Cauls

[Dan Bundy]

I'm going to need some cauls for the project I'm working on. I pretty much know what they are -- some boards with a crown on them. But I have a couple of quetions:

* how much crown?

* what to make them from (2x4 studs OK)?

* how to put the crown on (I'm thinking jointer)?

Any other suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

[Jeff Sudmeier]

I'm going to need some cauls for the project I'm working on. I pretty much know what they are -- some boards with a crown on them. But I have a couple of quetions:

* how much crown?

* what to make them from (2x4 studs OK)?

* how to put the crown on (I'm thinking jointer)?

Any other suggestions or advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks.

I do not put much crown on my cauls, in fact, I haven't been using crowned calls much lately and the plain ole flat ones work for me. That said, I used to use cauls with about 1/16th crown from the middle out to the ends.

When I made crowned cauls, I used 2x2's.

To put the crown on, I used my belt sander. It went very quickly!

Good luck!

[Sam Blasco]

I usually use whatever I can find lying around the scrap hardwood heap, find something with a little bow in it and use it. I keep thinking of making dedicated cauls, but I've gotten this far by scrounging, who knows... If I were to make them, 1/16" sounds good and would probably do it on the bandsaw just because I love using that machine.

[Bob Winkler]

Dan,

It may depend on what you're using them for. Mine are used keeping boards flat while edge gluing. I use top and bottom cauls connected with a threaded rod. My cauls are 2x2 flat hardwood, with cellophane tape on a sides to make glue cleanup easier.

Bob

[JayStPeter]

I made some cauls that are 1.5" square Ash. I use them to hold panels flat during glue up. I used my jointer to put a real light taper on one side to create the "bow". I set it for the lightest pass I could and started each in the middle and went to either end. Then I went back and planed them flat again. I prefer no bow for this purpose.

I have just used 2x4s as cauls to hold cabinets together during glue up. No real preparation there other than cutting them to a reasonable length. Pick as straight a board as you can and use the bow it has. None are really flat :eek: :cool:

Jay

[Dan Bundy]

Thanks for the info guys. DB