It's a Monday and that means it's time for Magazine Monday!!!

Over the weekend I spent a lot of time at the computer and it got me to yearning for a project in the shop.

So in today's episode I'm sharing a few of those thoughts with you!!

Don't forget!! Hendrik is back in September so get your questions in for our open Q&A session.  If you're planning on being at the IWF in Atlanta, anyone wanting to have a chat with Hendrik can leave a message for him in the Press Lounge.  Or, better yet, he'll be attending The Wood Whisperer's after-show get together Friday evening, August 22nd.

If you'd like to enter for free schwag or just have a comment, question or suggestion drop me a line at mattsbasementworkshop@gmail.com or  head over to my website at 231 354-2338.

Listen to today's show by clicking on the player below

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My wife and I subject each other to a lot of second hand noise.

As Gail sits in the living room knitting, she deals with the background noise drifting up from my basement woodshop. She also has to deal with my scream of testosterone-induced rage as I don one of my Old Man sweaters, stand at the front door shaking me fist, and yell at the neighborhood kids to “STAY OFF MY YARD!!!” Probably once or twice a year she has to tolerate the sickening sound of the bitchslaps I put on the migratory mime troupe that comes through on their way up to Mackinac Island. (I call this event Silent Scream.)

The second hand noise I tolerate isn’t quite as offensive. Let’s face it…Gail’s knitting isn’t very loud. However, each morning as I sit with my laptop in the dining room desperately trying to feed all of my Webkinz before I start my day, I am forced to listen to the cable news show Gail religiously watches. It’s not just the perky talking heads that I have to hear…it’s the commercials from hell, too.

I first heard this commercial yesterday, and my brain semi-consciously registered a What the $@#%????? However, this morning the replaying of this commercial solidly lodged in the conscious part of my brain and chiseled out a ledge where it has painted a sign that calls it out as one of the nuttiest things I have ever heard seriously marketed.

(Pleases note the “…” in the title below creates a pregnant pause of almost a second and a half from the voiceover actor as he narrates the television commercial).

The Most Relaxing Classical Album in the World...Ever!

Honestly, it’s a real title. You can get it here.

Wow, there are a lot of unsubstantiated statements in that title. Well, it’s my belief they are unsubstantiated. Perhaps there are competitions among albums to see which is most relaxing.

They get really bubbly waitress types, pump them full of ephedrine and caffeine, then strap them into La-Z-Boy’s and force them to listen to music through headphones. Whichever album creates the largest total reduction in heart rate, respiration, and certain non-essential brain waves is considered to be the Most Relaxing Album. Obviously, competition among Classical albums is more intense than in the EuroTechno or ThrashMetal categories. In fact, the Classical competition is the main event; those ringside seats command Super Bowl ticket prices from scalpers.

I still have questions. Does one competition really determine the winner for the ENTIRE world as indicated by this album’s title? What if there is an unheralded classical album making the rounds in a village outside New Delhi that is putting people to sleep left and right?

Finally, I am skeptical of the use of the word “Ever.” Does the word “ever” in this title mean “from the beginning of man up to this point in time” or does it imply all future time as well? Even if it is possible to gather all of the music that has come before and rank it for relaxation value, it is not possible to know something won’t come along next Thursday that will make narcoleptics of all of us.

You know what…I just realized I am probably not the right guy to be complaining about sweeping generalizations like ones used in the title of this album. After all, am I not the guy that Chris Schwarz links to with the subtitle, “Is Jeff Skiver the funniest woodworker ever? Yes. Yes, he is.”

I suppose I should just be happy Chris chose to accentuate my sense of humor as opposed to my ability to put the smack down on non-verbal artists.

Here's an excellent interview with a young furniture designer showing at the 2007 International Contemporary Furniture Fair.

You can sharpen your woodworking skills with helpful tips and techniques from the editors of Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines. Get a FREE tip sent to your email address each week! Go to WoodworkingTips.com and sign up today.

