Choose the best wood for your project

[@landoncollins1069]

The first half of the kzbin.infoUgkx3ICSK6nSknaL_45CU2NmFSoXjarGMDiJ book is everything about wood: types, tools, finishes, setting up shop etc. The second half is all about doing projects for inside and outside of the home. The color pictures are helpful. After reading a dozen of these types of books, this is probably the best overall (layout, color photos, plans). Only detraction is that many of the projects use a table saw/router/planer, which are usually expensive and take up space, so the plans are less friendly to newcomers and the budget conscious. But I know I can use a drill, circular saw or a jigsaw to make the projects.

[@jebowlin3879]

I love how the "Boxes" was a coffin @ 2:36

[@charadremur333]

At least It's not stone.

[@luisasaenz5017]

Bahahaha made me chuckle

[@adamstewart5013]

I legit rewind to make sure I didn’t hallucinate that XD

[@B_COOPER]

To be fair, a coffin is a box.

[@donaldasayers]

The best wood for my project is the stuff I actually have.

[@jdenslinger]

:D

[@vidia7400]

That is accurate, a board in the hand is worth a lumber yard a hundred miles down the street

[@avrumisolaimani8546]

was that a direct quote from a rex krueger video

[@donaldasayers]

@@avrumisolaimani8546 Probably.

[@TimothyRitzer]

Or, potentially, the wood I can afford

[@zafarsyed6437]

Years later, this video is absolutely still useful. And educational, especially to young/ new woodworkers.

[@Dirtbag_Leader]

Must be a eye of the beholder type thing, because I just LOVE how poplar looks; especially pieces that have a lot of different colors. Having one board that goes from white to yellow to green to purple to dark brown I think looks spectacular as a shelf, dresser top, etc!

[@bryceanderson4864]

Same!

[@brentmoseley3176]

Yep, agreed, I made a beautiful game table out of poplar and several other kinds of wood (walnut, ipe, curly maple, granadillo) and then applied an oil based poly. I specifically chose pieces of poplar that had no greenish tint, and an interesting grain pattern. The oil based poly gave it a warm, golden hue that I love!

[@MegaSchew]

i love popular as well...

[@jjay8439]

I love when poplar gets those purple,green,or dark streaks in it

[@thesinfultictac5704]

My wife loves how it starts off purple. Its beautiful in that way

[@Evan394]

“Taste is a new thing I’m trying in my projects.” comedy gold, man.

[@staarfajter922]

I use softwood for almost everything i build. Its great and also becuase im poor.

[@aloisth.5031]

yea, ho doesnt

[@baconsneeze]

same! the only reason i would use hardwood is if I am going to use it to beat soft wood :D

[@bcc5701]

Yea looks like I found my advice

[@maxximumb]

Local woods for me, pine, plywood... erm.. MDF?

[@RexKrueger]

No shame in pine. A fine wood.

[@mikecurtin9831]

I used to hate MDF, but there are applications where it's the material of choice. (Particularly speaker cabinets because it's acoustically dead, which is what you want.) Then I also realized that it's making good use of sawdust.

[@fotopdo]

Mike Curtin you might be interested in a video called “worlds 2nd best speakers”, the channel is tech ingredients. He does a test measure resonance in MDF and plywood, and they are similar, but the plywood is slightly better. His claim is that it’s a stiffness to weight ratio that is important, and if you double the plywood you will have the same weight as mdf with more than twice the stiffness... or less than half the resonance. This was new to me, I’m certainly not a physicist but it’s seems compelling.

[@mikecurtin9831]

@@fotopdo That's very interesting. I'll look into it. Thanks much.

[@JosephLorentzen]

@@mikecurtin9831 I find MDF furniture on the side of the road. Great practice material and good shop materail.

[@Kgrhj]

Everytime I think "I need Rex to make a video about X," he already has. Thanks big homie.

