Hawksbury Timber Practical Timber Knowledge
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A Hawksbury Timber publication

Reading the Grain

A practical education in timber, from the living tree to finished work.

Read it in order as a complete field manual, or open the track that matches the job in front of you.

Tracks
7
Episodes
70
Published
Twice weekly
Begin with episode one Explore the track index ↓
Current episode 04 Tangential vs Radial Movement Track 02 · 6 min read Read the episode

The complete series

Track index

Seven connected tracks. Each one stands alone; together they form a working reference for understanding, choosing and using timber.

Track 01

Reading Timber

Ten episodes on reading a board: what wood actually is, how trees grow, and how to judge timber with your eyes before you pay for it.

10 of 10 published 10/10

  1. 01 What Wood Actually Is Read →
  2. 02 How Trees Grow and How That Becomes Wood Read →
  3. 03 Hardwood vs Softwood Read →
  4. 04 The Structure of Wood Cells Read →
  5. 05 Growth Rings Explained Read →
  6. 06 Heartwood vs Sapwood Read →
  7. 07 Earlywood vs Latewood Read →
  8. 08 Grain Direction and Why It Matters Read →
  9. 09 Reading the End Grain of Wood Read →
  10. 10 How Logs Become Boards Read →
Open the track