Appreciation post: talking with an old timer at the lumber yard

I ran into a retired cabinetmaker named Hank at the lumber yard last Tuesday. He watched me picking through some cherry boards and just said "you're hunting for straight grain, but you ought to look for figure instead." I always thought perfect flat grain was the safe bet, but he showed me a wild curly piece and explained how clients remember character. Has anyone else had a random conversation that changed how you pick materials?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_lee24d agoMost Upvoted

My mate's dad was a trim carpenter for forty years and he always said the same thing. He told me once that flat grain is for production work but figure is for the pieces people actually stop and look at.

piper_reed24d ago

Kept a few figured cherry pieces for my own kitchen cabinets, no regrets.