Page 7 - Wood

Nature hates straight lines, and as woodworkers we spend a huge amount of time and effort in making things straight. But curves can and should be a large part of your woodworking. There are several methods for forming wood into curves, and the next few blog posts will explore these techniques. We will be looking at simple force bending, kerf bending, lamination and steam bending.

We started this wood bending series exploring simple and kerf bending. In this edition, we look at forming wood parts using thin laminates. As we all know, the thinner the part, the easier it will conform to a curve. Lamination is the process of bending many thin parts together and holding them in the desired shape until the glue between them dries. Once dry, the resulting part will pretty much hold its shape forever.

So far in this series we have looked at simple wood bending in thin stock or with kerf cuts, and forming bent wood parts through laminating thin strips together on a form. In this final installment, we will discuss steam bending wood. Steaming actually changes the cellular structure of wood to make it more pliable. As the wood cools and dries clamped to a form, it very quickly regains most of its original stiffness, but in the shape of the form.

What’s the best way to invite success in frame and panel door construction? Below, a Woodworker’s Journal weekly newsletter reader gets some valuable advice on selecting and preparing wood for an ambitious raised panel door project.

If you've been wanting to tackle a wood veneering project, but haven't been sure how to get started, you've come to the right place. We put together this article where we'll give you a glimpse of the history of wood veneering, describe a few of veneering's most outstanding benefits, and describe the most common types of veneer and methods for applying veneer to a substrate.

Help, my lumber is too short for the project I'm working on? What options do I have for end to end joining? Here are three expert opinions on end to end joining, courtesy of our friends at the Woodworker's Journal.

I am starting a few craft projects using whole chunks of tree limbs, limb crotches, and natural divides. I want to keep the bark on the pieces.