Q: If we send you a sample of beech, can you tell us if the wood is American beech or European beech?

Q: We have been working with red oak for many years, but just this past month we have had several problems with our furniture that are new to us. Specifically, we had one job that we finished with a white-colored paint finish. Several of the individual strips of wood developed a dark, dingy, dirty hue along almost the entire strip about a month after they were put into use. The back sides of the pieces were unfinished and had some mineral in the wood. Do you think that a recent switch to No. 2 Common lumber is involved?

Q. What do you think about using balau wood for outdoor furniture? Any comments are appreciated, as information on this wood is quite limited.

Q: I have used some contact cement to glue veneers, finished them, and several days later I had some bubbles where the adhesive had let go.

Q: Like everyone else, we have some end cracking at the glue joints during the wintertime in our glued-up panels. Our supplier says that the problem is the dry humidity in our plant (about 25 percent RH) and I wonder if it is the high MC in the lumber. What perplexes me is that when we have cracking, we measure the MC and it is always under 7 percent MC and sometimes under 6 percent MC. We are considering increasing the RH in our plant this winter; 45 percent RH has been suggested. Can you comment or direct us in the right direction, as this cracking is expensive?

Q: I just purchased some cherry and it is full of small dark streaks. What are they and are they found in one area of the country more than another?

Q: I am curious what it means when a nail is called 6 penny.

Q: We have a gang rip saw that we have trouble with. When the lumber is about halfway through, the piece travels away from the fence. The infeed has rollers that are at an angle so that the lumber is pushed against the fence. That seems to work well for the beginning of the pieces, but then it moves away from the fence. When we increase the feed roll pressure it seems like it might get worse. Any ideas?