Product Description

A practical and inspiring A-Z guide to the world's most popular woods.

Wood is a favored building material because of availability, ease to cut and join, decorative properties, functionality, flexibility, and a favorable strength-to-weight ratio.

The Real Wood Bible is a comprehensive handbook for anyone who works with wood...or is planning to. Woodworkers, crafters, carpenters, and interior designers will find extensive information about the woods they regularly use as well as discover some new ones.

This colorful, easy-to-use book features: - How trees are converted into boards and veneers - How to convert your own trees into boards - Woods that incorporate beautiful natural effects - A list of woods available from sustainable sources - Useful advice on buying and storing lumber.

An extensive and illustrated A-Z guide to the world's most popular woods is the heart of this book. Each wood is shown with a color illustration demonstrating the true look and beauty of the finished and unfinished grain.

A special section on sustainability is included, with an introduction to key conservation issues.

The Real Wood Bible is the essential reference for the appreciation of the practical beauty of the world's most popular building material.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #125916 in Books
• Published on: 2005-08-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Spiral-bound
• 256 pages

Review
You'll learn all about wood color and grain, sustainability and storage... It's a must-have reference. (Sara Scott Log Home Design Ideas 20050818)

Every type of wood has its own personality and its own best uses, according to The Real Wood Bible. (James Cummings Dayton Daily News 200510)

It's the book you'd expect from a guy who made his first tool box from utile, an African mahogany. (Mark Feirer This Old House 20060119)

Invaluable for the novice but also a good reference for the pro. (Peggy Mackenzie Toronto Star 20051201)

Written to answer any wood-related question... a book like this is likely to become the Holy Grail of wood. (Hardwood Floors 20050828)

A thorough guide that can help beginning and advanced woodworkers choose between 100 types of decorative woods. (Rebecca Swain Vadnie Orlando Sentinel 20051103)

There's more to wood than just how it looks.... learn the strengths and weaknesses of all types of wood. (Heidi Rose Lamirande Boston Globe )

An essential reference for anyone who works with wood or makes decisions about how and where it's used. (Home and Design )

Comprehensive guide... can help you select the best one for your project... Great for woodworkers, designers and homeowners alike. (Diana Luciani Style At Home )

Of particular note is a full-page photo of each species showing the wood in two states... valuable and useful guide. (Anatole Burkin Fine Woodworking )

36 pages of pertinent advice, including seven steps to choosing wood and discussion of issues surrounding certified supply. (Sharon Wootton Olympia Olympian )

About the Author
Nick Gibbs is a carpenter and editor of Woodworker magazine. He has contributed to many books including The Flooring Handbook.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Excerpted: Introduction and How To Use this Book

Introduction

Most woodworkers have a "palette" of woods that they favor, experimenting with alternatives for a specific purpose, or perhaps because they come across or are given a new board or veneer, cabinetmakers choose stable boards for panels, ideally quartersawn, that will not bend and buckle, or they glue decorative veneer to man-made sheets. chairmakers select strong, long-grained woods for the legs and rails, but more decorative, softer lumber for the seat. Though carvers like ornate wood, and can carve almost anything with modern rotary tools, they prefer it to be even-grained to reduce the risk of tearing. Woodturners, though, will use almost anything, particularly if the grain and color are distinctive and will enhance the perfectly formed curves of their bowls and boxes.

Whether forced by the requirements of a particular project or just because of boredom with what is in the workshop, every woodworker comes to a point when it's time to try a new type of lumber. Today, thankfully, there is plenty to choose from. Veneers and turning blanks are easy to source and purchase by mail order, from a catalogue or over the Internet, and even boards can be ordered this way.

Each mood has its own distinctive characteristics, though of course many share similar colors, grain patterns or textures. Hardwoods are favored for their strength, decorative effects, wide range of colors and durability. Softwoods tend to be cheaper, and are often seen as functional materials for building and construction.

THE IDEAL LUMBER

Somewhere out there is the perfect lumber that is easy and pleasurable to work while also being visually interesting, the ideal lumber will also

1. have generally straight grain;
2. be close-grained and hard for a good finish, or coarse-grained and easy to bring to a high luster;
3. possess a few defects to add character without raising wastage rates to too high a level;
4. have a distinctive color and figure (pattern).

THE FAMILY OF WOODS

Look through the list of woods in this book and you mill notice that some botanical and common names keep cropping up. There is an oak on almost every continent; indeed, that wood has been a giant of the lumber world for centuries. Other species that have dominated furniture making include the temperate hardwoods elm, ash and beech, and from the tropics, mahogany, teak and rosewood.

