Woodworking: Break-Down and Prep the Wood Like a Pro

Building woodworking projects requires understanding of how to break-down and prepare the wood, another form of "good woodworking practices"; Most wood we purchase at lumbers stores, even wood that is is kiln dried, is often only partially dried, a moisture meter will confirm this quickly; cleaning the wood before jointing and planing is crucial to keep blades sharp and not pitted and for discovering embedded metal in wood like the lead I discovered deep inside this board; Warped, twisted and bent wood needs special attention in order to get the most from your purchases and to work safely on your table saw, bandsaw and other woodworking tools, all of which makes wood preparation an important first step to making woodworking fun.

[robbynobby]

When I cut that mitre in the wrong direction on my last piece of walnut, I definitely knew what it was like to break down like a pro

[ilivelivemusic]

Kudos for you for not going the clickbait route in your title. I can imagine a lot of other YTers with a caption along the lines of “Amazing Surprise When I Cut Open this Wood”

[Bobbyg]

Colin, the forensic arborist! Outstanding video. I have a stack of pecan drying in my shed and I know where it came from since I helped harvest it. I know there's no nails in it, never thought about a bullet.

[skipanardoross]

The only thing I'm a pro at is crastination but it gives me a sense of validation when I see a pro doing things that I have developed a habit of doing, e.g. removing the warped section rather than trying to plane, and cleaning the minute particles that more than likely contain rock.

[MCsCreations]

Thanks a bunch for all the tips, Colin! 😊
Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[alanmullock]

Always giving us top tips Colin, thanks👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍👍🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

[garymiller]

Thanks 👍 Collin. I always enjoy your videos. 😊😊

[j.hueston]

Looked bigger than a 22. Also, faulty way to age when the bullet got into the wood. The tree could have been shot later and the bullet would penetrate to that tree ring. Really like your videos.

[ifiwooddesigns]

Great informative content. Thanks for sharing. I’d be interested in an air monitor review for woodworking from inexpensive to best quality.

[renebouchard]

Wath kind jointer you have, and merci pour votre post

[ruurdkemeling]

Wouldn't it be better to check for metal before sawing. Not only could an iron object damage your sawblade, but if the object is somewhere in the middle and you have to remove it after sawing, you might ruin your workpiece.

[weldabar]

You left us hanging Colin with an incomplete story. I want to know how much you paid for the board – if you got a good deal at least.
Otherwise good tips and interesting forensics. I'm wondering if you could just leave the bullet in. I wouldn't think it would harm your tools and it adds an interesting story to the piece you make.

[leyderness]

I bet it was an old .32 or .38 caliber since it goes back that many years.

[alext]

I hate to say this but if, and it sure looks like it, it's lead, you could have left it in. Wouldn't hurt the blade and the removal caused some serious damage.

[jamescrawford]

Colin has some bada$$ wood! ... Umm, what?

[corwind]

Well, that piece of wood is shot. Heh.