Here’s last week’s tip from ShopNotes online editor Phil Huber:

My workshop shares space with the family car. So it’s important that all of my power tools be portable and take up as little space as possible. So I made the fold-up router table you see here.

I made a simple router table top and attached it to a pair of 2×4’s with screws. Then, after removing the top of an adjustable clamping table, I mounted the router table to the clamping table stand, as shown in the left photo above. The table is firmly supported by the clamping table base.

The nice thing about the table is it can be raised and lowered to match the task at hand. Best of all, I can remove the router and quickly fold the table up to store it against the wall whenever it’s not in use (right photo).

If you’d like to see other router table plans, just go to PlansNOW.

Good Woodworking,

Phil Huber
Online Editor, ShopNotes

Send for a preview issue of ShopNotes magazine

I was talking to a close friend today about differentiating twins. I mentioned that my nephews Harrison and Jackson are the most identical pair of human beings I have ever encountered. The only discernible difference is that Harrison has an Alec Baldwin-esque voice that sounds like he smokes 4 packs of Lucky Strikes per day (that is excessive for a 5 year old).

I just cannot imagine my two nephews being apart. For example, once when Gail and I were babysitting the twins and their 3 siblings, all 5 kids went down to the basement to watch a movie… slumber party style. I went down there and found 4 sleeping bags. When I asked why there were only 4 sleeping bags, the middle child (Maddy) looked at me like I was an idiot and said, “The twins sleep together.”

Harrison and Jackson recently got a room to themselves, and they got bunk beds. When they gave her a tour of their room, Gail asked them who slept on the top bunk. The reply was, “Nobody…we both sleep on the bottom.” When I think of the twins, I just can’t conceive of having one without the other.

So imagine my surprise when I discovered the story of a different pair of twins who were separated at birth. This story is one of the things I learned when Gail and I travelled to Dublin recently. It’s a lamentable and cruel tale of two twin brothers separated at birth. One was taken to America, and the other was hustled off to Ireland. However, the DNA connection of these two was so strong that even though each never knew of the other, the very chemistry of their makeup carried them down educational roads and career paths that were remarkably similar.

It wasn’t until I happened to go shopping one day in Dublin that I discovered the story of TK and TJ….The MAXX Brothers.

“You know what the funniest thing about Europe is…it’s the little differences.” Vincent Vega, American Philosopher (deceased)

For the Myanmar people of Southeast Asia the blossoming Paduak is an enchanting time. I have heard that to walk among the Padauk trees when in full bloom is to walk hand and hand with the spirit of nature. For the Myanmar people it signifies youth, love and romance.


See it here: Ruby Red Padauk Wood Ring

Hi Folks
Yes, the weekend saw two more visitors to the 'shop. First, Cupcake was brought in to let her explore the workshop and start getting used to being in there. She loved it! Shavings were a bit hit with her (and I just happen to have plenty to spare) and the new smells and nooks and crannies to explore were just wonderful. Needless to say, no power tools were used while she was around but she was unconcerned when I did a bit of cleaning with the shop-vac. A good start.

So when she heard the cat was in the workshop out comes my daughter, Sophie. She's six years old now, and doesn't spend as much time in the shop with me as she used to. Too busy, you see.......;)
But with the kitten roaming the 'shop Sophie was quite happy to get stuck in to a bit of sanding - as long as she could giggle at the kittens antics.

The Westonbirt "Festival of the Tree" event is only two weeks away (less, actually!) so I am rather busy preparing myself for that, as well as keeping on top of plane orders. We have a big batch of spokeshaves almost complete in a wide choice of timbers as well as some special little coffin smoothers in Rosewood. More pics soon.......

Cheers
Philly

After three more hours of CAD work last night, I finished up the preliminary drawings for the next cover project for Woodworking Magazine. We're calling this project "An American Wall Cabinet." But right now a more apt name would be "An R-5 Wall Cabinet."

