We all know lumber comes from trees, but trees were not designed for lumber. Man has to take something that naturally grows in a cylindrical shape, dry it out and make it rectangular. It’s a peculiar ...

Oftentimes, hardwood lumber drying begins with exposure to an uncontrolled outside environment in a process called air drying. At times, loss of quality in this process can be in excess of 10 percent.

If you have the skills, tools and inclination to build a solid wood coffin like I did, then you probably don’t need me to tell you how. What might be less clear is how to make a more direct connection ...