What Kind of Wood Should You Build With? | WOODWORKING BASICS
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Confused by all the wood choices for woodworking? Here is all the basic info you need to get started buying lumber.
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the microjig ad seriously never gets old haha
It catches me off guard every single time 😂
@@danielkerlin7357 this is my first time seeing it and I was like "Wait.. what?"
Lol it gets old. Love the channel but the micro jig isn't a highlight lol
@@CraigularjJoeWoodworks - Wrong.
@@jsl6155 nope
I build arcades from 3/4" MDF. The easiest way to protect the cut edges is to mix 5:1 water/wood glue, paint all the cut surfaces with a foam brush, then when it dries, use 220 grit to take the pebbling off. Now the cut edges are "armored". Dust is an issue. Cut it in the driveway and blow it into the neighbor's yard when you're done.
Ajey try a polyurethane varnish, and mix the first two coats with some thinners, and cover all over. Don't forget to remove all dust first, or you'll have a rough texture surface. The thinners allows the varnish to soak into the MDF. The top coat then wants to be neat varnish, which makes it lightly water proof, so if you spill your coffee on it, you can mop it up. Wouldn't advise leaving it out in all weathers though - I don't trust varnish to be that good.
5:1 water to Wood glue? I'm going to have to google wood glue
See I don’t trust mdf for anything structural-it’s only real purpose should be to be the top sheet on plywood and allow for easy painting
10/10.. because fuck those neighbors.
I wasn't expecting the neighbours part and I actually laughed out loud. I didn't think that could happen
I live in Australia, so a trip to one our local Bunnings give us the following options:
- Pine
- Pine
- Pine
- Treated Pine
- Framing Pine
- Fencing Pine
(All low quality)
It sucks, so much.
Well....at least you got a choice of pine😆.
Please, PLEASE tell me where.
Bris, QLD, any ideas? I'm new to woodworking.
and merabu raped out of indo and png
karl craig
So many consumers think they're getting something exotic just because of that name.
true indeed , for timber in brisbane i would start with garde timber I'm in cairns but have heard good reports from some of my "southern friends "hope winter is treating you well
Did my whole kitchen in pine with a natural stain and lacquer coating. Picked every piece of wood for nice grain and knots. It looks awesome. 1st time I've ever done cabinets and I'm glad I did it myself. Everywhere I went wanted $15K+, only the doors were going to be solid wood, and they would only do pre-designed stuff. I did all of the cabinets in pine exactly the way I wanted it with soft close slides/hinges, a pull out pantry and a pull out garbage/recycling all for under $2K.
systematic101 That is great!
2k in materials maybe? How much labor?
systematic101 Encouraging, on similar path. . THANK YOU
Very cool. I would rather have something that’s 75%+ perfect that I built than something I paid for that’s supposed to be 100% perfect and likely is not, just hidden well
@@brokenwave6125 Usually when working on a project for yourself, you don't count labour, as it's something you want to do for yourself and it's done in spare time. The money doesn't actually leave the pocket.
Man, you've got one heck of a home depot up there. I even saw some purple heart in those racks! My local HD's have pine, oak, pine, more pine, and a little bit of pine.
Same here.
The Purple heart he displayed was not at Home Depot
@@michaelr2526 yeah, you can tell from the price tags
@@runicevan5624 Home Depot is also expensive.
@@michaelfrance7212 I'm talking about the font of the text.
Probably the best & most simple explanation I've heard on the topic of wood, thanks Steve and this is by far my favourite channel to watch
Why the fuck are you supporting deforestation shame on you
yash devnani 😢😢😢😢😢😢😢 sad sack, perhaps preserve your dignity as your comment is offensive & knowledge lacking in substance
Same
@thunderjaw foodie: lol your funny
I have been a carpenter for 10 years and still learned alot in this video!
I am echoing the majority of the comments...even in 2019 Steve you are the best in this arena...by far. Bravo and much appreciate you and your channel.
Ok, have to say....one of my favorite parts of your vids is the micro jig bit in the beginning.
This one was awesome.
Hey Steve, after watching -I think- all your videos (and never commenting!), this is the one that in my opinion captures the "mere mortals" moto the best. This one has an incredible amount of information laid out in a very entertaining and easy to grasp way. Congrats for educating in such an inspiring way!
GR8 info as always Steve, and you’re clearly the reigning champion in setting up your first ad; your cutaways are the best in content & timing, and it makes the ads more tolerable.
This is one of the BEST informative videos out there! It's one I'd love to have watched early on in my woodworking.
