm, so I’m sure I will have to start doing some work at home to feed my new addiction.

Instructor showing us a piece of Carolina Cherry that is in stock.

The first weeks are going to be dedicated to learning safety, wood technology, and hand tool selection. While my anxiety level will be maxed out to get to work in the shop, I am really thankful that the instructor is taking so much time to cover everything, and provide me with a solid foundation.

Once we do get going, I will have my choice of four clock plans to choose from. We are free to customize the plans however we choose, but at the basic level, we will all be building clocks. At first glance, I really like a shaker style clock that is one of the options. I will let you know when I decide.

The programs sawmill, dubbed the Urban Forestry Program. Note the timber frame structure housing the sawmill that was built by students in the program.

Slabs cut at the sawmill.

Kilns

More on the facility: Perhaps the thing I’m most excited about, outside of my class, is the opportunity to work in their Urban Forestry Program. In 2001, the school received a sawmill from the California Department of Forestry. Since that time, they’ve established a program where trees from the local area are brought in and milled on site to provide wood for the program. Mostly the trees are recovered fallen trees, and removed from property around the county. It’s going to be incredible to learn the entire process from sawmill, to kiln, to milling, to finished project. I doubt there are many opportunities out there like this for $100 bucks a semester. They have two huge areas with a wide variety of woods to choose from for our projects. We do have to buy it, but at discounted rates.

Structure built by Japanese craftsman at a Kezurou-kai conference several years ago. Serves as the entrance to the facility.

That’s about it for now. Enjoy the pictures, and please let me know if there are things of interest that I’m leaving out. Now I’m off to work on my 200 question open book exam on the shop safety manual. Gotta keep all my digits don’t you know.

You’ve stumbled upon the ramblings of a rank beginner that has long dreamed of one day possessing the skills of a master craftsman that can turn a block of mahogany into a work of art. While those aspirations will probably remain dreams for a while, I am taking my first steps at becoming a skilled woodworker.

After debating on whether to equip a small shop and start a process of experimentation or take a class and narrow the learning curve, I’ve decided to forgo a few thousand board feet of disasters and take a class. Luckily there is a well respected woodworking program at a nearby community college (Palomar College, San Marcos, CA) that offers just what I’m looking for. Hopefully the class will limit my mistakes and get me on the right path from the start. Tomorrow is my first day of class, so I’m very excited about beginning the journey.

If nothing else, this blog will give me a chance to look back several months from now and see just what kind of progress I’ve made. Hopefully a few of you will follow along and share your thoughts on my journey. If you do, I look forward to meeting you, if not, thanks for stopping by.