This morning I spent about 45 minutes building the face frame, tombstone door and drawer front of the cabinet using the pink ½"-thick Foamular insulation board. I taped up the joints with packing tape. Then I printed out the hardware from the Horton Brasses web site, cut it out (Horton scaled it full-size!) and taped it in place.

If you ever wonder how woodworking magazines get away with coverlines like "Build a Bench in a Weekend," this is it. It's our trade secret. We just build it out of Foamular.

After a dry-fit of all the parts (no tape), I determined that the mediary rail in the door was too wide. So I shaved off ½" with a ruler and a knife and it looked much better. Then Senior Editor Glen Huey and I placed the rattail hinges on the stiles so they would work well and look good.

This short exercise also drove me to plan on adding some stopped chamfers on the stiles of the face frame when I build it out of walnut. So all in all, it was worth the $10.

If you've never worked with Foamular, it's a cinch to cut with a knife and a ruler. I used my Tite-Mark gauge to first score the foam's plastic film. Then I followed up with the knife. To make the curve in the tombstone door, I drew it with a compass. The pencil lead didn't cut the foam; it made a furrow in the film. Then my knife could easily follow that furrow to complete the cut.

And what are we going to do with the leftover foam? Easy. I use it for slicing up plywood with a circular saw. I lay the foam down on the driveway, put the plywood on top, and set the sawblade to cut through the plywood and slightly into the foam (and not the concrete). Works every time.

— Christopher Schwarz

"Two peas in a pod"




For that couple that have that unique bond of having so much in common. I have made this set "Two peas in a pod".

The Box is made of White Oak wood and Red Oak wood.

The rings shown are single wood Walnut (men's) and Mahogany (women's)

Click Here To See The Listing.

While listening to a little Chubb Rock, Tommy puts the finishing touches on shaping the drawers. To prevent tearing with the planer, he relieves some of the edge of the drawer. After being a little too aggressive with the planer, a small tear forms and Tommy checks to make sure both ends are still level with a square. Tommy then puts them in place to make sure the completed drawers fit. He then reviews the construction and design of the fitted drawers and discusses future plans for completing the project.

You can sharpen your woodworking skills with helpful tips and techniques from the editors of Woodsmith and ShopNotes magazines. Get a FREE tip sent to your email address each week! Go to WoodworkingTips.com and sign up today.

Here’s last week’s tip from ShopNotes online editor Phil Huber:

A block plane makes quick work of chamfering the edge of a workpiece. To ensure a constant width and angle, I built the base shown in the photo above. It slips over the plane to make ¼″ chamfers and doesn’t require any setup.

The base is simply two triangular-shaped runners glued to a pair of side pieces. Then cross supports are glued into notches in the front and back to hold the sides together.

Two rare-earth magnets glued into recesses in the runners hold the plane securely in place. A shallow dado is cut in the top of the runners at the mouth of the plane for the exposed iron.

The base is easy to use. With your block plane in the base, position the V-shaped groove formed by the runners over the edge of the workpiece. Then plane the workpiece until both runners sit flush. It worked so well I made a second one for ¹/₈″ chamfers.

You can learn even more simple shop techniques, just go to PlansNOW.

Good Woodworking,

Phil Huber
Online Editor, ShopNotes

Send for a preview issue of ShopNotes magazine

We had a great time walking, beachcombing and building "Goldsworthy" towers from the fantastic granite pebbles.



There is ...

In this podcast Tommy curves it up! The Bombe Secretary's writing surface should have crisp corners at the end of each elegant radius. To achieve this, Tommy curves the transition points on the rounded edges, taking a machined edge and working it into to a truly hand crafted piece of art.

There is one variation of usage which has struck me forcibly after many years of reading American magazines and Reviews.

Larry Williams' wooden moulding ...

When we started Woodworking Magazine, one of the things we definitely wanted to include as part of the fabric of the publication were quotations about the craft that made us laugh or think.

