How to make 3 very straight boards?

[Greg Magone]

I am getting ready to start my next project - a floorstanding jewelry armoire. It's my most difficult project yet (and also most expensive).

The project plans call out using plywood because it's stable and easy to work with. I'd prefer using solid boards because I don't care for the look of plywood and don't think it represents the quality that I want.

How do I take my cherry lumber and make three very straight & stable boards? My cherry is good lumber but not perfectly straight. My thoughts are to use the best parts of the cherry lumber I have, rip it into 2" wide strips, and then glue the strips together (like raised panels in cabinet doors).

Your thoughts are appreicated. I want to be careful and have a good game plan before I start cutting cherry because it's expensive wood!

[Dan Forman]

Preparing straight "four square" lumber without using hand planes generally requires a jointer and planer, or just a planer with a sled to allow you to face joint. We need to know what you have available as far to tools in order to give useful advice. From your plan, it doesn't sound like you have either jointer or planer, which is going to complicate things. When you say "not straight", exactly what do you mean? Are the boards bowed lengthwise, from end to end, cupped across their width (smile or frown if you look at them from the end), or twisted so that on each or one end, opposite corners are not in the same plane?

Here is a video that explains the process of squaring lumber.

http://blip.tv/file/2081093

Dan

[Chip Lindley]

Greg, you might as well become acquainted with the JOINTER. A 6" jointer will flatten and straight-edge rough lumber for your projects. Of course, a PLANER is best suited to *thickness* the stock to final dimension. A table saw can also be used with sled fixture to *straight-edge* long boards which are warped, but can do nothing to fix cup, twist, or bow.

6" generic jointers are not very expensive at all. (especially used) 13" lunchbox planers are not expensive either. (used) The jointer has a steeper learning curve than the planer, but many have tried and succeeded before you in mastering them to go a step further in woodworking with rough lumber. That S4S lumber you spent much for is rarely perfectly straight or flat. Much more work must be done to make it usable for your particular project.

[Greg Magone]

I'm sorry that I wasn't clear about my problem.

The cherry wood I have is slightly bowed end to end. Not bad - probably 1/16" bow over 25 inches (my desired length of board). I want to make sure that my cabinet is built well.

I have both a planer and a jointer but I am not skilled at making perfectly flat pieces with them. Usually after I run them through the planter and jointer and lay them on a flat surface, they rock a little. In this project, I want to machine the wood in a sequence that when I lay the wood flat on a surface, it doens't rock at all.

The desired width of the wood is 7". My planer is 12.5 wide, my jointer is 6" wide.

[Prashun Patel]

This is a good chance to learn how to use the jointer properly.
The best trick I learned was to scribble the whole board with pencil and keep taking light passes until the marks are all gone.

There are a couple correct sequences. One is:

Joint a face, Joint the adjacent edge, plane the other face, then 'joint' the last edge with a table saw.

[Dan Forman]

Could be user error, or maybe your jointer isn't set up just right. Check out this link.

http://home.usmo.com/~rfwoodworking/jointer.html (http://home.usmo.com/%7Erfwoodworking/jointer.html)

I used to have a link to a jointer setup page, but can't find it. See if your tables are in the same plane, and adjust if necessary. Use Google to find a jointer setup page that makes sense to you.

Dan

[John Keeton]

The desired width of the wood is 7". My planer is 12.5 wide, my jointer is 6" wide.Greg, Shawn gave you the correct process, but I don't think you will be able to face joint the 7" stock on your 6" jointer. It may not be all that difficult to get a flat face with handplanes if you are so equipped. Otherwise, you will probably need to use a sled in your planer to accomodate the bow/twist, etc. in order to get that first flat surface, then follow Shawn's directions.

In the future, joint the boards first, then run them thru the planer.

[Rob Young]

You can run a 7" board on a 6" jointer a couple ways. One way is to remove the guard (dangerous), and run the board hanging off a bit. Get it flat and looking like a great wide rabbet. Then you take a length of MDF that is wider than your target board. Double stick tape the giant rabbet to the MDF so it hangs over. Now the MDF is your flat reference edge to run the opposite side of the cherry through the planer. Once that is done, remove the MDF and re-run the giant rabbet through to remove it.

Got all that?

Another option is to rip the board down into two widths that will work on your 6" jointer. Then glue them back together. I've done this lots of times. Works but takes time. Use a thin kerf rip blade to minimize the waste.

What might be the easiest is to find somebody with an 8" (or wider) jointer and make a new friend.

One last thing, go over and look through the video podcasts at www.woodworkingonline.com and find the one on prepping lumber. There is a similar one at Wood Magazine's web site. Should help with your basic jointer technique too.

Good luck!

[glenn bradley]

Very good video/Article on the FEE method (Faces, Edges, Ends) but subscription is required. I think you can trial for 14 days for free right now if you don't want to actually subscribe.

http://www.finewoodworking.com/subscription/skillsandtechniques/skillsandtechniquesarticle.aspx?id=5293

[kenneth kayser]

If the board rocks right after flattening, your jointer is out of adjustment or your technique is faulty. After you can get a flat surface; let the board set for 24 hrs and check it again, if it rocks, flatten again, repeat until flat and stable.

[John Keeton]

On Kenneth's comments, I would add that if you remove wood from only one surface, then additional movement of the board is more likely. I normally will face joint, and plane to thicker than needed, and then let the wood stabilize to assure that I am not going to have additional movement. Removing approx. the same wood from both sides seems to reduce additional movement.

[Heather Thompson]

On Kenneth's comments, I would add that if you remove wood from only one surface, then additional movement of the board is more likely. I normally will face joint, and plane to thicker than needed, and then let the wood stabilize to assure that I am not going to have additional movement. Removing approx. the same wood from both sides seems to reduce additional movement.

Plus 1 on what John stated. When milling rough lumber it is always a good idea to make the pieces over size, if they move there is still material left to give it a second shot. I like to use hand tools after initial machining so I store my rough lumber where that work will take place and bring the material back there after initial dimensioning on the machines. Be sure NOT to lay your freshly dimensioned pieces on a flat surface, this will not allow even air flow to both side and it will definitely be rocking, I use scrap MDF to keep the pieces off the bench top. You may find this link useful concerning set-up, use etc of the jointer. http://www.newwoodworker.com/basic/usejntr.html
The folks here at the Creek like to help each other, hope this helps.

Heather