5 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Hardwood – Tips From a Hardwood Expert

5 Mistakes to Avoid When Buying Hardwood – Tips From a Hardwood Expert

Don’t make these 5 Mistakes when buying hardwoods! Hardwood store owner Mark Puente, from https://www.wtghardwoods.com shares 5 things to consider when buying hardwood for your woodworking projects. We will discuss hardwood grain patterns, kiln vs air dried, hardwood imperfections, what to look for on the end grain of hardwoods, and hardwood moisture and allowing acclimation to your climate before using.

🎥 Videos To Watch Next:
Watch This Before Buying Hardwoods: https://youtu.be/EsMhiGBho0s
Buying Wood from Big Box Stores: https://youtu.be/qtB-yIQ3b6U

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0:00 Intro
0:22 Hardwood Grain Pattern
2:14 Kiln vs Air Dried Hardwood
4:12 Hardwood Knots and Imperfections
4:51 Hardwood End Grain Tells a Story
6:23 Hardwood Moisture Level and Acclimation
8:06 Important to Maintain Climate for Hardwoods

50 Comments

  1. Woodsongs by Russell on March 22, 2022 at 5:56 pm

    Awesome video! Thank you so much for the great info! God bless!



  2. Bruce Paddle on March 22, 2022 at 5:57 pm

    Great content! Very informative – stuff I’ve not heard before. I come here to get an education & you never fail! Thanks man!



  3. Awestruck Audio Hertz on March 22, 2022 at 5:57 pm

    Always loved using pieces that has knots!



  4. Eric Menefee on March 22, 2022 at 5:59 pm

    Good stuff brother 👊🏽 Embrace the Imperfections. love it



  5. Buddy McClure on March 22, 2022 at 5:59 pm

    Awesome video, really appreciate sharing your knowledge.



  6. Ian Smith on March 22, 2022 at 5:59 pm

    Matt, I sincerely believe that your dream of being the biggest woodworking channel on YouTube is more than achievable and already within your grasp. Your hard work is paying off and we all see your passion for the woodworking community and culture shine through with every video you upload. Keep sharing the gift that god gave you and we’ll all be here for the ride! Also, great to see Mark back he’s a fan favorite lol



  7. Mr. Hunter on March 22, 2022 at 6:02 pm

    I like that man.



  8. thetruebatman on March 22, 2022 at 6:02 pm

    Brotha the beard BELONGS. might try to fade those burns up a little tighter, us bald guys can’t just let them fall off the table when they climb upstairs lol but you look grizzled champ. Awesome video.



  9. Tyler Smith on March 22, 2022 at 6:02 pm

    Great info.



  10. Boe Judden on March 22, 2022 at 6:02 pm

    0:40
    All patterns matter, Mr. Mark.



  11. chris anderson on March 22, 2022 at 6:04 pm

    great tips! There was no mention of the pith, however. I guess that was tip number 6. lol



  12. Banshee Indahouz on March 22, 2022 at 6:04 pm

    Really cool vid!!! Love it when knowledge is passed on by very good people!!!!



  13. JEFF ALLRED on March 22, 2022 at 6:05 pm

    Mark is first class and will treat you right. Worth the shipping fee to DFW. He’s my GO TO source for hardwoods!



  14. P Wisc on March 22, 2022 at 6:05 pm

    Besides being fun woodworking for me as a DIYer, it is a piece of art keeping in mind all of those factors mentioned in this video to have a good result. Thanks for sharing man!!



  15. tanksouth on March 22, 2022 at 6:09 pm

    Thank you.



  16. Michigan Racer on March 22, 2022 at 6:10 pm

    Thanks, Great information.



  17. 731 Woodworks on March 22, 2022 at 6:10 pm

    Watch This Before Buying Hardwoods: https://youtu.be/EsMhiGBho0s



  18. profcah on March 22, 2022 at 6:11 pm

    Thank you. Learned a LOT! The smiles and frown trick is awesome by the way.



  19. kyl3dr on March 22, 2022 at 6:13 pm

    https://youtu.be/pMudMkcD490?t=165 don’t those dominos prevent the wood from expanding and contracting the way it needs to? I’ve read if you try to prevent the natural movement it can lead to splitting.

    It looks like those dominos are going into grain that runs in opposing directions, so the wood in one direction will move and the wood on the other side of the domino will not move with it.



  20. HiSpy on March 22, 2022 at 6:14 pm

    Valuable Video!
    That ambrosia-beetle made a nice USB-logo. =)



  21. Charles Guffey on March 22, 2022 at 6:16 pm

    Love the consistent uploads



  22. Jeremy Huggins on March 22, 2022 at 6:17 pm

    Hey Matt, new subscriber here. On the last video you did with Mark ya’ll mentioned Maple being torn up or ruined if it were to be run through a planer. Do you have, or can you do a video on how to mill/finish Maple?



