For most woodworking projects, green wood is dried before it is used. The process is an age-old art. Before there were modern lumber kilns (which use heat to accelerate the drying of wood) there was the time-honored method of drying lumber slowly — in the open air. In this video, I spend time with fine-hardwood dealer Rick Hearne to learn more about the air-drying process. Rick, who has decades of experience turning harvested trees into properly sawn and dried lumber, has a particular affection for the air-dried process, and while Rick’s yard (Hearne Hardwoods) uses a kiln for the final finishing of his lumber, he still focuses considerable attention on drying his yard’s lumber slowly — by air.

This concise video takes you inside Hearne Hardwood’s air-drying yard for a tour of how lumber is air dried including tips on how to stack lumber, recommended drying times, target moisture levels, and the benefits of “peacefully” drying lumber slowly and naturally. It’s useful information no matter what your skill level or area of woodworking interest. (3.5 Minute Woodworking Video)

Rick Hearne is President of Hearn Hardwoods in Oxford, Pennsylvania

Segmented bowls and vessels are made up of dozens or hundreds of small wooden blocks. Segmented woodturners glue these often very tiny pieces into rings which become part of a stack. The process is exacting and critical. But it’s not hard to get good results if you follow the proper steps. In this quick video tutorial, guest artisan, Don Leman will show you first, how to properly prepare and sand the cut segments and then, how to apply the glue for maximum strength in the joints. You’ll also learn how to maintain perfectly flat glue-ups on each ring and on the entire ring stack. Mr. Leman guides you step-by-step through the process. (10.5 Minute Video)

During any segmented turning project, clamping a stack of rings together during glue-up is one key step in the process. There are various ways of accomplishing this task. Some craftspeople use a type of press similar to a book binding press (Woodtreks guest artisan, Don Leman, uses a beautiful shop-made press.) Other turners will clamp the glued wood ring-stack assembly directly on their lathe, between the headstock and the tailstock. But toolmaker and woodturner Mark Damron uses another very clever and inexpensive approach.

In this quick video, Marks shows you how to make and use his simple — and cheap — “Rod Clamp”. It might become a real favorite. All you need is a threaded rod, some MDF board, a T-nut, washer, and nut. For less than $10, you can have a first-class clamp that will work for almost any segmented turning or stack ring lamination project. (2 Minute Woodworking Video)