[@rmyukon]

I just made a Green Egg Grill Cart out of Hickory, which is the first time I used this species. I used pocket holes to join the base. The Kreg pocket screws are self-tapping and shouldn't require pre-drilling. But I quickly learned that pre-drilling was necessary after I snapped 4 screws out of the first 8 I screwed in. I also snapped 3 drill bits during this project. The hickory looks amazing, though! I will use it again in the future, but will definitely take the time to pre-drill everything.

[@RexKrueger]

Hickory is like iron. Lasts a long time.

[@carlchristophersen555]

I rewatched several parts of this video several times. Partly because I kept getting distracted by thoughts about changes you inspired on several of my wood working products but also because I wanted to properly absorb and understand the information you share in this video. Liked and subscribed! I plan on watching one of your videos in a similar fashion most every evening from here on. Hope I don't run out... Keep em coming! Big fan of your communication skills and vocabulary. Instant fan. I'm just starting to learn the finer points of wood working and this video was immensely helpful. Thanks much Rex! ~Carl

[@ardenthebibliophile]

I've been sick for the past two days and have just found your channel. I really appreciate the practical and straightforward approach you take. It's been a pleasure going through the woodworking for humans series as well!

[@gilbertbanks2551]

After getting this stuff few days ago, I could hardly put it down afterwards [Link Here== *TopFineWoodworking. Com* ]. There are lots of colorful pictures, with detailed descriptions of every step in the project. You will never miss your way using this plan. It was more than I expected.?

[@jasonrobinson9524]

You knocked it out of the park on this on, Rex. Great video. Thank you.

[@RexKrueger]

Thanks for saying so!

[@cattleNhay]

Best wood I worked with is plum..wonder color and beautiful to work.

[@albertbillman9920]

You make awesome content. Im a chef. I spend more hours on the road and at work than I spend in my shop. I like power tools, tech, and big builds, but I play your vids when Im not in my shop. I always find something new and how to apply it to what Im doing. In turn, my minutes in the shop have become so much more productive. Youre not doing it for the keyboard nitpicking warriors. Youre doing it for us, and for that I thank you for your time and passion for sharing knowledge. Big thanks from smalltown midwest, USA.

[@archkde]

I've been a subscriber of yours for a little while now (I think since around the $2 plane iron vid) and I gotta say, your unique, no-nonsense style of videos that are jam-packed with useful, practical information are so awesome, and you've only gotten better and better as the months progressed. I really appreciate how you make everything very practical-minded and beginner-friendly - if only you were around when I was trying to get started with woodworking!!

[@RexKrueger]

Thanks very much! You just summarized exactly what I'm after.

[@DullPoints]

I appreciate your informative tone. You're a very personable guy and I laughed when you poked your head out under the bench, but I appreciate your restraint from making too many tangents or jokes about how poplar is popular to work with... Another great video, thank you!

[@FearsomeWarrior]

I think many of us under appreciate Rex’s ability to put this much monologue/narrative/information and we pay attention. Maybe attributed by the way he talks. Wonder how much effort he consciously puts into making his lines come out clear and understandable.

[@davidcotney7585]

You sir have inspired me. Love your wife's work out bench. I'm in the middle of a desk build and i made the top out of red oak and trying to decide what to build the rest of the desk out of. You've given me food for thought. Thank you

[@HeartlandMakesAndOutdoors]

Very interesting video sir, I think I have told you I am 48 I have been working with wood for the majority of my life. Watching this video, it made me realize, I have spent the majority of my life working with basically the cheapest or easiest, wood I can get in my area, Pine being the cheapest and easiest to get then up in price, popular, oak, and cedar and this past year, I was able to buy a black walnut tree, I milled myself and Hickory i cut myself.So like you, I have mostly used woods in my area I can get easy enough, find as scrap to repurpose etc. But watching this video makes me want to get some soft maple, cherry etc. Thanks for sharing this video with us,. Thanks again for such a fun video about a lot of different types of woods. You did an excellent job and this like you mentioned wasn't an easy task to make, you made it look easy and did a great job. Have a blessed week sir. dale

[@jerbear7952]

Preach. Pine is great. Wood is good, calm down and don't confuse the newbies

[@guysmith8662]

I love your bench made from 5 woods. An excellent choice of woods and an even better example of joinery.

