With The Grain: A Craftsman’s Guide to Understanding Wood

By Christian Becksvoort

Master woodworker, Christian Becksvoort, draws from his 50 years of experience working with North American species to offer this practical examination of wood from a furniture-maker’s perspective.

“With the Grain” will teach you how to: understand the trees around you; precisely predict the movement of your stock with seasonal changes; and build your projects so they allow the wood to move without splitting or destroying your joinery. In addition, Becksvoort includes two chapters on basic woodlot management, harvest, sawing, and drying. This knowledge of how our raw material grows – and then reacts to its environment after being cut and dried – will help you tame the wood into stable, long-lasting furniture.

“This is the book about wood that we wished we’d had when we started woodworking.” – Christopher Schwarz

A Craftsman’s Guide to Understanding Wood is a companion DVD to this book.

Lost Art Press, 2013. Smythe sewn and hardbound with green cotton cover, 136 pages. Printed and bound in the USA.