And when we launched our first issue in March 2004, there was no doubt or discussion about what quote would be emblazoned at the top of the first page:

Brown, who died June 1, is in my estimation the most influential writer on handwork of this generation. His columns in Britain’s Good Woodworking magazine inspired thousands of woodworkers to attempt or even completely embrace handwork.

His columns were short epistles on topics philosophical, mundane or both. He might offer a recipe for bacon in one column, offer plans for a workbench in another and in a third comment on the sad state of woodworking where we have traded skill for speed.

Brown was at times crotchety in tone, other times apologetic (to turners in particular); but he was always the spokesman for anyone who wanted to take hammer in hand and try to build something – either fantastic or mundane – using hand tools.

Brown himself was a boatbuilder who was made obsolete by fiberglass watercraft. After spotting a primitive Welsh chair in a shop in Lampeter, as Brown put it: “It was like a vision. I had never seen anything that had made so instant an impression on me.”

And so he built a Welsh stick chair like the one from his vision. He began selling them. He began writing about them. “Welsh Stick Chairs” was published in 1990. It’s a short volume, but is one of my prize possessions. In it, Brown gives a concise history of the Celts and their furniture. Then a short history of his love for the craft. The remainder of the book is photos of Brown in action, building what he calls a “cardigan chair.”

I first encountered his column in Good Woodworking in the mid-1990s. Brown had begun writing for the magazine during issue 13, I believe, which was the November 1993 issue. It was called “The John Brown Column,” and discussed mostly chairmaking, but with all hand tools. His run of columns there ended 32 issues later with a condemnation of power machinery in June 1996.

After a year of respite, Brown returned to the pages of Good Woodworking in issue 58 and continued for a couple more years. The last column I have of his is from December 1998. He continued as a chairmaker for awhile but during the last decade, Brown turned his attention to studying art.

"The John Brown Column" – sometimes titled "The Anarchist Woodworker" – was so inspiring to me, it’s difficult to quantify. I think it’s best said that if I had to have only one hero in woodworking, it would be Chairman Brown.

Not only did his writing encourage my hand-work skills, he also inspired me as a chairmaker to the point where I even ventured into the Canadian wilderness to take a class in Welsh chairmaking from David Fleming, a Cobden, Ontario, chairmaker who is Welsh.

All this detail above might make me sounds a bit like a stalker, but I never met John Brown. It was one of my primary goals for the coming years, which I can now bitterly cross off my to-do list. My plan was to ask if we could reprint his columns in book form so they could receive the wide audience they deserve. That project might be in limbo now, but perhaps his heirs will be willing.

If you can get a copy of “Welsh Stick Chairs,” you certainly will get the flavor of his writing and wit. And if I have any luck, perhaps you’ll also get to read his columns and then understand the loss the world of handwork has suffered this week.

— Christopher Schwarz

I have had to take a short break from this project due to circumstances and other work in my schedule. I'm back on track with this cabinet now and I am in the process of laying out the configuration of the drawer cases. The original plan had one upper drawer at the top left and the two drawer assembly at the lower right. Upon reflection, I decided to configure the drawer cases differently as in the photo. This is somewhat of a staggered, stepped arrangement with the appearance of a floating drawer at the left with the original location of the two drawer case at the right. Since I have complete freedom to lay out the drawer cases as long as there is sufficient room above either of the drawer cases for art objects, I have taken this liberty in the design process.

At the left, beneath the single drawer case, I am also considering a false front which would appear as a solid piece of wood and is only removable through a hidden slot. This feature can be considered a secret compartment. I like the idea, but I also like the design of having the left drawer case appear to be floating as in the photo. I have mocked up the drawer cases with the empty compartment at the bottom left.

This is my current design dilemma and I will continue to experiment with the layout of the drawer cases.

