Some traditional means of preserving wood structures (repainting, replacing weakened elements) are presented in five case studies: the church door at Stillingfleet, Yorkshire, the maypole at Barwick-in-Elmet, Yorkshire, the warships HMS <i>Victory</i> and <i>Mary Rose</i>, and the Viking Buildings, York. The author comments about the division between traditional and scientific approaches to the conservation of wood, and recommends cooperation in the sharing of information on methods among international bodies.