Tool of the Month January 2020

Happy new year and welcome to the first blog post of 2020!

This months ‘tool’ is a bit different, it’s the thermometer!

Why a thermometer you may ask? Well it’s actually very important to keep an eye on the temperature of the workshop, extreme cold and extreme heat have big impacts on timber, glue, finishes and humans!

Natural wood movement is a big issue when designing and making furniture, temperate combined with moisture in the atmosphere affects the expansion and contraction of timber. I try and keep the climate inside my workshop as close to that of a house this means that the timber I’m working with will be closely acclimatised to its future surroundings before it’s delivered, this should result in the pieces of furniture I make being more stable and less likely to suffer from extreme wood movement!

Temperature also affects the drying times of glues and polishes with high temperatures reducing the drying times and cold increasing them. Most products that are susceptible will have guidance on the packaging.

Look out for February’s Tool of the Month!