Intarsia
..the basics
..picking the wood
..tracing your pattern
..basic cutting skills
..fitting your pieces
..sanding & profiling
..final assembly
..making the back panel

Veneering
..wood veneer basics
..which glue to use
..veneering up your work

Woodburning
..The Basics
..Do's and Don'ts
..Wood Burner
..Wood Burning Pen
..Clean Woodburning Pen
..Wood Burning Blanks
..Tansfering your Pattern

Woodcraft Ideas
..click here for list

Woodworking Tools
..tools info-click here

Wood
....wood info-click here

Wood Burning or "Pyrography" Tools
Picking the Right Wood Burning Tools

Temperature:
Most burners will tell you on the box, what their temperature range or setting is for that particular tool. The better quality burners will generally have a temperature dial that lets you adjust from 500 to 900 degrees. Lower quality pyrographic tools, typically have a one temperature setting around 600 degrees. Which do you want? Well if you see yourself pursuing this hobby to a rather advanced level, always chose a burner that lets you pick a temperature. This will allow for shading.

Lower temperature ranges and specially designed wood burning pens are used for fine lining and on softwoods like basswood. Higher temperatures are needed to do a good woodburning job of heavy duty burning on harder woods like ash or oak. With a temperature dial, you have full control, in all these situations. If all you want to do is play and not really sure whether this is the hobby for you, buy cheap. You'll upgrade later if you love it.

Two Pen or One:
Again it is a choice based on expected use. Some pyrography tools are built to accept only on cable plug in (ie. one pen, as in the smaller razertip burner pictured on the right). More expensive models accept one cable on each side of the box.

If you intent is to burn for an hour at a time, then the advantage of having two pens attached to one wood burner is that if one gets too hot you can switch.. or have a different bit on each pen and easily and quickly move from one bit to the next, without waiting for the pen to cool.

Cables:
Depending on the manufacture, the cables connecting the pen to the control unit may or maynot be sold independently. ..... and often with a choice between heavy duty and regular.

Heavy duty is necessary if you intend to use any heavy duty pens ie. like shaders, but ...you can use a light duty pen with a heavy duty cable...no problem.

The regular duty cables will be slightly more flexible and lighter then the heavy duty... some people that burn for long periods of time will find this significant. For the casual burner the heavy duty cable is a better choice because it allows you to use regular or heavy duty pens, with the same cable.

Good quality cables will have great flexibility, with a small cord size, and reliable fittings.

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