All wood workers need to be aware of wood movement when building furniture projects. Failure to consider this important factor can cause wood panels to crack or split.

My high school biology teacher compared structure of a piece of wood with a bundle of straws. The straws represent cells and capillaries of wood. When a tree is growing water and food are transferred up through cells and are carried throughout tree.

Once a tree is fell free water in wood is lost rather quickly but bound water trapped in straw like cell is slower to dissipate. As level of bound water is reduced these straw like cells get narrower in diameter but maintain their length. This is fundamental reason that wood expands and contracts across its width but has almost no expansion length wise.

When working with wood it is very important to allow wood to expand and contract with changes in humidity. As humidity rises straw like cells expand in diameter with opposite effect occurring as relative humidity falls.

Ways to accommodate expansion

Question: What advantages does autograph collecting offer as compared to other collectibles?

Answer: Autographs have been called “frozen moments in time.” Autograph collectors are curators of history. The most personal item that one person can give is his or her signature. Anything that can be signed can be considered collectible…letters, documents, photographs, books, memorabilia, etc. Few objects give a collector opportunity to own a unique or one-of-a-kind item that is actually part of someone who is known by millions of people. That is main reason why autograph collecting has become one of fastest growing hobbies in recent years.

Question: What guidelines should I consider when purchasing autographs?