Picking wood

[Stan Johnsey]

I've been tryin' to find some decent wood to practice on. I have noticed that 2x10 stuff is better quality than the 2x4 stuff when I look at #2 Southern Yellow Pine. I guess they are forced to use bigger, straighter trees. Anyway, looking at the end grain you can see where the board came from in the tree. What do I want to look for?

The first project I am gonna work on is a 51"x51" outfeed table. I plan on make a frame of 1 1/2 x 2 1/2 pine ripped from the 2x10 with a top of 3/4 MDF topped by Formica with a single cross brace in each direction in the middle.

[Mike Parzych]

Just look out for anything cut from the very center of the tree - that'll tend to "move" more than wood from further out in the trunk. The worst stuff us 2" x 2" pine. Break open a bundle of them and you can just about watch them bow and twist like a pile of snakes.

[Joe Scharle]

What you have observed is 2X10 joist lumber (SYP) and 2X4 lumber (SPF).

[Stan Johnsey]

That was what I was wonderin'. Is it better to have something cut from the middle or somethin' from further out?

[Greg Cole]

If you look at the board from the butt end & it looks like a pattern of circles or a bulls eye... keep looking. The pith of a tree is very prone to being less stable than the boards with a "smile" or gentle arcs of growth rings. 2x4's are usually knotty as heck too.
If you are going to practice on construction grade lumber, be sure to let the material dry out-acclimate to your shop for a couple of weeks or more. 16-20% moisture content is very common & will raise many problems with movement when the material dries. Sticker and stack some heavy weights on the boards.

[Jim Summers]

If you look at the board from the butt end & it looks like a pattern of circles or a bulls eye... keep looking. The pith of a tree is very prone to being less stable than the boards with a "smile" or gentle arcs of growth rings. 2x4's are usually knotty as heck too.
If you are going to practice on construction grade lumber, be sure to let the material dry out-acclimate to your shop for a couple of weeks or more. 16-20% moisture content is very common & will raise many problems with movement when the material dries. Sticker and stack some heavy weights on the boards.

I remember once, I needed to build an interior wall. Went to the local borg and got the materials I needed. Brought it home and stacked it in the garage for use in a couple of days. When I went back out there a few days later, I had boards going all different directions! Fortunately I had over-purchased and had enoguh to get the job done and was able to return the real dog-legs.

[Myk Rian]

Poplar is great for practice and actual projects.

[Prashun Patel]

If you need to buy BORG pine, then use their 1x stock. For an outfeed table, 1x4 legs butt jointed on the corners will be PLENTY strong and stable. The non-clear stuff they have has some knots, but is otherwise passable and easier to find straight than the 2x stock.

Personally, I think ripping 2x stud stock is best avoided. It's hard on blades, and in many cases makes the saw motor work hard, and since it's rarely straight, the chance of binding and kickback is greatly increased. It's too much work.

I also like hardboard for the tops of outfeed tables. Lighter than melamine but slicker than wood or mdf.

[Rod Sheridan]

Hi Stan, since you want an outfeed table that stays flat, I'd avoid solid wood completely.

Good quality birch or maple plywood will make stable strips for your framework, and of course can be ripped into strips for the legs.

Make the legs out of two strips glued and nailed at right angles to make a piece of "angle iron" out of wood.

Make yourself a tapering jig for your saw, and put a nice taper on the two free edges of the legs, for appearance purposes.

I would make the top out of melamine particle board, it is very slippery, which is good for outfeed work.

Regards, Rod.

P.S. Now that I think about it, my new shop cabinets are made out of BB plywood with birch and walnut banding. Now when my youngest daughter, the fashionista comes downstairs, she likes the decor........LOL

[Stan Johnsey]

Makes sense. Is there a reason not to leave the laminate end of the plywood exposed other than estetics? The table depth need to be approximately 2 1/2 inches to fit flush with the top of the table. The edge next to the table can set on the angle bolted to the back of the saw that is part of the Biesemeyer fence. If I make a "box" that is roughly 48x48x2 1/2" with mitered corners out of 3/4 plywood, set the Formica covered 3/4 MDF inside and the glue/screw support blocks around the edge to hold it flush with the plywood "box" will it work?

[Rod Sheridan]

Makes sense. Is there a reason not to leave the laminate end of the plywood exposed other than estetics? The table depth need to be approximately 2 1/2 inches to fit flush with the top of the table. The edge next to the table can set on the angle bolted to the back of the saw that is part of the Biesemeyer fence. If I make a "box" that is roughly 48x48x2 1/2" with mitered corners out of 3/4 plywood, set the Formica covered 3/4 MDF inside and the glue/screw support blocks around the edge to hold it flush with the plywood "box" will it work?

Every time I've left the edge of a piece plywood uncovered, I've gotten a sliver.

Maybe I have soft hands, maybe I have bad karma, however, for the cost I now cap the edges with leftover maple or birch strips.

I would suggest however that you put the melamine PB on top of the plywood ladder frame, and edge band the PB if you want.

The top can be held on with screws from the underside so if it ever becomes damaged you can replace it.

regards, Rod.

[Prashun Patel]

There's no reason to band the edges of decent ply other than looks. I chamfer exposed edges or use a 1/8 roundover. Beware the splintering of the top ply's end grain. I tape when I route it.

A hardboard or MDF top won't have this prob.

[Loren Bengtson]

That was what I was wonderin'. Is it better to have something cut from the middle or somethin' from further out?

Stan,

The best lumber comes from the outermost cuts of a large log.

The center of the log has two issues. First, knots will start to appear as you cut closer to the center. This is because when the tree was that size, it still had branches at that level.

The second issue is juvenile wood. For the first several years of a tree's life it produces wood that is not the same as that which is produced on the outside of a mature tree. Juvenile wood will move more as it dries compared to mature wood. (I must include the caveat that I have no firsthand experience with this phenomenon. I learned about juvenile wood from Don Lewis, the owner of Nyle Kilns.)

As has been mentioned above, if possible avoid the center part of any tree/log.

Loren