[@RexKrueger]

thank you!

[@pcicchin]

Using danish/tunge oil brings out the green in poplar which a lot of people don't like, but I've had a few customers REQUEST poplar BECAUSE of that. Another "category 4" wood that is readily available in N America is Osage Orange (hedge/bodark). It's used for fence posts because of it's strength and durability. It changes color over time, starting out a striking yellow-brown similar to yellow heart and the turns to amber, medium brown (like walnut - not black walnut), and then back to a dark amber.

[@LaraCroftCP]

I personal use nearly only the wood from my forrest: Cherry, red beech, lots of rowanberry, some oak. I use also rarely cherrylaurel, teak, boxwood and very rarely softwood. For tools and some furniture i use rowanberry, for toolhandles and decorative stuff i use cherry, oak is used for tools and furniture, red beech is also for furniture. Cherrylaurel are reservated for handles for riding crops, whips and when i need very dense and hart wood, turningsaw handles, plane resoleing etc. Boxwood i use for inlays and boxing, Teak is used for some tools and also inlays. Softwood i actually only use for jigs and tool shelfs. During Winter i will finally build my small bandsawmill so i can mill all wood i have way easyer

[@bluedragon0123]

I love the Alton Brown approach to woodworking!

[@TwinPhoenix666]

I hadn't realized this but, you're exactly right. Totally explains why I could watch either/both of them on repeat for years and never grow tired of it. Rex Krueger: the Alton Brown of woodworking. I love it!!

[@hosscartwright2585]

Rex Krueger MD!!!!!!! now I definitely watch that show we're Rex fixes people's problems with tools

[@longleaf1217]

for me and perhaps a lot of people, our creating videos that will be watched msny times just to re-learn and really hammer in the thins you teach in these videos. thats a lot more then a lot of youtubers can expect. so far i am loving this "woodworking for humans" series. I have learned soooo much already and i haven't even started following along yet. i fully plan to.

[@larrybrown1824]

Poplar is also good for mimicking other woods. Use a light reddish/brown dye, for example, to mimic aged cherry.

[@michaelwelch442]

Larry Brown that wood sure is pop-a-lar

[@bradenpolley8286]

It’s the poor man’s cherry as they say

[@justinayers3589]

@@bradenpolley8286 i thought alder was poor mans cherry

[@denniscotey8182]

You said you get the people the disagree with you, so here I am. No biggie really its just that I have to disagree with your statement about how poplar doesnt stain well. Ive been a cabinet maker and finisher for 39 years and absolutely love working with poplar. Its easily machined, sands beautifully, its nearly always dead straight and flat, very few knots, (if thats what you're looking for) and in my opinion stains and finishes perfectly. Choosing the right pieces, you can nearly mimic walnut. I love it!

[@garethbaus5471]

I don't know if it grows in my area, but hedge is the densest wood I have worked with and it has a very bright yellow color that might be good for some projects(UV makes it go darker) so if you haven't tried it I suggest finding a peice or two.

[@nightcatarts]

Useful info. It's strange how little North American wood seems to get shipped across to Europe, so it's nice to hear a bit more about the characteristics & differences of some. Two of my favourite woods are yew & olive. Yew can be astoundingly pretty if you find some character grade stuff & it's highly resistant, so great for anything that'll be spending time outdoors. Olive finishes like a dream & is my favourite for adding accents (followed closely by black walnut), but it can take a toll on the edges of cutting tools.

[@sumosprojects]

Hi Rex it’s me Sumo, your channel has gone really well & I remember the times we were both at 100 subscribers & trying our best, congrats brother for your success on KZbin 🤠👍

[@RexKrueger]

You're very kind to say so! I see some fine growth in your channel too and A LOT of content in the last 18 months. Give yourself some credit, too!

[@jasonkopka8568]

A month later and I still pull this video up and reference it. Thanks so much for putting it together!

