Applying those multiple coats of finish can quickly get to be tedious. But beyond bringing out the beauty of the natural wood grain, it also provides an essential moisture barrier. Just how effective is that moisture barrier? And is that third coat really necessary? This post illuminates a great resource for understanding the moisture retardance properties of different finishes, and based on how many coats you’ve applied.

Want to make sure you get the most out of your sheet goods for a complicated project? Have a large multi-material project that you need to estimate the weight of prior to construction or transportation? This post outlines a few tools and resources you might find handy early in the planning stage.

“Wood movement” - or how wood expands and contracts in response to the environment - confuses a lot of folks, yet its a critical consideration in building solid wood furniture that will survive generations. This article consolidates a lot of disparate sources and calculators, providing both a foundational understanding of why wood moves, some detailed resources so that you can calculate how much movement to expect, and a few tips & tricks for how to design with movement in mind.

A few calculations upfront can help make sure your shelves (or coffee table) will stand up to loads of books - or stand up to you standing on it! This article outlines several key considerations and resources for wood furniture design, giving some tricks to strengthen a design that might be of borderline strength. And it also points to a few useful calculators - and how to use them - for metalwork as well.