With the Grain: A Craftsman's Guide to Understanding Wood by Christian Becksvoort

“With the Grain: A Craftsman’s Guide to Understanding Wood" is a book that is essential to starting your journey with woodworking. 

It is succinct, easy to understand, and perfectly suited for the furniture maker. “With the Grain” contains the facts you need to know at the lumberyard, in the woodlot, and the shop. It gives you enough science so you understand how trees grow. It explains the handful of formulas you have to know as a furniture maker. And it gives you a hearty dose of specific information about North American species that will inspire you. Becksvoort encourages you to use the trees in your neighborhood and makes the case that just because you cannot find catalpa at the lumberyard doesn’t mean it’s not a good furniture wood.

You’ll learn to identify the trees around you from their silhouette, leaves, and shoots. And you’ll learn about how these species work in the shop – both their advantages and pitfalls.

Becksvoort then takes you into a detailed discussion of how wood reacts to its environment – the heart of the book. You’ll learn how to calculate and accommodate wood movement with confidence and precision. And you’ll learn how to design furniture assemblies – casework, drawers, doors, and moulding – so they will move with the seasons without cracking.

There’s also a chapter on how to manage a small forest or copse of trees – how to care for them, encourage them to thrive, and harvest them. You’ll learn the basics of cutting, stacking and drying the wood, if you should ever have the privilege of harvesting your lumber.

Dimensions: 8.5" x 11" 

Printed and bound in the United States on acid-free paper