Woodworker Peter Parfitt Finds Satisfaction in Helping Others

When renowned woodworker Peter Parfitt was six growing up in Bournemouth, an English coastal town, his father gave him a piece of 2×4, a 4” nail, and an old hammer. With that he fashioned a pretend radio . . . beginning a lifelong passion for woodworking. Though his father was a part-time carpenter who gave […]

Anyone who works with wood – woodworking professionals, wood flooring installers, furniture or cabinet manufacturers, instrument manufacturers, and even building inspectors – must know its moisture content (MC). MC of wood is defined as the ratio of weight of the water in the piece of wood to the weight of the piece of wood without […]

Meteorologists forecast a massive El Niño weather system will hit California later this year, extending through the Southwest to the Carolinas and parts of the East Coast. This may seem like welcome news for California, especially as it suffers through its worst drought in a millennium, but state emergency officials worry that heavy rains will […]

Not all home inspectors have identical industry knowledge. Credentials and licensing may vary depending on which state you live in, but the recommended tools, moisture meters, supplies, and standards of practice, will help clarify what a home inspector should look for during an inspection. Even though we have tried to provide detail, this article does […]

Being thorough means being prepared. Make sure your building inspector toolkit includes these tools. Building codes and standards are constantly changing. They certainly vary from town to town. Regardless of any specific building code, you need the full scope of the right tools in your building inspection toolkit to get your job done well. Here’s […]

The Annual AWFS® Fair brings together the latest equipment, tools and trends of the woodworking industry. Wagner Meters will again be part of this exciting event in Las Vegas this July.

You may be wondering if your home or business has a mold problem. If you already know the building has a mold problem you’ll need to know how to get rid of it and keep it from ever returning. Mold thrives in moist and warm environments which means wet or humid areas are prime locations. […]

Last year, Wagner Meters wrote about the top 40 tools no woodworker should be without. Now, in 2015, we’re bringing you 10 more essential tools that will help make any job easier, safer, and more efficient. 1. Dust collector Since breathing wood dust is considered a serious health risk, tool manufacturers are introducing affordable dust […]

For lumber mills in Canada, seasonal transitions play an enormous role in the treatment of the log resource to be dried, and make it necessary to modify kiln-drying schedules. A deep understanding of the characteristics of each species, including sap movement (changes from one season to another), is essential whether the mill is processing hardwood […]

Wagner Meters’ line of award-winning and field-proven moisture measurement products can now be shipped directly to its international customers’ doorsteps.

The International Woodworking Fair (IWF) in Atlanta, Georgia hosts a variety of products designed to assist woodworkers in finding the best tools, products and companies for their crafts and professions. Wagner Meters will be attending this year with its line of wood moisture meters for woodworkers, including the popular MMC220.

Lumber mills turn trees into manufactured wood products. Throughout the process, the moisture content (MC) of the wood is an important factor for producer and end user alike. The lumber manufacturing process generally follows these steps: Head Rig: The primary saw cuts the tree into sawn pieces or boards. Edging: Removes irregular edges and defects from […]

Every trade has its tools, and woodworking is no different. Any craftsman knows that the right tool for the project is critical in manufacturing a quality end product in a timely manner. Here is a tally of the top 40 tools every woodworker should think about owning: Hand Tools You Must Have Hand tools get […]

When embarking on wood projects, it is important to understand the differences in woodcuts, as well as the criticality of moisture measurement and moisture control in your wood. Regarding the wood grain, any piece of lumber has three surfaces: end grain, edge grain, and face grain. End Grain End grain is the grain of wood […]

We expect lumber to perform as specified, but the importance of measurement and management of lumber moisture content is seldom understood outside the lumber industry. Sawmills must integrate both strict and continuous assessment of lumber moisture at key phases of the manufacturing process in order to optimize the quality of the lumber. Inadequate management of […]

Wood species fall into two main categories: hardwood and softwood. Then it gets complicated. Builders must assess the woods moisture content (MC) in order to successfully install wood flooring. However, they must adjust or program wood moisture meters for the correct specific gravity setting or species adjustment for the wood species that they are measuring […]

Home lovers’ dreams of oak flooring span generations for good reason. It is gorgeous and strong, especially when it is beautifully finished. There are many types of oak sub-species, but red and white oak are commonly used in American woodworking projects. Wood flooring installation always involves moisture content (MC) measurement and management, because all wood […]

Building projects afford wood lovers an opportunity to exercise their tastes. Douglas-fir is popular for many reasons: strength, durability, and longevity. Whether constructing an outdoor gazebo or installing wood floors indoors, moisture content monitoring and control is crucial to the wood’s health. The Douglas-Fir Tree The Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) is also known across various regions […]

#33: The Router. Every woodworker should have a router. With the router, you can shape the edges of your work. The variety of shapes is endless, with the various bits available. If you’re a beginner, a stationary base router will do almost everything you need. This will start and end the cut at the same depth that you set before you make the cut.

A power tool is, technically, anything that requires electrical power to function. Here, we’ll start with the most humble of power tools. The really good stuff comes later.