Part three of the Providence show finds Tommy and Al discovering more fine woodwork and craftsmanship. Al steps in front of the camera and talks with Kevin, a student at Tommy's alma mater, North Bennett Street School, who shows off the work of his fellow students. Gale Satterly demonstrates a gorgeous and comfortable handmade lounge chair. Daniel Read, a glassblower, displays his beautiful work. Tommy sits with Brian Boggs, multiple award winner at the show, in his handmade rocking chairs. Lastly, Tommy chats with Cara Romano of LaFollette Group, winner of Best in Show in Crafts, who makes jewelry and accent pieces, adding felted wool to metal. Back in Tommy's shop, he and Al talk about what a great show it was. Then they get a little goofy when Al starts rambling, fishing for free swag.

Welcome from WoodworkersResource.com. In our first audio only episode, we get the chance to interview Christopher Schwarz. Chris is the editor of both Popular Woodworking and Woodworking Magazine. He also maintains two blogs @ www.lostartpress.com and www.woodworking-magazine.com/blog/. Now, you can add to that author. Chris' new book, "Workbenches: From Design & Theory to Construction & Use" is going to be the focus of our interview. But, I couldn't help but ask Chris some other questions as well, like what's it like being an editor of a woodworking magazine? Yeah, you're probably going to be a little jealous when you hear his answer.

If you've ever wanted to build your own workbench, or if you're frustrated with the design of your current workbench, you're going to want to hear what Christopher Schwarz has to say about one of his favorite topics: Workbenches.

Also, don't forget to go to our website and sign up for our newsletter. When you do you'll get a free gift. Go to our website to find out more.

www.WoodworkersResource.com

I spent the morning upset about Purpleheart.

I was trying to do some fancy hand joinery in a piece of purpleheart and it just wasn’t meant to be. (Let’s face it…given its hardness, purpleheart can sometimes be as easy to work as glass).

Somehow during the process of struggling with the lavender wood it took me back years to when I was still dating.

My brain knew that what I was trying to do was doomed. Inside I knew the joint I was trying to cut was just not meant to be. However, my emotions really wanted it. I wanted that chisel to create the perfect tiny Dovetail on that rock hard, ¾ inch thick plank. And it was just like one of those doomed relationships from years ago I couldn’t’ get to work, regardless of how badly I wanted it.

So I reverted to something else from my past…I started blaming everything else for the circumstances I couldn’t change. I knew my chisels were razor sharp, but I yelled at them anyway. I know that I know how to cut with my dovetail saw, yet I still chose to curse my hand. My workbench held the board exactly where I wanted it to be, but after failure occurred I still wondered what would have happened if I had positioned the board differently.

Ultimately, I have to walk away knowing that I sincerely tried to do it, but I just couldn’t make it work. Rob Cosman probably could have done it, but this wasn’t about him. Frank Klausz might have achieved perfection, but it wasn’t Frank’s project. Instead, I am left with the knowledge that sometimes it is not enough to have all of the right tools and a heart full of desire. Sometimes, it just isn’t meant to be.

One final dating metaphor…I suppose even in walking away I can hold onto the hope that things might be different. Perhaps in two years I’ll pull that purple plank back out and see if the circumstances are different. We romantic woodworkers always cling to that “what if” hope.

Last week I bought a toothing plane from a Midwestern tool collector. I've always wanted one of these tools, and this one is particularly nice.

Toothing planes are lot like scraping planes: The iron is vertical. What's different is that toothing plane has a serrated cutting edge – instead of a smooth edge with a tiny hook, like on a scraper plane.

Toothing planes can be used in a couple different ways. Some people use them to flatten a board's surface. The vertical pitch of the iron prevents tearing in gnarly woods, and the serrated teeth allow you to take a fairly big bite.

Other craftsmen use a toothing plane for traditional veneering jobs with hide glue. The toothing plane would prepare the substrate – flattening it and giving it some "tooth" – before you apply the adhesive and the veneer.

