Q: We continue to have problems with cherry oxidation. We build doors that go into inventory in our door racks. Occasionally, some stacks may be there for long periods. The edges of the door and panel profile are sanded as the door is being built, but not the faces of the styles and rails. As we pull doors and send them through the final sanding lines, the stiles and rails and the center of the panel get sanded. This leaves a darker edge that was exposed to the air and light while in the door racks. This causes a quality problem for us, as most of our cherry goes out in a natural or light stain. We are proposing to put some type of curtain up around the cherry racks. Will this help? Do you have any suggestions?

Q. We process wenge. When we re-saw it to make two thinner pieces, we see a distinct yellow hue in varying shade tones within the core of the lumber. We know that it does eventually turn dark. Is this normal?

Q: We have just encountered a few pieces of 4/4 red oak lumber, all from one supplier. After we plane the lumber and let it sit for a few days, we will have small (1/4 inch along the grain and 1/16 inch wide) black spots that look like there is tar inside the wood. The black tar seems to bleed out a little bit after a week or so. The lumber has been kiln dried at 160 F maximum. If we do not find these pieces, the black will bleed through in small streaks through the light colored finishes.

Q: When we finish wood, our first step is to apply a medium stain. Immediately, on some pieces of wood, we have some areas that seem to take more stain and will be darker than other areas. The wood appears blotchy. Can you help?

Earl Lepper of 20-20 shares six common sense lessons from his experience as a software user and provider.