Customer Reviews

Understanding Wood REV/E

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(14)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This book takes you from qualitative to quantitative understanding by means of accurate, readable explanations and a minimum of fuss. For instance, after explaining why a house settles, Hoadley shows us clearly how to estimate how much it will settle and what a knowledgeable builder could do about it.

Or take this simple woodworking situation: you are building a towel rack from two side pieces of white pine drilled to accept a maple dowel. Exactly how much wider should the hole be than the dowel so that expansion and contraction due to moisture changes in the bathroom won't split the sides?

A little time spent with this book will give you the ability to answer questions like these, quickly, exactly, and with authority. No more guessing about the effects of moisture, temperature, finish, and loads on wood: just look up the data in the clear and handy tables and graphs Hoadley provides and do the simple calculations (it's multiplication and division, folks, with nothing harder than an occasional exponent).

Almost every chapter contains revelations for the newcomer to woodworking. Early on we learn not only that wood changes size with moisture, but by how much (according to species), in which directions, how this affects its shape, and what are the common and best techniques to compensate for or design for these changes when building anything with wood. Later we learn how to relate these moisture changes to humidity--there's a clear and handy chart, as well as an easily memorized rule of thumb--and how to build and calibrate a simple shop hygrometer. In another chapter Hoadley applies this information to a discussion culminating in valuable information on sanding and finishing wood.

The many applications to an understanding of all things wooden make this book stand out for the casual reader, while the detailed, systematic explanations of the whys and hows make it ongoingly useful for anyone who crafts quality things from wood. It is the ideal supplement to an entire library on the how-to's of woodworking, because with the information given here, you will be equipped to make intelligent choices of how to select, cut, assemble, and finish a project of any size and complexity.

The only nit I have to pick has to do with the presentation of mathematical formulas: it's miserable. For instance, in one place the expression "D/O" stands for a single quantity rather than a value "D" divided by a value "O". Potentially confusing, yes; but what compensates for it is the clear descriptions and examples in the text: these are so good, you can totally ignore the formulas and not miss a thing.

Overall, Hoadley's long, thoughtful experience with all aspects of wood, from the engineering through the creative, shine through consistently. That's why I give this one five stars and I'm buying more copies for friends.

This second edition is "completely revised and updated". This does not go for the text: of the text of the first edition better than 99% is present here, only minutely altered. A six-page new chapter (#16) on Engineered Wood has been added. The chapters on panels and boards are somewhat revised as is the chapter on Finding Wood. In the other chapters text has been swapped around, but has not been changed.

The "revision" is mostly in the layout and pictures. The line drawings are substantially unaltered, but of the photographs most were replaced by color photographs of a generally very good quality.

As a wood anatomist my attention was drawn to the chapter on identifying wood. Since this subject is covered in much more dept in "Identifying_Wood" (same author, same publisher) there were two ways to go, either 1) eliminate the overlap by replacing this with a presentation of woods by pictures of longitudinal grain (as in "The_Good_Wood_Handbook") which would have been user-friendly and would have had my preference or 2) upgrade this book to the level of its companion. The latter strategy has been chosen and the black&white end grain pictures of the 1st edition have been replaced by pictures found in "Identifying_Wood". These are reproduced here at a higher magnification, allowing more detail to be seen. The selection of woods has been altered, with more tropical woods included.

Summing up: although this is a lot more attractive book than the first edition it is only worth replacing that first edition if the book is to be used frequently (for example as a teaching aid). For those who think this is a fairly expensive book I can recommend "The_Good_Wood_Handbook" by Jackson & Day which although much more modest in every respect is good value-for-money, and is a more accessible book.

This book will prove to be my best in-depth resource for critical information about the materials with which I make my living. As a woodworking professional, I must fully understand my materials to avoid costly mistakes(and a bruised reputation). With Bruce Hoadley's manual, I can make practical decisions or calculations about wood movement, moisture levels, strength and machining characteristics. I can confirm what I already know or suspect of the species I am most familiar with, or start from scratch with a new species I have never worked with.

Not a "how-to" manual, it has allowed me to use less guesswork and to broaden my professional knowledge - which helps me win customers over 'the other guys'.