I'll probably use this tool for both of these sorts of jobs – they're handy and simple tools. This one was probably made by the craftsman, and the maker was likely German. The "horn" at the toe is a feature of many European planes.

Oh, there's one other feature of the plane I like:

I wish I had a good story about the origin of this tool, but I don't. The tool collector who bought it acquired it during a tool swap meet. So there's no cool history to share – just the mystery of me wondering what sort of work the other "C SCHWARZ" did.

— Christopher Schwarz

Tommy discusses how he tackled the most difficult part of secretary so far, the compound return angles at the top of the pediment. The moldings in the front and the side look the same but are completely different. He moves to the bench to illustrate the problem and how he cut the moldings to fit. As viewers can see from the disastrous state of his shop, this problem was a tough one.

Here’s something you’ll want to put on your calendar. PBS will be airing a show entitled, “Craft in America: A Journey to the Artists, Origins, and Techniques of American Craft.” It will air in three episodes beginning on May 30. The most notable artist to be featured—as far as woodworkers are concerned—is Sam Maloof. You can see a list of other artists to be featured here. The web site has a cool virtual exhibit that will show you some of the work of the artisans.

To find out when Craft in America airs in your local area, click here.

My apologies to everyone for the missing website during the last several days. And also my deepest thanks to everyone who phoned, emailed and posted their concerns about the situation. It seems my domain name registration had expired - thankfully - it is up and running again.

Cheers,
Konrad

... happens at the bench using the tools you’ve made.

I have been working away on the kitchen doors these last few days, and was reminded of why I started making planes in the first place. I have spent several hours taking the final finishing passes on all the 27 door frames. It only took a few minutes of planing for me to forget about the plane as an object and focus on the plane as a working tool. I stopped thinking about the infill wood, the choice of sidewall material, the stainless steel lever cap. All I cared about was the quality of the shaving, the comfort of the handle, the balance point of the plane and where I had placed the candle butt to wax the sole. For a few blissful hours - I felt like a furniture maker.



I have been collecting quarter sawn wood for years - and it really paid off for the kitchen. All the door frames are QS walnut. In a few cases, I had entire boards that were quarter sawn - but I also dipped into my stash of really wide walnut planks to get the quarter sawn wood from the edges. It worked out perfectly because the planks were wide enough to get two 2" wide frames off each edge and still have enough material in the middle to get the single board panels I wanted.



Most of the panels were resawn from 5/4 stock to yield two 7/16" thick panels. I wanted to keep the weight down as much as possible, plus this also allowed me to bookmatch all the panels. There is a large floor to ceiling pantry where I used 5/8" thick panels. I left them a little thicker so I could put a raised panel on the inside as well.

Below are two shots of all the freshly planed frames before assembly.





To really geek out for a minute - here are some technical specs. I re-honed the blade in the A5ss 6 times without going to the grinding wheel to hollow grind.



The above photo is an attempt to show the surface reflection of the last rail I planed (click on it to enlarge). This is the type of surface on all the frames. On average, it took two sets of two overlapping passes to remove all the jointer and thickness planer marks.

The mortises were cut with a bench top hollow chisel mortiser. With over 100 mortises - this felt like an appropriate tool. The haunched tenons are 1-1/2" long and were cut on the table saw using a dado set. Again - 100+ tenons... .



I pre-finished all the raised panels. There is nothing worse than that unfinished line and ridge of dried finish that appears in the dead of winter when the panels shrink.

I am hoping to assemble all the doors over the weekend and start fitting them. Once they are fit, I can apply the finish to the frames.

The top riser of the back porch is rotting and needs replacing. Tonight I started that process by fitting the replacement riser.

Supplies needed:

6' length of 2x8 Pine
Shims
Drafting compass
Saber Saw or Coping Saw
Pencil

I discovered the hard way that even though Home Depot and Lowe's carry risers that are 48" long, your riser might require something longer. So, after two trips for lumber I was ready to start fitting using the 6-foot length of 2x6 pine I'd procured. I suspect that someday I will wish I had purchased poplar, but pine it will be.