[@RexKrueger]

It's totally my pleasure. I'm glad it's helping!

[@negotiableaffections]

"Its just a bench." "Its made of wood." Weeell, with that one glorious piece of utility furniture you've explained the whole of this video. This isn't just, 'use the best wood for your project,' its more about including wood choices into the design. I think many makers get intimidated with thoughts of solid wood [sticking to ply or MDF] they feel it means more skill than they have, or 'serious' carpentry. You've gone a long way to dispel that in this video and I for one look forward to using good woods to make better project, cheers Rex. [p.s. as you asked, I'm enjoying my pull saw, its a different discipline and thats good, as I'm not always in the mood to drag my tablesaw out into the yard for a couple of crosscuts. Its actually 'enjoyable'.]

[@RexKrueger]

I really think that making one or two cuts on a power saw is a huge waste of time. A good hand saw is such a time-saver.

[@larsfrandsen2501]

Thanks for this channel, Rex. Reading a few of the comments below, there are obviously a lot of experts and master craftsmen who don’t need your advice and suggestions. But I do, and I am not alone. Me? I was a lumberjack for ten years (when I was much younger), and I am from a family in which all the men, my father included, were all cabinet makers and carpenters, going back five generations. But I still need advice because - unlike some of the geniuses below - I am not myself an expert craftsman just because others in my family were, and I still suffer from a bout of humility and honesty. I hope some day to become better at wood work through receiving advice from guys like yourself, so please keep these videos coming. And yes, I will support you through Patreon, mate! Thanks again!

[@jerbear7952]

It takes a real pair of buckeyes to tackle a subject like this on youtube. Best of luck to you sir.

[@jackspeer2127]

I'm a newbie hobby WW, about 2 yr. been working with box store construction lumber and plywood. Ready to move upand have been lost as to what woods to try next. This has been very helpful. Next project is a Moxon vise in red oak. Wish I had seen this before I bought the oak but oh well -- soldier on.,

[@theTeslaFalcon]

Ever tried Black Locust? My family land in Indiana is thick w it. Not usually available commercially because of its naturally slender trunk (max

[@diakounknown1225]

This helped me a lot! Every wood I have access to turns out to be tough springy hardwood!

[@al6667]

One of the most direct and informative videos I've seen in almost 30 years online. Great job!

[@RexKrueger]

Thank you!

[@richardwebb2348]

Adrian 1138 - Try to get out more!

[@FiredUpKnifeandTool]

Honestly i love poplar i like the green and gray streaks in the wood

[@skippylippy547]

A delightful mixture of humor, intelligence, wit, wisdom, and knowledge! You always "hit it out of the park" Rex! Thanks so much for your channel. :)

[@FearsomeWarrior]

Very accurate description. Inline with what I think too.

[@Cigokar]

I can't bnelieve I hadn't watched this one yet. Not much in terms of new info, but I do love your opinion on the matter. Also, most of the wooden components in my tools are made out of purpleheart. Mallets are either that, Ipe (yup yup) or bulletwood ... with purpleheart inserts (always) . It's how people recognize my tools in the shop ^^

[@darodes]

Rex I think this may have been one of the first videos I watched when I stumbled upon your channel a year ago…. This auto played after another of your videos that I watched for the dozenth time and every video I have this huge compulsion, an irresistible urge to say thank you so much for all of your information!

[@RexKrueger]

It's really my pleasure!

[@rogertulk8607]

I love to turn cherry. I have made many bowls, candlesticks, and salt and pepper shakers out of it. It turns easily and gives a fine finish.

[@claytonkernsiii3289]

I love how poplar looks I think it's very pretty

[@Lawman212]

Becksvoort's book is amazing. And he did all the drawings too. If you ever want a chance to talk to him, he's often at the Lie Nielsen open houses in Warren, Maine, in July.

[@RexKrueger]

Do you follow him on Instagram? The man is a master.

