Understanding Wood

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View books by R.Bruce Hoadley.

Now I understand! - Rated
This is a fascinating book covering all aspects of wood as a raw material in furniture production etc. The color illustrations of the book are absolutely beatiful and the text is well written. There are indeed some very technical sections in the book (dealing e.g. with bending moduli and water content of wood), but the important points remain clear troughout. If you are thinking about drying your own fresh lumber and cutting it to make furniture, this will be a valuable ressource.
Highly informative and strongly recommended.

Essential ! - Rated
I cannot praise this book highly enough. The information contained in here is essential for any woodworker. Perhaps there are other ways to find this out, but this is by far the best book I know that contains all the useful things you need.

Wood is tricky stuff. It shrinks, expands and splits. It can't be used until it has gone through a complex drying and seasoning process. If you want to design furniture that doesn't open up gaps or, worst of all, split, then you need to understand this.

An incredibly well-written book. Just the right depth to be useful, yet readable.