WOOD Magazine Staff

When choosing a brush to apply a finish to your project, it’s easy to become overwhelmed by the choices.

Nothing beats the thin blade and reciprocating action of a scrollsaw for making intricate cuts in wood and sheet goods.

Q:

A friend cut down two cherry trees, and I agreed to haul them away in exchange for the lumber. How long do I need to air-dry the wood before I can use it for furnituremaking?     
—Travis Woods, Mount Vernon, Va.

A:

In general, Travis, air-drying green lumber reduces boards’ moisture content (the ratio of the weight of the water in the wood to the weight of dry wood) to about 15-20 percent. This  can take anywhere from six weeks to years, depending on the species, thickness, and local conditions. 

A drill press ranks in our top five of machines every woodworker should own.

These inline containers make your shop vacuum or dust collector work more efficiently.

With more muscle and stability than a benchtop model and no need for 220-volt power, one of these in-between machines may be perfect for your shop.