This is NOT an easy bed-time read. It is filled with tables, formulas, charts and photos to help get the points across - which Hoadley is able to do well enough in his text with real-world examples and comparisons. But I was a little discouraged (and I doubt it could be helped) by the way this book resembles those dreaded textbooks of my university days.

This book is relevant, realistic, and practical. If you are serious about understanding wood, this book should at the top of your list.

This book is a systematic review of all of the properties of wood that are of importance to woodworkers. It is filled with photographs and tables to illustrate key points; I learned more about woodworking from studying the figures alone than I have from reading several other woodworkers manuals. I was especially impressed by the skillfulness of the author; each point built to the conclusions needed for the next section. So, despite the concerns of the other reviewer that it has some resemblence to a text book, I found it to be a very user friendly tool.

This book discusses wood as a "material" of interest to woodworkers. Did you ever wonder how much a piece of wood will deflect when loaded? Do you know how to calculate how much a panel inside a frame will expand/contract? This book explains this and much more. I can now make simple calculations to help me design my projects. Chapters include: The Nature of Wood, Figure in Wood, Wood Identification, Water and Wood, Coping with Wood Movement, Strength of Wood, Other Properties, Machining Wood, Joining Wood, Finishing Wood, Modifying Wood, and The Woodworker's Raw Materials. I recommend it for all serious woodworkers, professional and amateur alike.

I can honestly say that this book is for everyone who works with wood, from the occasional home whittler or handyman to the professional creating engineered lumber.

It covers every aspect of the material, starting with the way a tree's growing environment affects the lumber product. Hoadley gives a variety of different points used in identifying the wood's species. He then discusses the effects of cutting green wood in different ways, drying it (how-to, how long, when it's done, etc), and machining it.

Hoadley doesn't discuss woodworking machines per se, but gives a lot of attention to the interaction of blade and material. He shows the details of how cutting tools affect the visible surface of the wood, and the problems that can come from poor edges, blade angles, pressure, and other factors. He also discusses joining pieces of wood, gluing them, and finishing them.

There is so much here that it's omissions are more noteworthy. It discusses glue joints, but says very little about specific adhesives. That's fair - there are so many, for so many purposes, that the topic deserves an encyclopedia of its own. Also, the adhesives and bonding techniques used commercially are very different from the ones available to home woodworkers or small shops. Any detailed discussion of adhesives would have missed someone's needs. Ditto finishes - the topic is mentioned only briefly. Hoadley's most surprising advice about finishes is the idea of skipping them altogether. He's passionate about the wood itself, and a "least is best" approach shows the material to its best advantage.

With it's profuse and beautiful illustrations, this could be a coffee table book. The information around the pictures is the book's real strength. I find something new in it each time I come back.

//wiredweird

This book is not about woodworking, it is about wood. It is not about the «HOW»s but about the «WHY»s. The author describes wood as a material: how its anatomy and life determine its structure, how the way it is harvested and prepared (dried, riped, planned, etc) will affect its properties, etc. You will learn nothing about the practice of woodworking. Rather, you will acquire background understanding that is essential to anyone who wants to think by himself when working with wood.

The tone of the book is a little bit serious. When reading you will have to pay attention. Included are tables, graphics, diagrams, etc. There are lots of lenghty and tightly packed texts, and the edition I read was illustrated by black and white pictures, wich made for a rather austere appearance.

The treatment of the subject is systematic, torough and intelligent. The acquired knowledge is pertinent and will make the reader a smarter woodworker, one who understand what he does and who appreciate wood as a wonderfull material, one to be thankfull for its beauty and usefulness.

I'm an electric guitar manufacturer, and recently wanted to learn more about wood. A world-class luthier whom I deeply respect suggested this book, so I bought and studied it.

It fits the bill. It does what you'd want it to do, because it describes clearly how wood grows in tree, how the imperfections develop, and how dimensional changes naturally follow. The writer gives plenty of information about cutting and the marks blades can leave on the wood's surface, as well as how the grains and cutting methods can affect the finishing of the wood. There is also a clear explanation of 'engineered woods' which I found quite helpful.

After reading/studying this book, I have a better grasp of how to select woods, how to focus on the differing properties of different kinds of hardwood and softwood, how to better cut and finish the guitars I make, and quite a bit more.

