quality > wood selection

Most people are surprised to learn how long it takes to simply select wood for a piece.  For an average project, it can take up to two full days.  This seems like a long time, but careful wood selection is one of the most important steps in crafting furniture that looks natural and well balanced.  Click here to see what I mean about how wood selection affects aesthetics.

Another reason wood selection is so important is less obvious, but just as critical.  Wood responds to relative humidity, it expands and contracts like a sponge, even after it is worked into a piece of furniture and covered in finish.  I have some kitchen cabinets in my home made of Douglas fir, and I have noticed that spans of 36 inches can expand or contract as much as 3/8 inch depending on the season.  Most wood is not that unstable, but all of it moves somewhat.  A craftsman has to be able to understand this, and to predict how a piece will behave by examining its grain.  Quarter sawn wood, for example, will be much more stable than flat sawn wood, and works best for drawer sides.  However, in most cases, quarter sawn wood is not as attractive, so must be used in less obvious places.  Striking this balance is the work of the craftsman, and it takes time and great care.  Click here to learn more about quarter sawn wood and flat sawn wood.

Wood selection, then, involves looking at the wood in all three dimensions, predicting how it will behave and placing each piece in it’s ideal spot, and of course matching aesthetically similar pieces together to create a sense of balance and harmony.

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