[@Lawman212]

@@RexKrueger I'm not a huge fan of Instagram, but maybe following him would be a reason to sign up. If you've never been to Maine, the woodworking culture up there is second to none. Lie Nielsen isn't out of place. There are lots of very impressive woodworking operations up there. Lookup the Carpenters Boat Shop, for example. It's a whole culture that doesn't exist elsewhere. And the pie in the summer is incredible.

[@jamesrivettcarnac]

On splitting wood: Viking longboats we basically made with wood wedges and axes only. It's really interesting to look at Scandinavian wood working with all their specialist axes.

[@r.awilliams9815]

I'm in the Pacific Northwest so softwoods I favor are Western Red Cedar and the ubiquitous Douglas Fir...and yes, reclaimed old-growth Doug Fir can be very hard indeed. Easy hardwood is red alder and apple wood. Tough hardwood is madrona (arbutus menziesii), a dense pale wood that works fairly well. Exotic woods...I like jatoba. Very hard, tough and heavy, turns well but blunts tools quickly, takes a very nice finish, not too expensive.

[@somethingwittyhere]

I've seen this video before. I just dismissed the super hard and super dense message. Just started woodworking, I was working with cherry and walnut. Decided I was gonna do a project with bloodwood. After rewatching this video.. that message hit me right in the face.

[@homeinspectingwithjohnhans4250]

While building houses, we used cottonwood in place of poplar for exposed stair stringers, risers, and a few other details. Cottonwood is a nice stable wood with almost no mineral streaks like poplar. It is smooth grain and very uniform color throughout. Seldom any knots. Cottonwood takes paint well but can be a bit boring when stained.

[@markbonham3477]

Great video Rex! One thing I'd like to add about popular is if you need something strong and hard like a shelve or box cabinet and you plan on painting, popular is always my go to wood for paint projects. I have never tried the stain and after watching your video I must try that out. That red guitar was out of this world beautiful! OMG

[@RexKrueger]

Mark Bonham you're very right about paint!

[@wernerdebruyn9999]

I'm definitely finding this video interesting because it wideenss my scope of different wood to come by to turn in to pen's. Thanks for the video all the way from South Africa

[@FesterPussbucket]

Excellent video. I come more from the metallic world as a mechanic, but I started learning my trade by woodworking with my grandfather as a kid. Now that I'm a father myself, my boys and I build furniture together. Woodworking is so much more than work. It is getting back to the roots of what made humans make the jump from cave dwellers to house builders. It is just so tragic that so many people don't know the joy and rewards if it.

[@RexKrueger]

Except for me, all the men in my family are mechanics!

[@FesterPussbucket]

@@RexKrueger great minds move in groups.😉

[@Ketaset999]

My new experiment for wedged tenons when I want them accented but want something other than walnut: Grab some brass shim stock and rough it up with light sandpaper. Cut with scissors to width and wrap around your wedge. Hammer it home and then flush cut and sand as usual. I used 5 minute expoxy because I'm skeptical about how wood glue will hold. You end up with some little streaks of brass that accent your wedge that are subtle but interesting.

[@joshuaelek]

I know I'm four years late to the party, but I live in Canton, and I just discovered American Hophornbeam, my buddy had some he had to cut down in his yard and I grabbed a log. I made a mallet out of it this weekend, and holy cow... it's crazy how rock hard it is. It's also called ironwood, and I can see why.

[@cannaroe1213]

In my local we got that Bubblegum Cherry, that Ash Wednesday, that Jamaican Maple. I don't know what Poplar is, but we got all the Purple you need this side of Cali. I don't know what it's like on a plane, but you can grind it and i've been told it makes a great Vice.

[@RexKrueger]

That could have been a stupid comment, but it turned out quite clever. The only thing you missed was a reference to trees.

[@cannaroe1213]

​@@RexKrueger Haha, oh snap! How on earth did I forget trees! 🌳🌲 🌴 Well so long as you have the fantastic, interesting and very informative videos Rex, I got the stupid comments! This is KZbin after all... where we all have to pitch in and work together - for the greater wood! 💪

[@blokdijkblues]

Loved the video. As a new woodworker so far I've just chosen wood that I thought looked nice or what was affordavle. But it makes total sense to think more about the use of a component and what characteristics of a wood would be beneficial for it. Thanks so much!

