Q. We have trouble controlling the wood’s moisture content, which means relative humidity, in our storage building and in our shop. Can you talk about how heating air lowers the humidity?

Q. When we nail near the end of a piece, or nail or screw in the side edge, we often see a small split created by the fastener. Why is this and what can we do? With MDF, the fastener in an edge seems to create a bump in the surface of the board and also create a separation in the wood around the fastener.

Q. What makes a 2 x 2 inch square (about 24 inches long) that initially has the sides at perfect 90 degrees so it has a square profile become slightly diamond shaped with the sides no longer at 90 degrees to each other?

Q. When lumber comes out of the kiln at 6 percent MC, shell and core, and is then put into an open shed, still stickered, protected from rain and sun, how much moisture change will occur in a week? How much if we un-sticker it first? How much if we wrap in plastic?

Q. I made some decorative gates with cypress, but now after two years, I am seeing some rot. Isn’t cypress decay resistant naturally? I did notice that the annual growth rings were widely spaced compared to cypress I used before. What other species are rot or decay resistant?

Q. What does "dry" or "kiln dried" mean when referring to hardwood lumber?

Q. We have some jatoba pieces and they seem to have a lot of splits developing after we finish the pieces...like a month later when installed in a home. We checked the MC on the returned pieces and it checked ok. Any ideas?

Q. We have received some complaints about small cracks (I believe you call them checks) in the red oak stiles and rails of our kitchen cabinet doors. We replaced the doors a few months ago and have no more complaints, but what should we do to avoid this costly issue in the future?

Q. Can you suggest a reliable, quality supplier of walnut lumber? Right now, some loads are good and some are not. Someone commented that all the good lumber is going for export.

Q. It looks like the humidity sensors in our plant are not accurate anymore. How is the interior plant humidity related to outside humidity values?