In today’s artisan, hands-on, and environmentally conscience landscape, there are many reasons to harvest your own lumber: you can access new species and unique cuts of wood; you can save a healthy log from the landfill by finding it a useful purpose; and there’s a pleasing symmetry in building a toy for a grandson from the branch that held his daddy’s tire-swing. Plus, harvesting your own timber will save you a few bucks.
A concise guide for the small shop or enthusiastic hobbyist, Harvest Your Own Lumber covers all of the important steps in the conversion of wood. John English takes the reader from selecting the raw material to the final drying of the harvested timber. All of the steps in between are explained in clear text accompanied with photographs and charts that make the process of harvesting your own lumber a guaranteed success.
The process of harvesting your own lumber is much more than just felling the tree and sawing it into usable boards. You must consider which species of tree will produce quality timber; how to safely fell the tree; and how to dry and mill the log into usable lumber. Harvest Your Own Lumber explains and illustrates the various choices available from what types of grain pattern to expect to the many defects to be aware of. Also included is an extensive chapter on chain saws and safety while felling trees.
Harvest Your Own Lumber also provides detailed information on sawing to grade — that is, how to get the best yield with the specific grain — plus useful information on humidity and wood, kiln and air drying, various types of kilns and milling rough boards to get them flat and straight. Harvest Your Own Lumber is a must-have handbook for any woodworker, builder, carpenter, or craftsman that relies on good quality wood.
Publication Date: February 2015
$18.95 ($19.95 Canada) • Trade Paperback • 6" x 9" • 130 pages
ISBN 978-1-61035-243-7
250 Color Illustrations
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$29.95 $17.97 |
Wood is one of the most popular and desirable building materials on the contemporary scene. Featured are over thirty examples of the most expressive and inventive uses of wood in design and architecture from all over the world. An inviting fireplace perch set beneath shelves of natural maple that stretch to the ceiling; a striking geometric studio sits nestled, half-hidden amidst the swampy creeks and overgrown scrub oaks that grow along Florida's eastern seaboard. In over 360 spectacular photos, from Tadao Ando's Museum of Wood to Edward Cullinan's Westminster Lodge, each building is remarkably fresh and distinctly original.
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With the guiding words of a master carver like Fred Wilbur, any woodcarver can learn the techniques of architectural carving. In his newest book, Wilbur illustrates how to use historic ornamentation to accent items for the home, like classically carved bookends, an heirloom jewelry box, a cabinet for storing CD's and so much more. Perfect for carvers of all skill levels, this reference takes readers from start to finish with detailed instructions and step-by-step photography. Best of all, carvers completing these projects will acquire the skills to design and complete their own decorative woodcarvings.
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The range of detailed information in this book is truly remarkable. Learn about the structure of wood itself, from growth rings to its chemical composition, as well as woods physical and mechanical properties, including everything from elasticity to nuclear radiation. This extensive manual includes a section on stress grading as well as thorough descriptions of which fasteners to use and when. The Encyclopedia of Wood is an essential resource for builders, architects, engineers, and woodworkers.
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Subtitle: "150 Smart Ways to Save Money and Make Your Home More Comfortable and Green". Offering eye-opening incentives and easily achievable methods, Harley's uncluttered and organized approach will not only benefit the environment, it will help anyone reduce their heating, cooling, and electrical expenses. Highlighted by numbered tips and techniques for easy reference, the book presents a treasure trove of simple and inexpensive ways for cutting energy costs by up to 20% -- and even 40% in some cases.
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Get a great start in woodturning with expert, shop-tested insights and advice from the American Association of Woodturners. With this collection of articles from American Woodturner magazine, the official journal of the AAW, you’ll quickly get out of the blocks with the best practices on safety, tools, and fundamental techniques. Along with the 18 skill-building projects for everything from bowls and pens to holiday ornaments and doorknobs, Getting Started in Woodturning delivers all the detailed, practical advice a beginner needs.