Buying basics, species selection, moisture and movement, structural use, finishing, and maker workflows — written for self-builders, makers, and small trades.
Showing guides tagged Trees & growth.
How Trees Grow and How That Becomes Wood
Trees become timber by adding seasonal layers of new wood from the cambium, creating growth rings and the sapwood/heartwood zones you see on every board.
Wood is built from a few main microscopic cell types and a composite cell wall, and that structure explains pores, grain, strength, and movement.
Growth rings record seasonal growth changes in a tree, and learning to read them helps you predict grain pattern, stability, and movement in boards.
3 guides in this track · Start from the beginning or jump to any available guide.
Start track 1 →Species library
Linked species profiles hold density, movement coefficients, workability, and buying notes — the source of truth for timber data.