  23. Sheelah K on March 22, 2022 at 6:18 pm

    I wish I could figure out why YT does not alert me to any new videos from channels I subscribe to and ring the bell. I was just notified of this video 3 days later. 🙁



  24. Greg Wallin on March 22, 2022 at 6:18 pm

    I was thought that the outer growth rings shrink faster than the inner growth rings. It cups the opposite way of the rings.



  25. Zach Medeiros on March 22, 2022 at 6:18 pm

    Man this is all the kinds of information I’ve been looking for. Great things to know before taking on a larger project. I recently visited a store that sells exotics and other hardwoods and I felt so inspired but I didn’t want to buy anything until I knew what I was getting into. Thanks a lot!



  26. Michael Mason - LYTOMIZE Woodshop on March 22, 2022 at 6:24 pm

    Awesome video – I love it when you two collaborate. I will soon be diving into the hardwood world, but when I visited a local hardwood seller recently just to look, it was so awesome to have the knowledge you’ve passed on so far!!!



  27. taironus on March 22, 2022 at 6:25 pm

    great video! We did a counter a few years ago for a friends cabin. when my buddy moved it up outta his basement to finish it out doors after kiln drying it, the weather turned to rain. thr counter was sealed and under cover but the grains were both "frowning". after the install in a wood stove heated home, it cupped about 1/4 in the center. no c channel installed and no poly on the underside. lesson learned. on so many levels! 🙁



  28. Chris L on March 22, 2022 at 6:25 pm

    Right back at ya 👊



  29. T Paul Smith on March 22, 2022 at 6:25 pm

    Thanks for the content, Matt. Fellow Arky.



  30. Peter M on March 22, 2022 at 6:26 pm

    Mark should have his own channel. Very knowledgeable with hardwoods.



  31. Cullen Bohannon on March 22, 2022 at 6:27 pm

    Love these teaching videos so much. Being armed with the knowledge to be confident in buying for a project means alot to us newbies. I’m new to your channel do if I missed it I’m sorry. Could you possibly do a video about buying from a sawmill as well if at all possible. Great content thanks again for all you do



  32. Benjamin Gerow on March 22, 2022 at 6:27 pm

    First vid of yours I ever saw was when Mark was on before, and I subscribed right there.



  33. Jason Oliver on March 22, 2022 at 6:32 pm

    Hey Matt, great idea to have this guy on and give a "tutorial" so to speak on hardwoods. Very valuable information you two passed on. Maybe make it a regular thing to have the two of you on? You present very pertinent questions and he explains the answers very well. Good job buddy!



  34. Dean Williams on March 22, 2022 at 6:33 pm

    Just found a stumpy Nub vid on case hardened wood. Appreciate all the information!



  35. CA Rasmussen on March 22, 2022 at 6:35 pm

    thank you both for a very informative video. I learned quite a bit and I already have Mark’s website bookmarked 🙂



  36. Big Dog on March 22, 2022 at 6:37 pm

    This was a GREAT video. Very informative. Thanks.



  37. Benny Gerow on March 22, 2022 at 6:37 pm

    Super knowledgeable guy just throwing out a hundred tips for free. You gotta love it!



  38. Jerry Johnson II on March 22, 2022 at 6:38 pm

    Thanks for the knowledge !!!!!!!!!!!!



  39. MacKenzie LumberMill on March 22, 2022 at 6:41 pm

    Very informative! Thanks I enjoyed this, congrats on hitting 200,000 subs xoxo Sandy



  40. Tom Coomes on March 22, 2022 at 6:42 pm

    Great tips!! Thank you for doing this video!
    Stay safe, I wish nothing but the best for you and your family.



  41. jared stee on March 22, 2022 at 6:45 pm

    Is there a physical location I live just north of Bentonville?



  42. ilive4livemusic on March 22, 2022 at 6:46 pm

    Very helpful



  43. CM on March 22, 2022 at 6:47 pm

    💙



  44. Luis G on March 22, 2022 at 6:50 pm

    Very good info. Sometimes its easy not to think about the behavior of wood, its nice to hear the insight from experience.



  45. Michigan Racer on March 22, 2022 at 6:51 pm

    Thanks, Great information.



  46. Rick Conyers on March 22, 2022 at 6:52 pm

    Mark, I love your channel and always informative videos. I framed houses in the early 2000’s but got away from any type of woodworking for awhile. I’m wanting to get into furniture building as a paying hobby. I also live in Arkansas and I’m finding it difficult to find good sources of hardwood. I notice you frequent WTG in Bentonville. I’m in Cabot and it looks like you’re in south Arkansas. Are there any you’d recommend closer to central Arkansas? Sorry for the long question!



  47. Sam Mathis on March 22, 2022 at 6:52 pm

    I really like mark.



  48. baranquillero12 on March 22, 2022 at 6:53 pm

    Really great tips, and good explanation of the difference from air dry and kiln dry.



  49. Damon Barber is The SAWW Dust Shop on March 22, 2022 at 6:53 pm

    Great video! Very informative and lots of valuable tips for using the wood, not just understanding the wood.



  50. Ben Tebrunsvelt on March 22, 2022 at 6:53 pm

    Holland to🤣🤣👍👍🇳🇱