- design for the worst-case scenario for a given practice setup (note that wood is graded on how many knots there are and how tight they are expected to be) and work around that, eliminating pieces w/ problematic grain - use engineered lumber where appropriate

This is a marked contrast to some styles of hand-woodworking --- I can still recall walking with a great-uncle in the woods when we came to a walnut tree where the trunk had an odd angle to it (apparently the main trunk had broken off vertically in a storm and a branch had continued the upward growth) --- he immediately took a colorful handkerchief out of his pocket and tied it around the tree, looked carefully at a couple of local landmarks visible through the trees, and then confident of being able to return to the spot, we went to his cabin, fetched a saw and ax and proceeded to cut the (smallish) tree down and sectioning it off, taking it back to his cabin where he covered the ends of the central portion around the angle in melted paraffin.

Almost a decade later during another visit, he announced he had something to show me and got out a rifle which I remembered as having a broken stock --- he had of course restocked it (once it had dried sufficiently) with the tree which had grown at an angle which was perfect to make the stock out of.