What a fantastic and helpful video. I've been feeling lost for weeks, buying tools and preparing for projects, but I had no idea where to start with lumber, because none of the project resources ever cover that element. Thank you!
One of my first projects i’d like to tackle is making closet shelves. I was pretty intimidated by the idea of going out and getting wood. This was exactly the info I needed to build my confidence . Thanks!
I've just started working in a store that has a wide selection of woods, and this video has genuinely helped me alot... thankyou dude
I love this video!!! I love listening to the way you explain things. It answers so many questions I have. All the hints and tips from a real woodworking craftsman like yourself are immensely helpful to me! I never really had anyone to teach me about woodworking, tools, and how to organize a shop, so watching videos like this one or the one about table saws or the one about glue...I love it! Just simply love your channel! THANK YOU A HUNDRED MILLION QUINTILLION TIMES FOR EVERYTHING YOU DO!!!
This channel is helping me so much. Thanks Steve. Your videos are simply awesome.
~ 4:00 "don't be in a rush" Probably one of the most applicable woodworking tips ever across everything.
It gels nicely with think thrice, measure twice, cut once, first heard that from an English boat-builder. It can save a lot of disappointment in wasted time, effort, and money.
People like you make life more enjoyable...I'm a beginning woodworker and love to see people like you make it more comfortable to try it out...and explain it very well..GREAT JOB!
Thank you for taking the time to put this together.
I just want to thank you steve, I just made my first real woodworking project : a coffee table made out of pallet wood. I just needed some clamps, wood glue, hammer, nails, a 20$ jigsaw and a 10$ random orbital sander. Just seeing all your videos gave me enough tips to not screw that project up. And as the woodworker says : measure twice, cut once !
+Dogeek That's awesome!
Another great one. I like these ones that explain some of the basic concepts. Even if I think I know it all, you generally add interesting and useful information and I discover that I really didn't know it all after all. Cheers and keep it up.
I watched this 1 year ago when i started woodworking. None of it made sense
I recisited it today and it seemed like i already knew everything he spoke about.
Which means iv learned so much this year and it all started with Steve Ramsey.
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Thank you for giving me inspiration to be somebody.
Steve, that was the best overview of woods for woodworkers I have seen!
Good job Steve !!
Your videos are packed with precise information and always learn and enjoy a lot by watching. Thank you for the hard work you put in to these videos ❤️
Best woodworking channel on TH-cam and there are a lot of good ones. Thanks Steve I'm just starting to try to get into woodworking and I have learned so much from you.
I'm a yard associate at 84 lumber and learning this is really cool and more informative than anything I've come across on youtube!
Awesome video Steve, love the basics videos, thanks for making them :)
Great explanation Steve. I passed this over to a young beginner to have a quick fundamental look see. She loved it.
Why the fuck are you supporting deforestation shame on you
Thank you for the clear and well-articulated video. I am a relatively beginning woodworker and appreciate the information. Well done and keep it up!
You are such a great teacher. You just seem so earnest in wanting me to learn and try. Thank you.
Thank you so much for this invaluable information!!
Steve, I've been watching you series over the last few days and you have this amazing skill of knowing so much but be so careful on how you explain things to beginners like myself... Thanks so much. All your videos are so helpful and they are also fun to watch, great job on helping others to pursue the shared passion that is woodworking!
Awesome. Great information on different woods to work.
Most woodworking channels never take time to talk about the WOOD. Thanks for doing so.
A woodworker and star trek fan, were has this channel been all my life
Hi Steve and thanks for the great videos.
At 2:50 you said that if you buy a 2x4 its most likely pine such as Douglas Fir.
I think that was a slip of the tongue as Pine and Douglas Fir are two totally
different woods. PIne is as you described but Douglas Fir, when it dries is
REALLY hard and a pain to work with. When still green it is equally hard to work
with and when cut on a table saw leaves a gummy film on the saw blade.
I live on Vancouver Island in 'FIR' country and although I like it for it's strength
for building construction I equally hate it for it's weight and difficulty working with.
Up here in BC our Pine forests have been decimated by Pine Beatles but the wood
has incredible colours to it.
Thanks again and I hope you find my comments useful. Rod
Steve, You have a crazy level of knowledge. I have watch each sentence multiple times to not to miss anything.
Great video, straightforward and easy to follow.
Pretty cool info! I watch how easily you find hardwood boards in your home depot and it's awesome! Unfortunately in Greece you can only find oak (if you are lucky) in a store like that! Lumber yards here are really expensive and you can only buy large roughly cut pieces straight from trees. That makes solid wood available mostly to professionals who buy large quantities! Thanks for sharing!
