An alternative/replacement to "Understanding Wood"

[TraditionalTool]

Well, let's be clear on one thing...there is really no alternative or replacement for not understanding wood if you work with it. How to cut it, how it dries, there are many aspects of wood that changes on a continual basis. This is why I like it so much, even after it is cut, wood continues to change with the environment and seems to be partially living...it's fascinating to me.

More to the point of the subject, many woodworkers and loggers alike refer to Bruce Hoadley's book, "Understanding Wood", which is not a bad text, but a bit costly as it retails for $40, but can be gotten cheaper of course.

Some of the log craftsmen I know prefer the Wood Handbook, written by the United States Department of Agriculture Forestry Service. Many consider it to be better than Hoadley's book, and the really nice thing about it is that you can download it for free at this link in PDF format. (NOTE: the first section on top is for the entire book, and each chapter has a separate link if you only want a single chapter. For free, I recommend getting the entire book! )

If you do, or don't have Hoadley's book, this is a text to have for anyone working with wood, from logging to furniture building this text covers most all of the topics which Hoadley's book does, and many will tell you much more.

Just thought I would mention it as there was some talk about the amount of time it takes wood to dry, and this book as an entire chapter on "Drying and control of moisture content and dimensional changes".

Hope this helps some of you that don't have Hoadley's book but were looking for a similar text to use as a alternative/replacement. And hope it helps those of you that do have Hoadley's book as well, I reference both myself.

 

[Ted J]

Well, let's be clear on one thing...there is really no alternative or replacement for not understanding wood if you work with it. How to cut it, how it dries, there are many aspects of wood that changes on a continual basis. This is why I like it so much, even after it is cut, wood continues to change with the environment and seems to be partially living...it's fascinating to me.

More to the point of the subject, many woodworkers and loggers alike refer to Bruce Hoadley's book, "Understanding Wood", which is not a bad text, but a bit costly as it retails for $40, but can be gotten cheaper of course.

Some of the log craftsmen I know prefer the Wood Handbook, written by the United States Department of Agriculture Forestry Service. Many consider it to be better than Hoadley's book, and the really nice thing about it is that you can download it for free at this link in PDF format. (NOTE: the first section on top is for the entire book, and each chapter has a separate link if you only want a single chapter. For free, I recommend getting the entire book! )

If you do, or don't have Hoadley's book, this is a text to have for anyone working with wood, from logging to furniture building this text covers most all of the topics which Hoadley's book does, and many will tell you much more.

Just thought I would mention it as there was some talk about the amount of time it takes wood to dry, and this book as an entire chapter on "Drying and control of moisture content and dimensional changes".

Hope this helps some of you that don't have Hoadley's book but were looking for a similar text to use as a alternative/replacement. And hope it helps those of you that do have Hoadley's book as well, I reference both myself.

okay Alan,

If you've got too much time on your hands if it's still raining over there...
Get to reading....
The Mechanical Properties of Wood by Samuel J. Record

another interesting book with lots of pictures.... I likes me alot of pictures....
Handwork in Wood by William Noyes
Can you imagine how many logs are in this pic...?

 

[TraditionalTool]

okay Alan,

If you've got too much time on your hands if it's still raining over there...

Only drizzled a bit today, I'm going over to the yard tomorrow to see if I can get the other couple rounds on the stack, I cut up some blocking of various thicknesses to go between the laterals of the logs.

Get to reading....
The Mechanical Properties of Wood by Samuel J. Record

another interesting book with lots of pictures.... I likes me alot of pictures....
Handwork in Wood by William Noyes
Can you imagine how many logs are in this pic...?

I will look these docs out, but the one I linked to above is really the wood bible for many people (Wood Handbook).

That pic is crazy, looks like a logging mess...lol

 

[Ted J]

Only drizzled a bit today, I'm going over to the yard tomorrow to see if I can get the other couple rounds on the stack, I cut up some blocking of various thicknesses to go between the laterals of the logs.

I will look these docs out, but the one I linked to above is really the wood bible for many people (Wood Handbook).

That pic is crazy, looks like a logging mess...lol

The link to the first book was published in 1914 and the second book was in 1910. The pic came from the second book.

 

[TraditionalTool]

The link to the first book was published in 1914 and the second book was in 1910. The pic came from the second book.

Is there water under the logs? It's not clear if they just dumped them in such a mess, or if the logs floated into a bay or large body of water like that?

 

[Ted J]

Is there water under the logs? It's not clear if they just dumped them in such a mess, or if the logs floated into a bay or large body of water like that?

The title of the pic is logs in boom so I'm assuming...

... and the text from the book pertaining to that pic:
Thus by one means and another, the logs are driven along until caught by a boom, Fig. 21, which consists of a chain of logs stretched across the river, usually at a mill. Since the river is a common carrier, the drives of a number of logging companies may float into the mill pond together.

that's alot of lumber right there....

 

[TraditionalTool]

The title of the pic is logs in boom so I'm assuming...

... and the text from the book pertaining to that pic:
Thus by one means and another, the logs are driven along until caught by a boom, Fig. 21, which consists of a chain of logs stretched across the river, usually at a mill. Since the river is a common carrier, the drives of a number of logging companies may float into the mill pond together.

that's alot of lumber right there....

Mackie shows a way to move logs over canyons by using large ropes and pulleys to sling them across. That is a LOT of logs in that pic, no doubt...

Somebody had to be seeing $$$ signs in their eyes looking at all that timber...lol

 

[Andrew96]

Somebody had to be seeing $$$ signs in their eyes looking at all that timber...lol

I think that "somebody" had the photo sent to them to view from their chair, the $$$ signs were quickly quenched with a drink. The guys working the sawmill...may have seen employment for another year. Neat photo, clearly there is more of the pile behind the photographer. Hard to imagine a pile that big.