Timber Technology for Woodworkers

Understanding wood is an important part of being a successful woodworker. In this module, we explore what it is, how it behaves, and how best to use it.  Armed with this information you can make informed decisions and avoid expensive mistakes.

If you can’t tell the difference between oak, pine, and walnut or have wondered why your nice new project has warped and developed splits, this is the course for you.

In the workshop, we will examine timber at close quarters using a hand lens and a microscope to reveal its structure. In this way, we can identify common timber species with a high level of accuracy.

We pay a visit to Fallen & Felled, our favourite local timber merchant who specialises in turning trees destined for landfill into useable timber.

In addition, we spend a day in an urban woodland with conservation volunteer Tim Stevenson,  learning about homegrown timber and working greenwood.

The course will cover the following:

• Identifying timber species
• Differences between hardwoods and softwoods
• Choosing suitable species for a given project
• How and where to buy/obtain timber
• Drying your own timber
• Working with greenwood/unseasoned timber and utilising its unique properties
• Avoiding common mistakes

By the end of the three days, you should be able to identify the most common timber species, recognise a range of native timbers, calculate how much timber you need for a given project, and understand main the differences between working greenwood and seasoned timber.