Wood Panels and Humidity

Written by Dave Markel


Coping with wood movement

All wood workers need to be aware of wood movement when building furniture projects. Failure to consider this important factor can cause wood panels to crack or split.

My high school biology teacher comparedrepparttar structure of a piece of wood with a bundle of straws. The straws representrepparttar 145028 cells and capillaries ofrepparttar 145029 wood. When a tree is growing water and food are transferred up throughrepparttar 145030 cells and are carried throughoutrepparttar 145031 tree.

Once a tree is fellrepparttar 145032 free water inrepparttar 145033 wood is lost rather quickly butrepparttar 145034 bound water trapped inrepparttar 145035 straw like cell is slower to dissipate. Asrepparttar 145036 level of bound water is reduced these straw like cells get narrower in diameter but maintain their length. This isrepparttar 145037 fundamental reason that wood expands and contracts across its width but has almost no expansion length wise.

When working with wood it is very important to allowrepparttar 145038 wood to expand and contract with changes in humidity. As humidity risesrepparttar 145039 straw like cells expand in diameter withrepparttar 145040 opposite effect occurring asrepparttar 145041 relative humidity falls.

Ways to accommodate expansion

Lets use a cutting board forrepparttar 145042 first example. A solid wood cutting board with a bread board edge secured with a tongue and groove joint. One edge hasrepparttar 145043 bread board edge secured on both ends with a dowel throughrepparttar 145044 tongue The other bread board edge is secured withrepparttar 145045 same tongue and groove joint but this end only has a dowel inrepparttar 145046 center ofrepparttar 145047 piece.

Autograph Collecting: More Questions and Answers

Written by Lon Strickler


Autograph collecting terminology and common sense are vital forrepparttar hobbyist in order to make informed purchase decisions.

Question: What advantages does autograph collecting offer as compared to other collectibles?

Answer: Autographs have been called “frozen moments in time.” Autograph collectors are curators of history. The most personal item that one person can give is his or her signature. Anything that can be signed can be considered collectible…letters, documents, photographs, books, memorabilia, etc. Few objects give a collectorrepparttar 144746 opportunity to own a unique or one-of-a-kind item that is actually part of someone who is known by millions of people. That isrepparttar 144747 main reason why autograph collecting has become one ofrepparttar 144748 fastest growing hobbies in recent years.

Question: What guidelines should I consider when purchasing autographs?

Answer: Buy autographs that capture your interest. Don’t purchase items presented as “investments” or sold through pressure. Learn as much as possiblerepparttar 144749 language of autograph collecting. The more you study,repparttar 144750 easier it will be for you to determine what items are authentic and which items to purchase. Use common sense when buying a signed piece. Ifrepparttar 144751 price is too good to be true, it probably is. Purchasing from reputable dealers, who will help you avoid risks and problems, is paramount. Most dealers offer a certificate of authenticity, which is only as good asrepparttar 144752 reputation ofrepparttar 144753 dealer. Ifrepparttar 144754 dealer cannot tell you when and whererepparttar 144755 item was signed or how it was obtained, go elsewhere.

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