Any way to S-T-R-E-T-C-H lumber?

[Mike Goetzke]

I have a huge load of lumber to make new kitchen cabinets for our house. I'm a few months off from starting this project but need help from some experienced/smart woodworkers.

The lumber I have is European steamed beech that my wife really likes. The plans on the job have now expanded to include some full height cabinets for storage and for a double oven. This would require some of the face frame stiles to be between 7'-8' long. Problem is that the lumber is all at about 83" long. I've initially thought I could either sacrifice the height slightly or add some type of trim or inlay feature so I can use two pieces. Any opinions and ideas welcome.

Thanks,

Mike

[Mike Wilkins]

Is it possible to design the set-up to utilize 2 cabinets?? One on top of the other. That would solve your problem and make it a little easier to move the heavy beast around.

[glenn bradley]

I think Mike has it. Make the design state "two" cabinets in a stacked configuration. If a seamless look is a must you could make some appropriate rosettes at the scarf joint.

[Mike Goetzke]

Splitting the two may even enhance the appearance.

Thanks for the suggestions,

Mike

[Bill Wyko]

Time to get out the ol board stretcher.:D That was the biggest joke to newbs on the job site when I was a framer. The scarf joint is the next best bet.

[Paul Steiner]

Board stretcher, one of my favorite jokes. Every year I send at least one student to get my board stretcher. It can be found in my batters box next to 10d phillips nails, and my left handed hammer. Look out not spill my bucket of curve balls.

[Joe Shinall]

You forgot the bucket of oak grain grease. And might want to be careful, they do make left handed hammers now :D

[Jim Pritchett]

Back in my formative years, when I was a scientist wannabe working in the Lockheed Research Lab, the old hands used to send newbies out to the machine shop for a bucket of propwash. DAMHIKT!!

[Bill Leonard]

Right, and 5 yards of flightline.

[Doug Carpenter]

I keep mine next to the metric crescent wrench and can of plaid paint!

What style are the cabinets. It is hard to make a sugesstion with out knowing a little more.

For instance a rosette will hide the joint but is out of place on a mission style cabinet.

[Loren Bengtson]

As a 19-year-old midshipman in the Navy, I was sent after a bucket of Relative Bearing Grease. I didn't think fast enough to take off and come back hours later with some grease. I just told the seaman to drop dead (I don't think I used those exact words.) and stayed where I was and continued to chip paint.

[johnny means]

We used to give newbs a styrofoam cup and send them for some laquer thinner. Then they got chewed out for naking a mess.:D

[Joe Spear]

I have seen diagrams of a way to make a board longer. You rip it at an angle, slide the two pieces along their length, and edge glue them together. You end up with a board that is longer than you started but with zig-zig edges on both sides. Then you take that board and rip off the edges so that you have a board with parallel sides. Of course it is narrower than the board you started with, but it is longer.

[Tony Bilello]

Buy more lumber the correct length.
Why cheap out on something that will be around for a very long time?
You couldnt possibly need that much lumber for a few face frames.

[Darnell Hagen]

What Tony said.

Even if you got your Beech super cheap, playing around streching lumber eats up time, and the result is second rate.

[Mike Goetzke]

I have seen diagrams of a way to make a board longer. You rip it at an angle, slide the two pieces along their length, and edge glue them together. You end up with a board that is longer than you started but with zig-zig edges on both sides. Then you take that board and rip off the edges so that you have a board with parallel sides. Of course it is narrower than the board you started with, but it is longer.

Thanks Joe - I'll have to try that on a sample piece.




Buy more lumber the correct length.
Why cheap out on something that will be around for a very long time?
You couldnt possibly need that much lumber for a few face frames.

Tony - European steamed beech isn't readily available in my area last time I checked. Wish it was so I would't have to ask this question;).

[Ron Kellison]

If you have a decent router table you might consider using a finger-joint router bit such as the one sold by Lee Valley. You can also get them from other manufacturers. http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=30210&cat=1,46168,46174. If you select boards which match up closely in grain pattern, and put the joint down near the floor, the finished board joint would almost disappear.

Regards,

Ron

BTW, my favorite "snipe hunt" type of errand was to send new seaman apprentices down to the supply lockers to get "100 feet of shoreline" or a couple of "overhead swabs".

[rick carpenter]

Printers send the unsuspecting after paperstretchers.

[Jason Roehl]

If you build a full-height cabinet, how are you going to install it? You can either get it through the doorway, or you can stand it up...but not both (that's if you have a constant ceiling height in your kitchen).

My vote is for two half-height cabinets, or even 3 cabinets of progressive height.

[Dan Gill]

We updated the joke in the computer industry. We kept a McDonalds sand pail in one of the cabinets, and filled it with colored bits from punch cards. Then when we had a job error out we'd tell the newbies to go get the "bit bucket" and put the bits in a plastic bag for analysis later. When they weren't looking, we'd just put the "bits" back in the pail.

[Ben Hatcher]

As long as UPS delivers to your house you can get just about any species from online lumber suppliers. Their maximum length is 108".

[Bob Glenn]

I worked in a boiler shop as a kid and was given a bucket and told go get 5 pounds of steam. I wandered the shop for a while with the bucket, because it beat sweeping floors.

[Richard Dragin]

When welding you send the newbie for the "aluminum magnet".

[Richard Dragin]

If you build a full-height cabinet, how are you going to install it?


You build the base/toe kick separately lift the cabinet and set it on top.

[Rick Potter]

Some good suggestions here. You mentioned making a band of other wood. Perhaps a narrow drawer unit between the top and bottom ovens. It could be beech or make a contrasting color. For example, picture a kitchen with all the top drawers ebonized, flowing into the needed drawer unit, or band.

Rick Potter

Oh yeah, at the fire station we used to have the kid check the brake fluid in the air brakes, and the spark plugs on the diesel motor.

[Jason Hanko]

Oh yeah, at the fire station we used to have the kid check the brake fluid in the air brakes, and the spark plugs on the diesel motor.

Ha! That reminds me of the girl in highschool who had a burned out turn signal bulb. She actually asked the counter guy at the autoparts store for blinker fluid....

Back in my day we'd send noobs in to sweep and MOP the floor of the walk in freezer... :D:D:D

[george wilson]

Do be careful about building a cabinet that is real tall. You can tip it to get it in the doorway,but if the diagonal measurement is higher than the ceiling,you'll never be able to stand it up since the cabinet may be too tall as you try to tip it up.

I hope you see what I mean.

I built a guitar display case that holds 32 guitars. It comes within 1" of the height of the ceiling. I therefore made the back,sides,and doors as separate pieces. Then,I assembled it in place as each unit was only 3/4" thick. It was the only way it could be done.