Topics

Welcome to the Zehr Wood Artistry Topics series.

These articles explore the lessons, ideas, memories, and questions that naturally arise through a lifetime of woodworking. Some topics focus on practical techniques, while others reflect on the history, traditions, and personal experiences that make woodworking such a rewarding craft.

Whether you are just beginning your woodworking journey or have spent years in the shop, we hope these conversations encourage you to learn something new, appreciate the beauty of wood, and perhaps see a familiar project from a different perspective.

After all, every board has a story, every project teaches a lesson, and every woodworker continues to learn.

001 Why I Build Things
002 What Wood Teaches Us
003 Moisture Content and Wood Movement
004 The Incredible Scalability of Woodworking
005 Learning to See Wood Grain
006 Woodworking Is Problem Solving
007 Every Project Leaves You a Better Woodworker
008 Duke at the Top of Tug Hill
009 How Deep Is the Hardpan
010 The Tree That Was Not Ready Yet
011 Beauty from Imperfection: The Magic of Spalted Wood
012 Hidden Colors: The Story of Mineral-Stained Wood
013 Understanding Wood Rot: Water Starts It, Dry Wood Stops It
014 The Temporary Staircase That Became Permanent
015 Let the Board Decide
016 Light Is the First Thing You See When Entering a Room
017 Oil Finishes: Letting Wood Be Wood
018 Project Planning Beyond the Plans
019 The Beauty of Mixing Wood Species
020 What Victorian Builders Knew About Wood
021 Why Lower Grade Lumber May Be Your Favorite
022 Should You Build It Instead?
023 Understanding Pine: Not All Pine Is the Same
024 Understanding White Pine: The Wood That Learns to Live With a Building
025 Understanding Red Pine: Strength Hidden in Plain Sight
026 Understanding Yellow Pine: Seeing Lumber Where Others See Scrap
027 The Best Design Ideas Often Begin as Mistakes
028 The Beauty of Asymmetry: When a Mistake Fits the Hand Better
029 A Love for Abstract Wood Art
030 A Shed Worth Saving: How Small Projects Teach Big Lessons
031 Inlay vs. Onlay: Two Ways to Add Beauty to Wood
032 Functional Art: When an Old Tabletop Finds a New Purpose
033 Wood Meets Stone: Creating Art from Natural Materials
034 Wood & Glass: Where Warmth Meets Light
035 Wood & Metal: Strength, Warmth, and the Beauty of Contrast
036 Wood & Water: Time, Weather, and Artistic Touch of Mother Nature
037 Wood & Fire: The Art of Transformation
038 Wood & Light: Revealing Nature's Hidden Beauty
039 The Gothic Carved Sideboard: Helping Another Woodworker's Work Stand the Test of Time
040 Basswood: The Eastern Hardwood Made for Carving
041 Aspen: The Soft Hardwood That Helps Rebuild a Forest
042 Yellow-Poplar: The "Poplar" That Is Really a Magnolia
043 Cucumbertree: The Northern Magnolia With Surprisingly Colorful Wood
044 Willow: A Soft Hardwood Built to Bend
045 Cottonwood: The Fast-Growing Hardwood of Rivers and Floodplains
046 Douglas-Fir - The Fir That Is not Really a Fir
047 Wood Siding Boot Camp: Types, Woods & How They Were Made
048 Balsam Fir - A True Fir of the Northeast
049 Eastern Hemlock - The Giant of the Cool Forest
050 Building With Wood: Choosing the Right Species for the Job
051 The Future of Wood: New Markets, Healthy Forests, and an Old Natural Resource
052 Forests, Wood and Carbon: A Living Carbon System