Should I use them, or toss them

[Matthew N. Masail]

I’m preparing the stock for my first Jointer plane. The mid section is fine but when I resawed the cheeks, they bent out of flat as soon as they came off the saw. The wood is beech.

If I place them in position with the mid block, they touch in the middle, and taper out to about a 2/32"+ gap on each side.

I know the natural solution is to replace them... dah:o but I don't have any beech that’s long enough. Using another wood would ruin my aesthetic plans for this plane.

can I still use them? it seems to me that the movement forces would counteract each other, but I'm worried about them delaminating over time. perhaps screws covered with a wooden plug to secure the lamination would be in order? I’m using Elmers or Titebond I, for some reason they don’t Import Titebond II and III here.

Thanks and I'd greatly appreciate your advice.

[Bob Glenn]

If I understand your situation correctly, the cheeks splay out at the ends. If it were me, I swap them so they tight on the ends with the gap in the middle, then glue and screw them. You can use oversize brass screws, counter sink them half way and file away the recess in the heads and have a nice looking brass and wood jointer. No need for the registration pins either. Good luck.

[Mark Ketelsen]

Assuming your stock pretty straight-grained which it should be for this project, the sides will probably straighten out when they reach equilibrium moisture content. By the way, Do you know the MC of your stock?

[John Coloccia]

I'd let them sit for a while and see what they do. I think Mark's onto something :)

[Matthew N. Masail]

the grain seems to be pretty straight but I have little experience so I can't tell for sure. they do have plenty of quatersawn "silk" on the side grain if that help means anything? the end grain is almost straight to gentle curving rings.
I don't know the MC. they have been sitting in my shop for a few months before resawing and then another 2 months or so after, and they are still quite bent. the stock I cut them from was bent too, and I planed it straight before resawing.
I know it's not wise to choose stock like that, but It's the only hardwood I have that doesn’t need a sole wood.

Bob, you understood perfectly. I really like the Idea of brass screws, if I can find them. I just took another look at it, since only one side of them is smooth and the other band sawn, I might have to place them in the same direction, so that one of the two has it's gaps at the end and the other at the middle, do you think this will be ok?

[bridger berdel]

I'd avoid trying to hols a glue joint together with metal fasteners.

can you squeeze the joint together with your hand strength? if so, glue alone will be plenty strong. if not, screws probably won't help, and may just tend to split the wood.

unless your bandsaw is in extremely good tune the sawn surfaces aren't good enough for a glue up. present a well planed surface to a well planed surface, spread glue evenly on both faces and clamp with enough clamps and cauls to pull the whole joint tight. either of the glues you mentioned will be stronger than the wood, just don't leave it out in the rain : )

[Matthew N. Masail]

well I do like working in the rain...... (-:

I can pull both joints together with finger pressure with one hand. I managed to clean up the cupped face, I screwed it to something flat and planed it. thanks everyone it helped!