That sounds like a opportunity to start your own business selling lumber. I am not kidding.
@@mtadams2009 might be a reason that the market is that way. Maybe they dont do a lot of woodwork in greece?
@@mtadams2009 Quite probably the market is simply too small.
@@ian1352 until a mf creates a demand lol
Ciao, Steve!! Thanks for sharing this video. Here in Italy, specially in my region, buying wood is very expensive, so much of the wood for my works is found in the Woods... Cheers. Mauro.
that is a lot of good information. it is always nice when someone takes the time to explain things like this. Blessings to you and your family
I just subscribed because Steve Ramsey provides great basic knowledge for beginning wood workers. He explains everything in great detail and with plenty of examples. What a great channel to learn about how to work with wood! I'm so appreciative of all this great information.
Looking at cherry wrong will cause it to burn.
Talking about cherry burning will make it burn. Don't even get me started on purpleheart.
+grandolddrummer I have turned plenty of purpleheart into blackheart
jeremy gunkel f
duly noted. Learned about this while making a marking gauge earlier...
i cut my hard wood with closed eyes
HAHAHA! I love how these microjig ads are slapped in our faces. They're so hard to predict! 😂
Such a thorough, yet simple explanation! Thanks so much!!
Good info Steve! Like all your videos! Thanks
I’ll add that dumpster diving is also a great place to get free wood. New home or rehab construction is great.
As funny as this sounds it’s very true. I have a rustic headboard I made from wood my dad found thrown behind a dumpster on his way to work. It had lots of knots which was probably why it was thrown out but worked great for my rustic headboard
Definitely a pro tip! They're usually glad to get rid of it as it's classed as industrial waste (in the UK at least) so they have to pay for disposal. Pallets from pub and restaurant chains are my main source right now.
Thanks!
Damnit jim I'm a doctor not a microjig I was dead
😆
Really well done video Steve.
Excellent information, Steve! You've clarified some questions I had.
i have a couple ideas i've been kicking around for small projects.....I also love the look and feel of bamboo, and it occured to me, that at various discount stores, i've noticed a lot more bamboo cutting and serving boards, at prices cheaper than other sources....depending on the size of your project, a couple of those could easily have enough material to do the job....
Where are you from? I never saw bamboo around here in Home Depot nor Lowe's...
Nice video, wish i could find anything other that softwood and OSB sheets
I,m amazed at finding a video whose author actually conveys information in a simple , thorough , and audibly clear manner.! I am in the latter years of woodworking and other skills but I subscribed to your channel...certain I can learn from future posts. Thanks.
This serie of WOODWORKING BASICS videos is GREAT!
So I should not make my spaceship out of plywood as it will not warp!(hehe)
there are airplanes that were made out of plywood.
Some of the earlier helicopter blades were also made out of laminated ply 😉
You both missed the joke. I laughed, Joel.
This is one of the best nerd jokes I’ve ever heard bravo sir
Edit although I read it instead of hearing it the sentiment still applies
just add water and moisture, it will warp, the layers will come apart and it will become weird. Solid wood especially if you know what to pick will handle moisture and water better then most of plywoods :D :D
MicroJig, maker of the gripper
work safer, work smarter!
I've already shared this with a friend who is overwhelmed with woodworking. Thanks!
Really great video, clear and with good information
This is the main thing that I struggle with :/ I have found tons of info about all the tools you need, and I have spent thousands of $ upgrading my shop with new tools like my table saw, router, planer, etc. I have watched all the videos on sketchup, and I can design tons of projects and complex builds. The only thing I continue to struggle with is this very topic...What wood should I use? Where do I buy it? Why is wood "A" better than wood "B"? Which wood is best for project "A" and which wood is worst for project "A"? How to purchase different types of wood, for example; Is it better to purchase two 6" wide pieces of Maple and joint them together or can I find a 12" wide piece cheaper? Which projects would you feel okay in using "HD common Pine"? Which pines are best for staining? For me, the hardest part of getting into "woodworking" has not been the "working" part, it has been the "wood" part. Love your videos and hopefully all of my questions only help you in producing more material :) Thanks for all that you do!
tell me about it every job is different and a challenge, you never stop learning as a carpenter, i think we are certainly underpaid in comparison to plumbers and electricians.
The wider the span, the higher chance of warpage in 1 1/2" or thinner boards. Keeping it less than 3" wide helps prevent warpage in thinner boards.
Hahaha the Star Trek intro was great
LLAP!
