Summer Patios

It's summer. School is out and the grills are being fired up. While some are already enjoing their fine patio furniture, there are still some who have yet to experience their yard with solid wood furniture. Now is a great time to check out some options and get some design ideas. Click here to read some great tips for your outdoor furniture selection.

Hardwood vs Softwood - The Misconception

There are two broad categories of woods: Hardwoods and Softwoods. .. You followin’ me so far?

Can you guess how the two are different?

If you said, “Hardwood is hard, and soft wood is soft,” you are wrong!

As surprising as that is, lets dig a little deeper and find out why.

Hardwoods are from trees with leafs; deciduous trees.

Some common hardwoods that End Grain Studios uses are: ash (think baseball bats), hard and soft maple, rosewood, and cocobolo. Balsa wood (extremely soft) is also a hardwood!

Softwoods are from trees with needles; coniferous trees.

Commonly used softwoods are spruce (used for 2x4’s), cedar, and fir (which is actually really hard).

I’m not sure what thoughtless person came up with these confusing terms, but if I ever find out… well… this softie wood have to go hard on him!

5 Tips for Choosing Living Room Furniture

Congratulations, you’ve decided to start researching furniture for your living room. The furniture in your living room says a lot about you and your style, so choosing the proper furniture is a very important part of designing your living room.

End Grain Articles has put together 5 tips to help you choose the right furniture.

1. The very first thing you need to look at is how much room you have. Before you order, know the size of your living room.

Take note of window placement and height (maybe the furniture can be built to fit under a window) or other structural features.

2. If the furniture is going to be used heavily (ie: by the rug rats!) choose furniture designs that will stand up to that kind of use.

3. Style is important! The furniture in your living room tells a lot about you. Are you trendy or classic, loud or quiet? Allow your furniture to tell the right message.

4. Do you have other pieces of furniture that you are going to keep? Think about ordering the similar colors so that it all matches. You might also take note of the colors of the walls and other woodwork in the house, and order furniture that will contrast with it to make a more visually appealing room.

5. Understand the construction before you order a piece of furniture. Chances are that if you buy high quality furniture, it will be passed down. Most custom furniture makers take pride on constructing pieces that are made to last.

If you need more help or have questions contact End Grain Studios for more free advice!

For more of the End Grain Articles 5 Tips Series click here.

5 Tips for Choosing Outdoor Furniture

Outdoor furniture is not only a wonderful way to dress up your yard, but it is also a great way to enjoy it. Inviting outdoor furniture draws people in when they are out in the yard.

End Grain Articles has put together 5 tips to help you choose the right furniture.

1. The first thing that you need to know is the size of the area that needs furniture. Is it a large patio or perhaps small porch? You don’t want to cram too much furniture into a small area.

2. The use of the furniture will help determine the required style. Some common uses are front porches, patios and pool side chairs. Other uses may be an outdoor bars and high bar chairs or circular benches for around the fireplace or a fountain.

3. Side by side with the use of the furniture is the comfort level. The piece of furniture can be oversized and comfortable or it may be better to choose a piece that is more simplistic in design.

4. Most outdoor furniture is made of wood, plastic, or metal. Being biased we will just talk about wood here!

Some woods are more suitable for outdoor furniture than others. One of the most well known woods for this setting is teak. There are also other, more cost conscious options available with the same great weather resistant characteristics available to furniture makers.

5. Outdoor furniture is built differently than indoor furniture. It’s important to understand the construction of any piece of furniture before you order it. High quality construction and weather resistant finishes are a must if you want your furniture to last.

Good luck finding your next piece of outdoor furniture and remember that if you need more help or have questions contact End Grain Studios for more free advice!

For more of the End Grain Articles 5 Tips Series click here.

Sam Maloof - An American Icon

As a woodworker, leaning never stops. I had the pleasure of viewing a 2 day workshop by the late Sam Maloof. I learned a lot from this man, not only his woodworking techniques and his style, but also about the importance of faith in God and the closeness of family.


Sam Maloof was one of the most well known and skilled woodworkers of our time. His prized work was featured, among other places, in the Smithsonian Institute. His furniture literally sold all around the world. Former President Carter has many Maloof pieces in his own home.

This sleek, inviting, curvy lined rocking chair captures Maloof’s style. Starting with thick slabs of wood, every part of this chair was skillfully shaped by the hands of this visionary craftsman. Towards the end of his career, a rocking chair would sell for $15,000–$20,000.

One of these rocking chairs also resided in the household of President Reagan ^[1].

Maloof worked in his shop into his 90’s, and passed away in May of 2009.

The legacy left by Maloof continues with the Maloof Foundation with the mission, “To perpetuate excellence in craftsmanship.”

To learn more about Sam Maloof, the foundation, or to donate, click here.

Handpicked Lumber - A Visit to the Specialty Lumber Yard

After going through the project design and wood choices with our customers, a trip to our local specialty lumber yard is called for… come along with me!

A walk through the huge sliding double doors reveals stacks and stacks of wood organized by type, thickness, and quality. The first time you see the huge quantities of wood, you are overwhelmed by it all. The picture above is only one isle out of 7 or 8, it's impressive!

The exotic woods have their own room which displays some of the world's most beautiful hardwoods. It's really neat to see them all standing next to each other, each with their own unique colors and grain patterns.

An adjacent room displays stacks and stacks of premium American hardwoods. I ended up going home with some of the hard maple on the left.

A walk down this isle takes you past a lot of rough sawn lumber. Rough sawn lumber is lumber that has not been flattened, cut down to standard sizes, and sanded; it's usually right from the sawmill.

This piece of project inspiring black walnut is from the isle above. It is a beautiful find (too bad I didn't need it!). To give you an idea of the scale, it's about 2in thick 16in wide and about 12ft long.

A walk down the next isle over reveals even bigger pieces of wood. Some are over 6 inches thick! A big thick piece of mahogany from this isle would be great for a fire place mantel.

After walking around and picking out the wood for your project, it's off to purchase it and load it up.

Picking out lumber for your project at the specialty lumber yard is always an exciting time. This basic, but critical step helps so greatly in determining the character and feel of the final your product. Though it takes time to hand pick these specialty woods, our commitment to this step is one of the things that sets End Grain Studios apart.

Ring Around the Heartwood

The recipe box project, featured in the End Grain Studios gallery, touts a bold display of how heartwood and sapwood can create brilliant contrast.

You’ve all counted growth rings on a tree before (if not, I’m sorry to tell you that you’re missing a part of your childhood). The new growth of a tree creates the outer rings; which is called sapwood. In some cased it its a lighter color than the darker older rings called the heartwood.

The tree goes through a process to protect itself from decay. During this process the heartwood turns a darker color. For furniture makers, the contrasting colors between the sapwood and heartwood can be used as a valued visual feature.

Think about this: A tree gets chopped down, milled, and sent to End Grain Studios to be turned into a piece of art. The final product will incorporate a range of woods from the heartwood (maybe one hundred years old) to the fresh sapwood (maybe only a year old) and will now live in your and your childrens’ homes for hundreds of more years. How cool is that?