The Grain
Woodworking guides, technique deep-dives, and notes from the workshop.
Choosing the Right Wood Species for Your Pattern
A deep dive into 12 hardwoods commonly used in intarsia and scroll saw work — color, grain, workability, and which patterns they suit best.
June 10, 2026
5 Scroll Saw Techniques That Will Transform Your Cuts
From blade selection to stack cutting, these five techniques separate beginner scroll sawyers from confident craftspeople.
May 28, 2026
How AI Is Changing Woodworking Pattern Design
We built an AI pattern generator that runs entirely in your browser. Here's what it does, how it works, and what it means for custom woodworking.
May 15, 2026
The Art of Grain Direction in Intarsia
Grain direction is intarsia's invisible ingredient — the difference between a piece that looks assembled and one that looks alive.
May 2, 2026
Intarsia Techniques: The Complete Workshop Guide
Every essential intarsia technique in one place — elevating, grain direction, undercutting, sanding, and finishing. The guide you bookmark and keep returning to.
July 1, 2026
CNC Intarsia: Where Digital Tools Meet Traditional Craft
How CNC routers, laser cutters, and Glowforge machines are changing intarsia pattern workflow — and what they still cannot replace.
June 25, 2026
Intarsia vs Marquetry: Understanding the Difference
Both are wood mosaic arts — but the tools, techniques, and results are entirely different. Here's how to tell them apart and choose which suits your workshop.
June 18, 2026
Christmas Intarsia Patterns: 5 Holiday Projects for Your Workshop
From a 16-piece Christmas pine to a detailed Santa portrait — five intarsia holiday projects ranked by difficulty, with wood species recommendations for each.
June 5, 2026
Wildlife Intarsia: Capturing Animals in Wood
How to approach wildlife subjects — from choosing the right reference photo to translating feathers, fur, and scales into convincing wood grain selections.
May 20, 2026
Beginner Intarsia Wood: Your First Project Start to Finish
A step-by-step walkthrough of a first intarsia project — from buying your first wood blanks to hanging the finished piece on the wall.
May 10, 2026