Lightweight, bendable, relatively weak.

Woman relates tale of challenges and determination successfully taking over her husband's woodworking business

Q: We have some 3-inch cherry squares that have end checks that may be as long as 4 inches. We used an end coating, but we still got these checks. I have attached a kiln schedule that our operator uses. What next?

Q: We manufacture hardwood furniture and the market is quite slow. Maybe you have some ideas to help us in a slow market? We have excess kiln capacity and wonder what you think about doing some custom kiln drying or drying lumber and selling KD lumber.

Q: We are having a few open joints when we veneer maple to a particleboard core. But when we glue pine, we do not have any problems. I think that perhaps the maple is too wet?

Q: We make dining tables (two pieces with a leaf) that we send to Arizona. We are having trouble with a gap developing in Arizona at the edges of where the leaf joins the two permanent top pieces; the center of the leaf fits tightly. These tables are tight all along the joint when they leave Minnesota. Our plant is 40 to 45 percent RH, which seems to keep the tops in good shape here. The MC of the tops here in Minnesota is 5.2 percent MC, checked with a pin-type moisture meter. We store our tops before we finish them in an unheated warehouse. Could the cold have any effect?

Q: We are getting a lot of chipped grain with our newly purchased (used) planer. Our knife angles seem okay. We are feeding at 45 fpm which is quite slow. Can you help?