My luthier friend said that this was *the book*. I think he was correct. Perhaps you might find it so as well.

This book may appear overwhelming to the person who is new to woodworking, and just wants to make a simple project. As you grow deeper in your skills, this book is a must read. It is fascinating for all levels. Hoadley starts off with looking at wood on a cellular level. The different types of wood, have different cell characteristics. If you look at it scientifically, reducing a substance to its cellular level gives you a cross comparative basis, in which to make relational references. Seeming too technically specific for the person, more interested in router techniques, than a science class. But that is just the beginning. He soon goes into the figure in wood, wood identification, water in wood, coping with wood movement, strength of wood, and other properties. He also covers machining wood, joining wood, and finishing wood. Finishing up with modifying wood, the woodworkers raw materials, and Forests past and future.
I would advise someone who is interested in woodworking, to use this book in addition to the others they may have pertaining to woodworking technique. When you get into the building of projects, and see wood "behavior" then this book will all the more make sense. The relationship of how it was sawn and cured, and in what section of the tree it came from, and be relational to why the wood did what it did. It is the easiest to learn that way.
I found it to be a fascinating read. It is like fine art. At first you say, wow that is great. Then as you see it more and more, you come to appreciate the layers of laws that apply to the medium, and gain all the more from it over time.
For example you may marvel at being able to make a perfect fitting mortise and tenon joint, but do you know what the best possible orientation of growth rings in that form of joinery. One way it is apt to split, another way, it will last 100 years. It may not be as much fun as whether Bosch or Makita makes the best router, but inevitably it will result in a long lasting product. It is a fascinating read. Something that should be put on the shelf as a reference source. Read it ahead of time, and read it afterwards to explain, why this thing did that.
Is this the science of wood? Sure it is, but it is done in such a way that, if you don't mind digging through learning the terminology, so you can understand the higher laws of wood joinery and the like, resulting in knowing what may have taken an old master a lifetime to learn. Parts of it are an easy read. Everyone will glean valuable experience from it. It is not so simple that you can have a beginner explain every sentence, but the learning curve is rewarding.
I find Hoadley to be a technician, as opposed to a salesman. Technicians are interested in purely the scientific understanding of the fundamentals, and the relationship of behaviors to bring about the desired result. A salesman is interested in the excitement and appeal of the project, but not the depth from which Hoadley covers the subject. I must admit, that at times it is a dry read. It can best be described by taking a small amount of text from the book. Here is two sections on mortise and tenon joinery. He starts out with this: "Fastening of end grain to side grain joints can be accomplished with a high level of success using mortise and tenon joinery" Later in the same subject he states, "The improvement in mechanical advantage obtained by increasing height is offset by increased dimensional conflict between longitudinal and transverse grain orientation." There you have it. If we knew the terminology that he uses, we could better understand the meaning of the second sentence. What it means is that if you increase the height of the joint, you create a wider surface area, and that creates a stronger joint, but that is offset by the additional expansion and contraction movement in a wider piece of wood. Since the boards in a mortise and tenon joint are typically joined together with grains running against one another, this is a major consideration. We knew that! :-) I had to read that sentence and ponder it before I knew what he meant. At times it reminds me of learing the computer. At times it is frustration, but with understanding, which is a breakthrough, come elation. This book will take you to higher laws and levels.
I guess I am getting wordy. I am excited about this book. As Woodenboat states it on the back cover, "Clearly the best book available on the subject."
I highly recommend you to buy this book. It is an easy read, and it is a complex read, all wrapped up in one book. Each time you reference it, you will derive more and more information from it. It is like fine art. A lifetime of knowledge isn't gained in a single sitting. No matter how many years you spend in woodworking, this book will be right there with you, ever unfolding the true relationship of the product we have come to love; Wood!

I have been a woodworker for 25 years, through trial and error, and alot of mistakes, I have learned much. After reading this book, "Understanding Wood" I understand even more now, why furniture reacts the way it does. Any one interested in becoming better at woodworking should read this book. It is quite technical at first, but then different things start to make sense. Why did that panel split, why did I have a gap a year later. I urge you to read this book, at what ever level you are. Thank you, Mr.Hoadley.