Journal

What working with green oak means: how a green frame dries, shrinks and settles, designing for movement, and sizing the timber.

How to oil, wash and look after an oak chopping or serving board so it lasts for years and looks better with age.

What causes spalting and figure in timber, from fungi to burr, and how to use and work spalted and figured oak, ash and elm.

How oak and larch compare for outdoor use, from cladding and sheds to posts and garden furniture, and which suits what.

Planning wood cookies for a wedding: sizes, oak versus elm, green versus seasoned, and how to order cross-cut discs.

Preparing, finishing and looking after a live-edge oak slab, from letting it settle to oiling and keeping a worktop.

Plain explanations of the timber words you meet when ordering: waney edge, through and through, boule, air dried, in stick and more.

The difference between air-dried and kiln-dried oak, what each suits, and why we air dry our Devon oak.

How to choose oak for a timber frame: green versus air dried, sections and lengths, through-and-through milling, and honest Devon oak.

What to look for when choosing an oak slab for a resin river table: figure, moisture, thickness and bookmatching, and how we cut it.