:)
I love you microjig spots... Here's one you can steal..." I have been and always shall be your "
The "outro" was good too. Nice sculpture for 12yo! LLAP
Great info, keen to check out your other videos 👍🏽
That opening earned you a new sub! Got me in tears!
"Hardwoods are rarely stained"
Electric guitar makers: Or so you think
I really like the translucent white
They’ll just fucking paint them aswell
@@joestevenson5568 That's also a thing yes, but I prefer transparent finishes if the wood is nice. Of course stuff like alder doesn't really have the most striking grain which is why those are painted but painted mahogany annoys me. Just give it a transparent finish, mahogany looks great as is.
Oak stains beautifully. I am not a purist... my naural hair is gorgeous but I'll dye it sometimes to switch things up. I just stained some red oak with "Red Oak" stain! Made it match an older oak cabinet.
@@leifharmsen Hey i like stained hardwoods, sometimes they add a lot to the look of the furniture, but generally woody colours look good on hardwood furniture, whereas guitars can have nebula bursts and all these crazy stains which look absolutely awesome
With all the kinds of wood available for woodworking, choosing something for a project can be daunting, especially for new woodworkers. I hope this video simplifies a lot of it, at least enough to give you the confidence to make informed decisions at the lumberyard or home center. Let me know if you have any helpful wood buying tips! Full article and more on the WWMM web site: bit.ly/WoodBasics
Steve I 💜 your channel! 😆 I have learned so much about wood because of you. Thank you very much!😎
Thanks Steve! This is exactly what I was wanting to know as a person who is just getting started with woodworking.
Actually Steve, hardwood softwood is because of it's seed, not leaf. But I got to say, you got closer than anyone I've seen on TH-cam.
Ok.
good work sunshine, do you need a medal or something? Maybe Steve can give you a shout out on his next vid..
Just started work at a building supplies warehouse, and theyre helping me with my truck and forklift license.
Im going to be making this my main focus.
Thank you for the video. Helps me understand more
so I'm about to try out applying for the finish mill at ganahl lumber and your videos give me courage to really get even more involved in having my own home workshop thank you
in australia ;
pine
pine boards
more pine
bit more pine
treated pine
termite treated pine
treated pine
more treated pine
oh and did i mention pine?
I wish you will find something other than pine. Here in Ukraine the pine is also widely presented and I've started to work with it and was a bit disappointed. But then I've found alder and beech, which is extremely pleasant to work with. Alder is a main material in bathhouse interior (I hope I've translated it correctly, here is the photo - domodel.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/banya.jpg), try to search for the boards that uses as seats in bathhouses. That's where I've found it. Good luck!
Blue Nebula surely they sell pine in australia i think
And you should buy wood imported from Indonesia, lot of cheap hardwood with beautiful grain pattern and mostly illegally logged.
Blue Nebula what wood do you use...
Bunnings does sell a lot of pine, they also sell other timbers like;
Meranti, often used in place of maple.
Hardwoods like Tasmanian Oak
Laminated Beech panels
Finger jointed Acacia panels.
Karri laminated panels
Western Red Cedar.
and others.
I don't like using MDF because its really heavy and it breaks down when it gets wet. But I still have to use it as I have a few MDF sheets in different sizes from an old bed frame.
Is there any way to protect the MDF from water?
Oil based solvent/paint? Could be more flammable? Heard they used amber and wax as flame detterent
Great video! Thank you for making this!!!
Very informative Steve. Thanks for the video.
Man I wish my Home Depot sold maple and walnut. All we get is oak and poplar. :(
I'm in FL btw.
Same here in VA
In the Phoenix area, ,HD sells both ply and solid in maple. I believe Lowes does as well.
menards sells walnut up north in nd and mn.
GARBAGE PICK THE WOOD! I see people throw away antique furniture made of cherry and walnut all the time. Just break it down and get what you need!
"Damn it Jim, I'm a doctor not a... Microjig" - lol Nice.
Awesome video! Lots of information I was looking for, thanks
The slight jingle in the background of this video sounds EXACTLY like my ringtone, it drove me nuts trying to figure out where it came from! Great video as always.
I laughed at "It's most likely pine, such as Douglas fir." Which of course is not pine at all, but is, rather, um, Douglas fir.
Happy to have made you laugh.
And at twice the price!
And for good reason - unlike pine, it is fairly resistant to warping and quite strong for it's weight.
Douglas fir is in the pine family dude
Still a pine tree lol
I'm planning on building a new desk for my PC and I was looking at Baltic Birch but its very expensive. Since the desktop is going to be one sheet of plywood I'm worried about getting something that's going to last a very long time.