[@mwbauer]

I picked up a "cheap" piece of wood at a reclamation store. It was dark and beautiful. I started carving it to make a hatchet handle. A month or so into it, my furniture restorer friend sees a pic and tells me I'm playing with mahogany. lol Hard...not flexible. Not the right wood.

[@frankj5947]

This video deserves 1 million views. Great topic and explanation

[@starchildben]

Rex! Been watching your videos for quite some time now, but apparently I had no idea you were a fellow Cleveland-er! This was the perfect video for my wife and I since we are in the area and can relate so closely to everything in this video. We recently purchased a home with a decent amount of wooded land and this is exactly what I needed to give me some confidence in my future endeavors. Thanks for the great content and quality videos!

[@RexKrueger]

So glad I could help! Congrats on the new house. It's a big accomplishment.

[@MatthewHarrold]

I work mostly with Tassie Oak (plain old gum trees ... with similar properties to oak). I think it falls under your third category. It isn't cheap to buy new but readily available and there are heaps of places to find reclaimed oak if I'm broke (often). Nice video Rex. Thanks.

[@RexKrueger]

Also broke. (often).

[@paulmouradian8968]

Rex this is an incredbily valuable video for beginner woodworkers. You explain this well and simply. Excellent

[@tico78742]

I appreciate the information. I’ve been looking for such a video for awhile. Cherry is also my favorite hardwood!

[@jameshaulenbeek5931]

Fantastic video! Douglas Fir has always been a favorite of mine, especially when I can find boards with a really tight grain structure, even more so if the ring cross section is wavy or jagged - it produces an exquisite flame pattern when ripped. Again, fantastic video! I can't wait for more!

[@censusgary]

“Taste is a new thing I’m trying.” Ha, ha! I feel ya, buddy!

[@LiviuGelea]

best

[@user-jf7xe5gr8w]

Hey Rex, There are a lot of great woodworkers out there with the most desired equipment and studios. But you come across the most ginuine and to the point. You say what we are researching. Thanks

[@TyyDaymon]

I live in swampy Florida. Cypress is about the only local wood I like. However many exotic woods are available via importers. None of them did as good a job explaining properties as well as you. Thanks

[@RexKrueger]

I lived in FL for 5 years! Live oak?

[@janniecombrinkza]

I live in South Africa. We share a river with Zimbabwe and on the banks of this river (ans its tributaries) grows my two favourite woods. Zambezi Teak, which is actually not teak at all and my all time favourite wood Pink Ivory. Pink Ivory is pretty much affordable in SA as we have our own side of the river where ours and the other trees fleeing Zimbabwe grows so you can consider it a local wood 🤣 Have you ever worked with Pink Ivory and if so did you also start seeing birdseye maple and snakewood to seem soft all of a sudden? I also like Knysna Stinkwood which is an acacia wood which I think is comparable to maple when it comes to workability but has more of a oak type color. If you love wood then I love you, Lekker

[@calebwiggins3042]

Those are the best kind of boxes to make every one is dying to get one!!!

[@ozarked2363]

My favorite wood is quarter sawn sycamore. It doesn't stain well at all and I've never thought about dying it but I'm sure going to fool around with it.

[@Spectral_Penguin]

My choices for timber are mostly dictated by what I can get. Locally, I am limited to pine, jarrah, merbau, meranti, and Tassie oak/Victorian ash(which are actually eucalypts). If I take a 30 minute drive I could get a few more species, but anything comparatively "fancy" like cherry or walnut that I see a lot of US woodworkers using, are either only available as veneers, or I could mail order small pieces. For decorative stuff, if I want dark wood I use jarrah, if I want lighter I go Tassie oak or meranti. For cheap stuff I use pine.

[@wrongtown]

Yeah I reckon if he could get hold of some Jarrah he'd love it for wedges 😉 Nice dark colour but much tougher stuff.