The riser height was not exactly equal to the space (room for movement), so I had to shim it up into place to get a marking. Veritas has a fancy gadget, called a transfer scribe, for marking odd shaped ends, but I just used my standard compass. I set the compass to a width greater than the deepest section of the step against the house and simply dragged the tightener against the house while the pencil scribed the board.

I then cut the shape using a saber saw. I returned to the back porch and inserted the riser to see how well I had done.

The fit was good enough, so I went to the other end of the board and marked it directly from the porch. That measurement was not the correct length, because the end is capped by another board. So, with the direct scribed line, I knew I had to subtract the width of that other board. I Using the compass again, I set the compass arms to exactly the with of the end board, then used this setting to shift the mark to where my cut needed to go on my riser. I took it back to the basement and cut it square at the mark.

After tonight's work, the riser is ready to prime for painting, which I can do in the basement this weekend (even if it does rain outside, with the arrival of Tropical Storm Hannah). If all goes well I will be as happy with the fit of the new riser as I was with the old one (installed by a professional carpenter). So far, so good. Here's the before and after shots:

Tommy finishes construction on the hidden box for the secretary. Between segments, he takes time to show the viewers his personal memorabilia hanging on the walls, including family photos and accolades for his work. Tommy says he's having fun making the box because it doesn't have to be precise. He's especially happy when the box is finished because he's moving into his final phase of the desk assembly.

Well-crafted, durable wood shutters - whether interior or exterior - represent an investment in your home you will never regret. Apart from contributing to the elegance, grace and atmosphere of your dwelling, wood shutters will prove their worth in many practical ways over time - not the least in protecting your home from the harsh extremes of sun and storm!

Exterior wood shutters are available in a number of basic designs. These range from the raised panel that is particularly popular in coastal areas, to the familiar fixed louver. Alternatively opt for "country style" board and batten, or an exotic, but practical bermuda wood shutter installation.

What should you take into consideration when deciding which wood shutter set to order?

To start with you will need to decide what look you are trying to achieve, and this will depend largely on the style of your home. Wood shutters can be designed to complement just about any residence, but cost will of course play a much bigger role in highly customized, and fully functional wooden shutters.

Before making this major home improvement decision, look at your general interior design, patio design, and patio furniture. Your window shutters should blend into, and enhance these aspects.

You will also want to ensure that the right wood is used for a durable, and warp-resisting wood shutter. Although many woods are used in the construction of wood shutters, the woods of choice are Western Red Cedar, or Mahogany. Vertical-grained wood is also more resistant to warping.

If wood-work isn't your cup of tea, take a carpenter-friend along to check the quality of construction, especially the joints. Mortise-and-tenon joints are much more durable than screwed, or butt-glued joints. While you're at it, also ensure that you get wood shutters with copper or aluminum capping for more protection from the elements.

Interior wood shutters can be considered part of the furniture, and if the right design is chosen, they contribute greatly to the atmosphere, elegance and warmth of a room.

Even though interior wood shutters are not directly exposed to the same range and intensity of the elements as exterior shutters, they will still need to properly deal with temperature changes and design stresses. To avoid warping and other alignment problems, wooden shutters constructed of 100% hardwood, such as American Yellow Poplar and Elm, are well suited to the role.

Of course, interior wood shutters are also more than mere decorations! They are excellent insulators to keep temperatures at a comfortable level.

Don't go for the first fit-all-sizes window shutters you come across. By doing some research, and getting lasting, stylish and functional wood shutters, you will greatly increase the value of your home!

Awnings-and-Blinds.com - Read the Plantation Shutter article at Awnings-and-Blinds.com - also by Rika Susan of Article-Alert.com.

Copyright 2006 Rika Susan. This article may be reprinted if the resource box and hyperlinks are left intact.