Choosing the Right Type of Wood for Woodworking Projects

Choosing the right type of wood is the first step in any woodworking project. This is the time when you need to visualize what you want your finished project to look like. There are however other factors besides appearance that must be considered when choosing the right wood for any project.

Moisture content

Woods moisture content is the number one important consideration in any piece of wood. The best way to measure moisture content is with a moisture meter. There are a number of good moisture meters available today that will give you an accurate moisture reading. All wood must be between nine and eleven percent moisture content to be considered usable. Even kiln dried wood can't be trusted to have ideal moisture content and quite ofter needs additional drying to be stable. Wood dries at a very slow rate. The rule of thumb is wood dries at the rate of one inch per year plus a year. Chances are buying kiln dried wood is going to be acceptable but even then you need to let your wood acclimate to the area it is going to be used in.

Grading

Wood grading is very important. The best grade is fas, or first and second. This normally means the piece doesn't have knots or other imperfections and doesn't contain an excessive amount of sapwood. After the fas grades there are clear, # 1, #2 and so on. The lower the grade the more imperfections the wood will have. When choosing wood be sure to examine both sides. Some wood is sold with one grade on one side and a lesser grade on the other. This isn't an issue with some projects but can be a major issue if both sides of the project will be seen. It's best to hand pick your wood to get the look that you want to achieve.

Cost

You wouldn't think cost could be an issue when choosing wood for your project. After all it's only wood. But, it can be a major issue. Some woods are prohibitively expensive. Some of the musical instrument woods can be in the high hundreds for very small quantities. When using high end woods you need to sharpen your comparative shopping skills as the prices are all over the place.

Workability

You also need to select wood based on it's workability This is the woods ability to be stained, nailed, glued, bending qualities and how stable it is in use. Even the nicest piece of wood may not be suitable for the particular project you are doing.

Finishing

When choosing project woods you need to know what type of finish is going to be used. This is more important than it might seem. While most wood will accept most finishes, some woods like oily exotics can not be finished with film finishes due to adherence problems. It's always best to check the characteristics of any wood before choosing a finish.

Before choosing any woods for your projects it always a good idea to know the characteristics of the species. This site http://www.woodbin.com/ref/wood/ gives characteristics for many species and is an excellent place to start before choosing wood for your next project.