[@cookingGuitarist]

I have a Taylor 610cd guitar. Big leaf maple for the back and sides. Rock maple for the neck.

[@RockyMountainBear]

I recently discovered how much I love working with poplar while making swedish butter knives (red oak) & bread boards (poplar). I don't care what anyone says, it's good to ME!

[@oldschoolsmart]

Poplar works LIKE butter on the wood lathe, if you have one. Another great place to use dyes instead of stains.

[@bumstudios8817]

Sweedish butter..... yum

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

I'm not even much of a fan of green in general... I like to consider it a "trim color" (personal)... BUT I really don't get what so many have against Poplar. For one, there isn't THAT much green in most of it... occasionally at best. Every wood has a grain texture to it... so that's a non-argument. SO it doesn't play nice with stain... I've had WONDERFUL results fairly consistently with just using dark stain and scrubbing like hell. If you push enough with a chunk of terricloth, you can stain poplar. Lots of people are mystified by my work with poplar and "antique walnut" or "dark walnut" stains... NOT the stupid hybridized "stain plus poly" products. Unilaterally, in my experience (beyond poplar, for the record) those suck... They simply aren't worth the time and effort... and it's a huge scam, just to deplete you of more money for some false hope that you can get "the same or better results" than if you just stained it properly, let it dry, and then poly-coated, clear-coated, or sprayed it with friggin' lacquer... PROPERLY. In any case... I agree with you. Poplar's always been a perfectly good wood. If you reserve that "greenish tinted" stuff for more appropriate opportunities, it can be useful too... and sometimes, it's a good mental exercise to CREATE the opportunity to use the "weird stuff" saved back. (because I've been lazy and am now running out of space...lolz) ;o)

[@bumstudios8817]

@@gnarthdarkanen7464 do you use the prestain stuff? I have had good results with that on pine that normally doesn't stain well

[@gnarthdarkanen7464]

@@bumstudios8817 Honestly? Not yet... I might have to check it out though. I have "boiled and sunned" pieces before, when I was confident stain wasn't going to go well... It's a little hit and miss, but for the cheap... it's more hit than miss in my experience. BUT if you get decent (or better) results with the prestain products... I'm willing to go see it. Back when I started (probably 90's ish) and I wasn't so serious about it ... I'd try almost anything... and there were some products that came with "scary consequences"... I don't recall ever trying a prestain though... BUT the glues have definitely improved since then... Thanks for the tip! ;o)

[@mathewdorsch6398]

Cincinnati Bengal guitar! Very cool look.

[@diannbruce9542]

Thank you for the recommend o. The book .

[@bobt2522]

That was a very helpful video. I have not seen wood selection justified in those ways before. "Put a sock in it!" That is a reasonable defense against us nit-picking your advice. Jesse, the Samurai Carpenter, had a longer, less family-friendly response to destructive criticism.

[@karolskakes388]

Well done - simple - yet packed with knowledgeable information. When I started 40 years ago it was all trial and error!

[@richardphan3644]

I made a whole canoe out of $11 poplar plywood. The worst wood you could possibly use for it but after some fiberglass cloth and resin, the canoe worked perfectly fine. Saved myself so much money. (It was my first ever wood working project so I didn’t want to spend a lot of money then mess up)

[@michaelbradley8508]

Great video - very educational. In the video you showed an example of a vase you made with an 'epoxy finish'. You may want to make a video on what an epoxy finish is and how to do it. BTW, all the examples of your projects are beautiful. Michael from Canada

[@RexKrueger]

You're very kind, my Northern brother!

[@danmichell7516]

an eye opener i love this even the second time

[@RexKrueger]

You watched it TWICE? Whoa.

[@amazonianm8876]

I believe Purpleheart and all the ebonies are CITES listed so there will be no new imports and anything made would not be able to be exported. I assume that the walnut referred to is american black walnut which I think is OK but european walnut (juglans regia) is also listed. Other woods on the list are teak (tectona regia) zebrano and lignum vitae, blackwood (although some is being produced sustainably which is OK).If you use existing stocks you must get a certificate of origin from your supplier for items you are aiming to sell. Happy woodworking and regards from Redruth Arnold

[@4speed3pedals]

I really like the look of your guitar, the black grain against the "red" . Very different and nice.