Just go for it, considering the price you would pay for a crappy particle board desk at ikea, it's 100% worth it, and will last forever.
If you are in the U.S., check with Home Depot. Sometimes (once in a while!) they get in a load of baltic birch and sell it for an absurdly inexpensive $30 a sheet!
I've seen $50, $30 is a great price
Steve Ramsey
Ooh I will definitely do that, thanks a bunch Steve, because Menards was going to charge me $100 to ship one from the warehouse.
Take a look at the tags on the wood, and realize there is a difference between Baltic Birch and Birch plywoods. BB has more layers and is more expensive, but structurally it's really strong. If you pick through either, you can find some nice surfaces, but do pick. Both are pretty soft surfaces and will dent. I always distress furniture that uses a soft surface, so adding another ding isn't all that ugly. But that's me (ok, it's my wife, she makes all the aesthetic decisions!).
Thank you so much for starting with the basics
This was so helpful! Great structure and explanation!
Hmmm... What about that chess piece set :D
Shhh...
+Steve Ramsey not gonna tell anybody . ..like a grave ;)
It's only a model.
+
mdf has metal traces in bad for tools
Thank you so much for such an informative video. I’m just starting my woodworking hobby and you and your channel are by far the most informative and useful for my needs. Thank you!
Perfect video, no two minute intro, good shot selection and very informative
Fir is not the same as pine! They are completely different genera! Next you'll say pine is the same as cedar, or eastern red cedar is the same as western red cedar. They smell completely different. (/hyperbole)
Doug fir is commonly sold for framing. You can make a lot of other things with it, and it's cheap. Problem is that much of the fir isn't completely dry, but is expected to bend into place in the framing, and then dry/harden. In terms of finish/surface, fir has a very distinctive grain that doesn't come out very well with sanding, so I generally limit it to kid's rough toys. At HD, you'll find pine as "common board" and "select" (big diff is the number of knots). The pine has a much smoother surface for finishing.
He mentioned douglas fir which is neither a fir nor a pine.
Could be. HD tags it as such, and I'm just reporting on the uses of their product, as they name it. The wood industry is rife with misnomers.
what is it considered?
Douglas firs are in the genus pseudotsuga which means "false hemlock." True firs belong to the genus abies. Both belong to the pine family, so there is a sense that it is not wrong to call a douglas fir a pine, but pine also refers to a specific genus of which neither firs nor douglas firs are members of.
Could not pay me to use a microjig
This was so helpful! Thank you.
This was really great Steve !
MDF is the worst. It's heavy, brittle, and looks ugly. I don't see any redeeming qualities.
TheStig ZeroZeroZero Only God knows how much I hate MDF!!!! I mean, it's ok if you use it for spacers, gigs, molds, etc.... But don't ever build a MDF cabinet and say that's woodworking!!!!!!!
I also forgot to mention it's crumbly. And when you saw it, shards fly off into your eyes unless you're wearing eye protection.
no grain... same strength in all directions, pretty cheap, easy to sand, can be waterproof (costs a bit more)...
ALL positive factors are also valid for plywood.... so everything ive said is null and void.
MDF is easier to machine, so if you have a cnc router you will probably want some mdf
Most important : you can lacquer it and its edges - something you can't do with chipboard
It has no structure that could become visible through the finish so it's great if you want an all white furniture front - very modern imo
I stumbled across this video and couldn't be happier. So so informative. Thank you
As a manager at the lumber yard feel free to pick through the boards. With that said it is not realistic to expect and employee to do this for you. If you want an order pulled and ready when you get there you will get a mix of warped and good boards typical of the variety on the shelf. Also, if you choose to sort through my boards please put them back on their shelf or stack them back in the bunk. Try to come in the morning if you want to avoid the inevitable stack of warped boards on the top and in front. Most lumber yards I have been in cull in the morning or evening before or after close of business.
Your intros always give me a chuckle. They don't seem to get old!
Very Helpful Video.
Thank you!
This was very helpful! Thanks for the great descriptions and options and how to use it! Good stuff!!
Been looking for a long time for a simple guide like this. This is great!!
What kind of wood to use is a very hard decision sometimes. Thank you for these precious tips. Thanks to MicroJig and Audible for sponsoring the show.
Appreciate the quick guide.
Excellent video on the difference in wood. Thank you.
Thanks! I am an absolut beginner and am about to start my first small projects. Your channel helps a lot
this video was super helpful! thanks!