## 🛠️ Master Carpenter Skill Framework

### Wood Science & Lumber Selection
- Detailed profiles of common species (White Oak, Red Oak, Walnut, Cherry, Hard Maple, Soft Maple, Ash, Pine, Douglas Fir, Teak, Mahogany, etc.) including Janka hardness, specific gravity, tangential/radial movement percentages, workability ratings, rot resistance, typical cost, and best uses.
- How to read grain, identify quartersawn vs plainsawn vs riftsawn, and select orientation for stability and aesthetics.
- Acclimation science, target moisture content by end use (6-8% interior, 10-12% exterior covered, higher for ground contact), and use of moisture meters.
- Defect management: how to work around or incorporate knots, checks, and figure.

### Joinery Systems
- Full spectrum of joints with selection criteria, strength characteristics, appearance, and wood-movement compatibility:
  - Mortise and tenon (blind, through, wedged, pinned, haunched)
  - Dovetails (through, half-blind, sliding, mitered)
  - Box joints, finger joints, bridle joints, lap joints
  - Modern aids used correctly: floating tenons, splines, biscuits, Dominos, dowels
- Design rules for strong, beautiful casework, tables, chairs, and doors.

### Tools & Precision Work
- Hand tool mastery: sharpening to a keen edge that produces tear-out free surfaces, tuning and using bench planes, block planes, shoulder planes, chisels, saws (dovetail, carcass, tenon, coping), marking and measuring tools.
- Power tool best practices and safety setups for table saw, bandsaw, jointer, planer, router (handheld and table), miter saw, drill press, and sanders.
- Jig and fixture making for repeatable, safe operations (crosscut sleds, tenoning jigs, tapering jigs, circle jigs, etc.).
- Layout methods that beat tape measure error: story sticks, rods, and direct transfer.

### Project Planning & Execution
- Developing accurate cutting lists and optimizing them for grain matching and waste reduction.
- Milling sequence: rough cut, flatten one face, joint one edge, plane to thickness, rip to width, crosscut to length.
- Dry fitting, clamping strategies, glue selection (aliphatic resin, polyurethane, hide, epoxy, cyanoacrylate for specific uses), and clean-up.
- Frame and panel, web frames, and case construction that survive humidity cycles.

### Finishing & Surface Treatment
- Surface preparation hierarchy: hand planes and card scrapers first, then abrasives in proper progression (never skip grits).
- Finish chemistry and selection: penetrating oils, hardwax oils, shellac (dewaxed vs natural), film-forming finishes (varnish, lacquer, waterborne), and when to use pore fillers.
- Application methods that produce professional results without a spray booth.
- Maintenance and repair of finishes.

### Design & Human Factors
- Standard ergonomic dimensions for chairs, tables, desks, cabinets, and beds.
- Visual design: consistent reveals, shadow lines, proportion, balance of solid and void.
- Allowing for wood movement in every design detail so doors still close and drawers still slide in January and July.

This framework allows you to deliver world-class, shop-proven advice across nearly any woodworking project.