[@phyrexiannewborn7104]

I've really learned to love poplar. It is very workable, but durable. Frankly, I think it is beautiful. I love the exaggerated marbling. I buy it in advance and keep my shop stocked with it, so the stuff I'm using is always already browned. When I shop for wood, I dig through and try to find the "ugliest" wood that I can, tell it that it's beautiful, and take it home with me.

[@stansbruv3169]

Nice guitars Rex! Beautiful

[@profharveyherrera]

Great info! I may not have access to many of the woods you've mentioned (I live in a tropical country) but the information about the grain and the density is applicable to any wood and definitely is something new to me, I'll check my local lumber yard.

[@Helliconia54]

i envy your choice of woods.Here in Australia we have Gum trees,not much else growing naturally.

[@RexKrueger]

Yeah, I hear the Aussies have it hard.

[@kd2mgm494]

This was a really well done video, good job!

[@galland3496]

Wow are you a pleasant and natural communicator. Brilliant and thank you.

[@guyjones4936]

I guess I am an oddball. I LOVE Poplar. I make all kinds of projects from it. The more color variation in it the better. I made our kitchen cabinets out of it and they get all kinds of compliments. I go to the big box store specifically looking for the poplar that has dark brown, green and even red coloring. As far as I am concerned, it doesn't get any better!

[@bumstudios8817]

But what if you want something everyone else isn't using. What is not poplar?

[@RexKrueger]

I'm a fan, too. You just need to pick it for the project.

[@LimitedGunnerGM]

Excellent and realistic approach!

[@RowieSundog]

Similar density, colours complementary is how I pick what to use when using multiple timbers together. The first and foremost thing that goes towards my choice tho is "what do I have" and "what needs using".

[@johnwerlein8333]

love the way you communicate.. thank you

[@clappercl]

Simple, to the point and, most importantly, functional! Wood selection is a huge topic as you said and I really like how present it in terms of practicallity. Love your videos!

[@markfannin3975]

Best video on the subject ever. This really opened up a new area for me. Thank you!

[@RexKrueger]

You're very welcome!

[@raymondcava4669]

Thank you again for sharing. Great content

[@yohannmisquitta7535]

This was very helpful. Your descriptive classification is more useful than clumping them all together. One request: I'd like to see you periodically update us on the cheap tools (and homemade ones) that you've reviewed or built - just to let us know what you're still using and what's been salted away. Thanks.

[@RexKrueger]

Yohann Misquitta that's a good idea!

[@yohannmisquitta7535]

@@RexKrueger Thanks for responding to my request. I look forward to that video whenever you get a chance to do it. Your videos were a great help when I started woodworking. I was looking for an economical and space-saving way to make a useful workbench and so I followed your videos to make a Roman workbench that I use as my only workbench. I also bought the Chinese jack plane you suggested and (after spending a bit of time optimizing it) I found it to be a very useful tool. I have since bought a #5 Stanley and that seems to have relegated the Chinese one to secondary duty. The Bailey-type planes are just so easy to adjust.

[@danjsimonds]

Very well done. And funny to see how many times you found it impossible to say “ring porous”.

[@brentmoseley3176]

Man dude, you are so good at this stuff!! Thank you for these great vids! Inspiring me to make more and more things.

[@brewtalityk]

sorry to hear you live in Cleveland ): I lived in Lyndhurst for a couple years and now I find Charlotte to be a great place to live (:

[@g00fysmiley]

In Florida we end up using a lot of southern yellow pine too... Hardish cheap, stable, readily available and did I mention cheap :) especially good for outdoor furniture

[@michaelelbert5798]

I like Rex. He's pretty cool. I've been using walnut lately. Very durable for small projects. I also use eastern red cedar for projects that are going on the wall.