It is possible to argue that nearly all other woods are merely alternatives to these favored few, with lesser-known species gaining in popularity because of shortages or changing tastes. Woods of the genus Acer -- maple and sycamore -- are preferred for their close grain, ease of use and pale color, while cherry offers some of the qualities of mahogany but comes from a more trustworthy source. The huge number of tropical hardwoods now available perhaps reflects the attempt to find weather-resistant species to replace endangered woods such as teak, or furniture-quality species to replicate mahogany. Often they are poor imitations -- in terms of color, figure and ease of use -- of the originals, and that perhaps explains why temperate hardwoods like cherry have become so popular. Of course, tropical hardwoods are still favored in many cases for windows, doors and other joinery.

The most exotic species, such as rosewood and ebony, are now very expensive, and tend to be used only for decorative effects or as veneer. A by-product of the environmental movement has been the introduction of small quantities of previously unheard-of woods, many of them harvested by communal forestry enterprises in the tropics. Some of these are exquisite in color and figure, but as yet hardly used.

HOW TO CHOOSE WOOD

There are many factors to consider when choosing wood, If there is a strict budget to watch then price is a significant issue, and the degree of wastage may also be important. The structure of the piece way limit the range of options, depending on whether the design needs hardness, strength or a bit of give. A solid tabletop is best made from woods that are not likely to move, as are drawer components, which need to fit well for years.

Color may be important, either to match existing furniture, or to enhance the specific design. Stains and dyes can help, though many woodworkers prefer the integrity of an unadulterated finish. You may need to consider grain pattern and figure. Though it is often tempting to use the most decorative woods you can find, sometimes intricate designs demand less sophisticated surface effects. In contrast, a simple design can be raised to new heights by a unique piece of lumber.

Texture can be used as creatively as color and figure. Coarse-grained species like oak and elm can be sandblasted or wire-brushed, and then limed or stained for dramatic effects, while highly polished rosewood is spectacular for more formal work. Species with contrasting colors, textures and patterns can be juxtaposes successfully, but usually needs some form of visual buffer between them, and great care needs to be taxes when attempting to form unlikely partnerships.

SEVEN STEPS TO CHOOSING WOOD FOR A PROJECT

1. Establish how much lumber you need, based on the design.
2. Consider the eventual setting for the item in terms of style, color and texture. A plain, Shaker-style interior is likely to demand less conspicuous species such as maples, cherries, fruitwoods and birches. Most exotic hardwoods, especially from tropical forests, will suit a more formal, ornamental setting, while coarse-grained oak, elm and ash have a softer visual effect that works well in a less formal space.
3. When necessary, choose woods by function: ash for bending, ebony for edge features or bandings, aromatic cedar for drawer bottoms (it will retain a fresh smell and deter bugs). You can fight a wood's natural inclinations, like trying to bend balsa, but invariably the results will on unsuccessful and the effort frustrating. Some woods do not take to glue so well, while others need special finishing treatments.
4. Some species are available only in limited dimensions. You will not find many long, straight pieces of boxwood, though if is excellent for tool handles, nor wide boards of ebony, which turners adore. If a wood is not available in thicknesses greater than 1 inch it will not be easy to use for a tabletop. Of course, modern adhesives enable us to build up sections of almost any wood, as long as the grain is not so distinctive that the joins are obvious.
5. Talk to fellow woodworkers and consult this book to find suitable species. Check if lumber is available from a certified sustainable source.
6. Though woodworkers should always take the necessary safety precautions, find out the potential risks of using a particular wood. The dust of many woods can aggravate breathing and cause skin allergies or problems.
7. Having narrowed down your options, start hunting high and low for what you want, beginning with your local supplier. It all else fails, check the alternatives listed for most species in the Wood Directory that forms the main part of this book.

WORKING SAFELY

When working with wood, always take precautions against accidents with machinery. Use ear protection and eye shields, and a mask or respirator to keep dust from your nose and lungs. Some species are hated for the noxious power of their dust, which causes respiratory and skin problems or exacerbates existing allergies.

Make sure to investigate the health hazards before using a particular wood. Specific species have not been noted as harmful because reports are anecdotal, and evidence linked to particular woods hasn't been found. It would be irresponsible so list harmful woods as some harmful species may inadvertently be missed. Woodworkers should be cautious and make a note of any effects they may suffer from wood they are using. See a doctor if symptoms appear.

Eye, nose and mouth protection is always sensible (as well as protecting ears from high noise), but you should also limit the amount of dust you produce so a minimum. This can be done by avoiding sanding operations as much as possible, and by connecting all machines and power tools to extraction systems. You can also acquire ambient dust filters that remove the finest particles.

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How to Use this Book

While a book of this size cannot cover all the wood species in the world, it features the lumber that are of value to woodworkers the world over. Some are more readily available than others, and some are beautiful enough to be worth seeking out.

