Many times, picking lumber from a pile can be a daunting task. All the wood starts to look the same and to make matters worse, the impatient lumber yard worker is standing over your shoulder waiting for you to stop being so darn picky! Its enough to make anyone so frustrated that they take the first few boards off the top of the pile and call it a day. But the more you shop for wood, the easier it becomes to spot the potentially problematic pieces and avoid them. And that usually is my primary goal. If I can go home with a nice set of clean and straight boards, I am happy. But I also have another agenda, that is, trying to spot that diamond in the rough. It may not even be something I use in the current project, but when I see a unique piece of wood, I don’t think twice about it. I snatch it up and take it home hoping that what I saw in the lumber yard truly is what I think it is.
Well today, I went to a local lumber dealer, Spellman Hardwoods. I was picking through what I considered to be a less than great selection of walnut, when I came across this board. At first glance, it looked rather rough and I almost threw it to the side. But the light hit it just the right way and I could tell that something beautiful lay within. The wild grain, the knots, the undulating waves of darker and lighter colors, were all subtle signs that this board was going to be something to behold, if treated properly. So I threw the board in with the rest of my loot and took it home to see if I was right.
I brought the board into the shop and quickly sprayed the surface with nothing more than water. Immediately, the wood came to life with swirls, curls, and contrast! My brain was immediately filled with the endless possibilities of what this deceivingly beautiful plank could become. Now because of the wild grain and knots, I doubt very much I will use this as a solid structural member for anything. Most likely, it will become a veneer panel, a drawer front, or something else where I can admire its beauty without depending on it for structural integrity.
So don’t be so quick to overlook that ugly duckling of a board. It could very well be the highlight of your next masterpiece! Have you ever found a diamond in the rough? Tell us about it!
18 Responses to “A Diamond in the Rough”
Wow, that’s very similar to a walnut board I used for the door stiles on my recently-finished printer stand:
http://picasaweb.google.com/lh.....directlink
The photo doesn’t capture it well, but the bit above the knot is like a burl (and took a couple hours of scraping to get the tearout under control).
At first, I wasn’t sure how I was going to work around that big knot, but once I saw that grain, I knew I shouldn’t work around it, I should feature it…
Oh dude! I love the continuous pattern across the two door stiles! That’s what I’m talkin’ about!
After you mentioned the light hitting it just right, it occurred to me that I should take a flashlight with me next time I pick out lumber. The two places where I buy it are fairly well lighted but not really well enough to get a good look at the grain. I’m thinking a flashlight might be enough to let me hit it at different raking angles to better see what’s underneath all the “fuzz” of the rough-sawn boards.
I bought some walnut a week ago and didn’t do that so I still don’t know what I have. Still acclimating it inside the house before I hit one side with the jointer.
You always come up with good tips, my friend!!
Thanks.
Good idea Jim. And if you can manage it, a small block plane and a little spray bottle of water would be nice too! :) Just don’t let them see you hacking away at their boards. haha.
I was working on a small shaker style table, similar to the one that the Guild is doing this month, only enlongated and meant to go behind a sofa. The maple I had for the top, once I started planing it to thickness, turned out to be so punky and full of crud as to be unusable. In a pinch to get it wrapped up I went to Home Depot, the local sources for rough hardwood lumber are largely closed on weekends, to see if I could come up with anything usable. Walked out with one long maple board, later crosscut and edge-glued to make a tabletop, with some of the most amazing tiger figure. The dude who rang me out said, “Are you sure you want that board? It looks all funny to me.”
Got to love that! The place I go to moves so much material and they don’t really deal with figured and specialty woods, so the occasional figured board comes in and they sell it like any other. Always pays to keep an eye out for those things. You know, maybe you should have asked to speak to the manager and get a discount on that “odd looking” board. :)
Marc
What more can I say than … Dude, Nice Find!
Joe
Nice find indeed.
This dude down the road was getting kicked out of his building this particular day for not paying his rent, and he was cleaning things out. Sometimes he would peddle lumber so I stopped in. I had bought some lumber from him before but it was mostly junk. He was pretty weird, but the longer you let him talk to you about Jesus, the cheaper his prices would get. By the time we made it halfway through the new testiment he just decided to give me this pile of maple in the corner of the building to get it out. It looked TERRIBLE, covered in mold and moss, but I thought it could be good for something. I rounded over the back of my truck and headed home. I ran the first peice through the planer and though, “holy crap!” This stuff is crazy spalted! All of the boards were! And they are soooo pretty. So now I have a lifetime supply of spalted maple. After cutting away the punky stuff, I have about 200 board feet. I feel bad about using it for drawer liners, but I gotta do something with it!
The things we do for cheap wood! haha!
That walnu board would be nice re-sawed into thick veneers and bookmatched.
I’ve gotten more than one odd look at lumberyards, licking my hand and wiping it on a board to bring up the figure. I occasionally find very nice curly maple in local lumber yards. There is also the added benefit that the curly grain on maple is most often seen on vertical grain boards. So it’s pretty stable as well as beautiful.
DD
Thank you for this reminder. Being new to woodworking, I haven’t always made the best decisions regarding which pieces to pick out. Fortunately, My local woodcraft store has been very good at pointing out the different advantages and disadvantages, showing the grainlines, etc. This will probably make me even pickier, so I will need to remember not to overlook a potential piece due to first impressions.
I got very lucky with my lumber yard, KJP. Not only do they tolerate sorting but they encourage it!! I just finished a vanity and spent over an hour picking out the lumber for it. During this trip I found one of these diamond in the rough boards (if you can call African mahogany rough!!) There was one board that was so full of figure I just couldn’t leave it. Was a bit pricey but when I got it home and put some mineral spirits on it, WOW!!! A piece of it is now a shelf on top of a knee wall in our bathroom. I’m so glad I talked my wife into buying it!!
Oh how I wish I could have a relaxing afternoon sorting a pile of lumber……… Lucky dog!
I hope you didn’t spray it with water while the board was sitting on your cast iron table saw. Maybe you should revisit your rust prevention episode…
That’s a beautiful board.
Sometimes an entire project can unexpectedly turn into a diamond in the rough. A little while ago I needed additional bookshelves and was unhappy with the cheap ones at the retail stores. I do not have room really do woodworking. It can in no way be considered a piece of fine woodworking, one I used construction lumber and two I am not very skilled yet. After building it and using it for a few months I decided that I can do better. Instead of throwing it out and starting over, I chose to use it as a test piece to try new techniques and improve my skills. Time will tell if I am able to bring out the “diamond” will still keeping the basics of what it started as. Almost celebrating the roughness of the wood to build a beautiful piece.
Im glad I read this! I just ran to the garage with an alcohol prep pad and used it to wipe on the wood, it worked great to show the figure and didnt stay “wet” as long as water would. I bet a little bottle of hand sanitizer would work too. I just wish there was somewhere near Savannah Ga to get decent wood you could pick thru. Meyer Laminate has it for way cheaper than HD or Lowes but you cannot look at the wood first, just tell them how many board feet you want and who knows how wide or long they will be. Thanks for all the videos!!