Any woodwork project involves woodworking supplies, which includes of course your tools and the wood you will use. Choosing the wood you want to use for your project is a key component to ending up with a project that pleases you. Deciding on the best wood prior to beginning the project is also likely to save you time, money and frustration. If you have a set of plans, it should include a materials list. If you are going to wing it by designing your own plans, then you will create your own materials list, which includes the wood you will use. When deciding on your project, you will need to decide first between hard wood or softwood. Softwood is the wood from conifers. It includes most evergreen trees, other than larch and bald cyprus. Hardwood is a term used to describe angiosperm trees and includes woods such as oak, cherry, maple, birch, etc. Despite the names, softwood is not necessarily softer than hardwood and hardwood is not necessarily harder than softwood. There is a huge variation in softness among the various trees in each category. However, softwood is generally easier to work with than hardwood. Much woodwork done by humans involves softwood. Your next decision is to consider the finish that you want. In the softwood category, red cedar is a good choice for a natural wood finish. If you plan on painting your project, pine is good. Both red cedar and pine are easy to work with and usually easy to locate and purchase. Hardwoods are usually finished, not painted, although there are always exceptions. For best results in your woodwork project, purchase your wood a few weeks in advance. Store it someplace where damp cannot get at it, and put spacers between the boards. Your intent is to dry the wood out as much as possible. Do this and the wood will be easier to work with and you will experience less warping.
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