Principal Woods features lumbers that are valued for their adaptability or commercial availability. In this section, too, you will find woods of great beauty, many of which, though rare and precious, are rightly considered the jewels of the lumberyard.

Secondary Woods features lumbers that are less popular with woodworkers, but still warrant inclusion in this book. Many of these woods are of limited availability and some are of little commercial value. Others are simply of less importance or interest to the woodworker.

Special Effects features the woods in which factors such as disease, defects, grain figure or processing method can produce beautiful visual effects.

The Wood Selector, starting on page 37, is a visual index to the woods described; browse here to find the wood you want, then refer to the Wood Directory for a more detailed description.

HOW THE ENTRIES WORK

Each wood is described under a series of subheadings that provide the essential information for anyone planning to buy and use these species for woodworking. Many of the headings are self-explanatory; some require clarification, which is given below. Note that these headings have been compressed for the less-used species.

1. Botanical and Common Name
The woods are listed alphabetically by botanical name to save confusion, ... (20051203)

Customer Reviews

Disappointing
I bought this book because a quick glance showed the the photos are very good. As one reviewer noted, most woods includes a full page photo that is split in half, one showing unfinished, one showing finish.

However, the book doesn't offer much practical advice for working the wood. A lot of the lesser used species include advice like "Gluing: Little is known, best to experiement on scraps." Uhh, thanks?

The reason I purchased a reference book was so that if I use something uncommon, I could look up things I don't know. Instead, the author, an editor of a woodworking magazine no less, tells me that the only thing his book is good for is the pretty pictures. This is especially true of the section called "Secondary Woods"--substamtially lacking in useful information.

Why isn't there a book that compilies USEFUL information about a wood?

Some of the photos on unique aspects, such as quarter sawn surfaces and figure, do not illustrate the wood well. For example, the photos of figured cherry, curly maple and crotch mahogany don't even start to illustrate the beauty of these woods. The spalted maple photo makes one think that spalted maple should be used for heating the house. The burl photos do a very good job however. (Why is bog oak listed under diseased wood?)

Also, there are inconsistent names used. For example, American elm is listed with the note that it is "often referred to as white elm" but later in the description it is referred to as "gray elm". So, is this just a typo or is there another type of elm called "gray".

Finally, the information provided is not very consistent. For example, Some woods have information regarding assembly (screwing, nailing, gluing) others don't. The omission of assembly information is inexplicable and rather unforgiveable. Anyone who buys woods will assemble it, won't they?

Another example, under Dutch elm, it says that it must be given "the opportunity to move when used as a panel or tabletop". Don't you need to do this with all wood? And if so, why isn't mentioned with any other wood? Is Dutch elm special?

And here's a list of woods not covered that probably should be: aspen, big leaf maple (aka oregon maple), ipe, lyptus, pernambuco, myrtle, claro walnut, peruvian walnut, granadillo, black acacia, red gum, canarywood, regular/american chestnut, mesquite,, goncalvo alves, cypress, box elder, lacewood, leopardwood, olive, lauan/phillipine mahogany, kwila, doussie, alaskan yellow cedar, port orford cedar, vera/argentinian 'lignum vitae' and sycamore.

If I could, I change my rating to 1 star.

BTW, the picture for horse chestnut is wrong.

Likable
This is a likable book, with plenty of color pictures of a nice quality, that present the true colors rather faithfully. I can well imagine this will be a convenience for somebody who is thinking about selecting wood for a project.

However, this is a book written by a woodworker for woodworkers. By this time I can make a list (prior to opening the book) of the errors that are likely to be in such a book. Opening this book I find all these errors faithfully perpetuated, as expected. A rather spectacular new blunder is made in the entry for /Aniba/ (in this case /Aniba rosaeodora/ under its synonym /Aniba duckei/) where the text points out that there is an African "pau rosa" and a South American "pau rosa", and then blithely combines the name of the South American "pau rosa" with a picture of the African "pau rosa" (to be clear "pau rosa" is a vernacular or trade name attached to several woods: the two woods that are linked in the book have less in common than a Boeing 747 and a Rolex watch).

Another quible is that $30 is rather pricey for a middle-of-the-road book, that offers nothing new. Still, all in all a likable book.

Good reference book for the beginner and expert woodworker
Very good book, can be used as quick reference guide when trying to choose a wood to build any furniture, I found very useful the fact that it shows the wood appearance with and without finish so one figure out how the colour will change when a finish is applied.
For the ecological concious woodworker it tells you those species that are endangered. It describes the characteristics of each wood, hardness, grain, workability etc.

The only drawback I found was that I would have appreciated that in addition to the latin name and english one it should show the name of the wood in other languages