Rough Lumber to Finished Boards with Cheap Tools

[Matthew Hutchinson477]

Good morning all,
As this is my first post I'll give a brief introduction. I just inherited a bunch of tools from my grandfather and I'm pretty inexperienced with all this. My grandfather was an amateur carpenter for much of his life but is no longer healthy and strong enough to work. As he got older he had to give up some of the bigger, more expensive tools so I only have the basics. I don't have the money or room right now to have a full shop so I'm starting out small with the intention of eventually having the space, time, and funds to have the bigger things like a planer, table saw, etc.

As I'm starting out I wanted to learn how the whole process, from standing tree to furniture, works. I'm also an avid outdoorsman and like felling trees so now I have a better excuse than firewood for harvesting good trees. I found an old retired farmer who runs a sawmill in his spare time and he showed me how that whole process works, and now I've got a dozen or so rough planks of osage seasoning on a rack. It'll be about 6 months or longer before its dry enough to use but in the meantime I have a few planks of mulberry and catalpa he gave me, and some reclaimed walnut and oak. Most of what I've got is rough lumber that needs to be planed.

I don't have a planer and won't be able to get one in the foreseeable future so I wanted to find out if there's a way I can take rough lumber to a usable state without a planer. What I've got is a belt sander and a small jointer. The jointer only takes boards up to 4" or so, and the boards I've got are all about 12" wide so I imagine the jointer is out of the question unless I want to cut the boards down length-wise.

I've been reading a lot lately on the differences between planing and sanding, and though I'd like to learn how to plane by hand I imagine it's quite the process to start with rough lumber. I also have enough lumber that I figured hand planing it all would just take too long. So, could I use the belt sander to smooth the rough lumber and then finish it by planing? I know the boards won't be perfect but will I be able to make them at least good enough to use for, say, a coffee table or bookcase?

Thanks

[John Vernier]

With the range of interests you describe, it sounds like hand tool woodworking would suit you very well. Hand planes were used to turn rough lumber into finished furniture for centuries, and it is entirely practical, and less work than you might imagine, although a lot of elbow grease to be sure.

I would advise you to put aside the belt sander for this purpose. In addition to consuming a lot of belts and creating huge piles (clouds) of dust, it doesn't have the built-in leveling effect that the right sort of plane has, so it won't tend to automatically straighten boards as you surface them - proper planing with hand planes will do this if you learn basic good techniques.

Personally I use hand planes for my jointing, as I have no power jointer, so I am not limited by the width of jointer blades. You can thickness boards entirely by hand, although I caved and picked up a 12" planer (bought second hand on craigslist) which speeds my work along. I could go on about this stuff, but your best bet is to look into the Neanderthal Heaven forum on this site, which is where all the hand tool people hang out, and discussions about hand planes, hand saws, chisels, sharpening, and all other matters of that sort take place.

One last note - You mention that you have Osage Orange and Mulberry lumber in hand. Those woods are both beastly hard and often cross-grained. Put them aside and work with your catalpa and walnut until you are comfortable.

[Jim German]

Sanding down big boards with a belt sander would be both very difficult to do well and very time consuming (and you'd spend a good bit on new belts too). Lots of folks can flatten a board with a hand plane, but a good hand plane is fairly expensive (and you'd probably want a couple of different ones if you were serious about it), its fairly difficult to learn, and still an awful lot of work.

If your budget allows it, I would look for a good lunchbox planer. New they are about $300-$400, but used is always an option. Otherwise, I would either put those boards aside for now, and just go buy some lumber that has already been jointed and planed (S4S) and use that for now for your projects, then when budget allows get a planer to use. Alternatively you could find a helpful soul that would let you run some boards through their gear for a beer or two.

[Matt Day]

I agree with John for the most part. One comment is that buying hand planes can be just as expensive as buying power tools, as you also need to invest in a sharpening setup.

I'd suggest buying a good cheap used 6" jointer and a 12" planer. Those should run you under $300 for the pair or less. You could also just get a 12" planer and make a planer sled (search).

A belt sander will not work.

Diligently watch CL and buy when the deals come up.

[David Spurr]

"Working With Handplanes" from Fine Woodworking is a good source for setting up, maintaining and using planes.

[Nick Stokes]

One thing also. Very hard to use hand tools without a bench with a vise.. I'm struggling with this now... add that cost as well.. eventually youll no doubt save money by buying a 300 used planer. They work great.

[Robert Hazelwood]

I would definitely go for a lunchbox planer, as far as power tools. Most will handle up to 12" or 13". I consider it basically indispensable if you're working with rough lumber, and it's pretty compact, portable, and fairly inexpensive- a no-brainer if you're serious about doing this.

However the planer will not, by itself, get a board perfectly flat. The face of the board which faces down when you run it through the planer will be the reference, and if that face isn't flat (i.e. it's cupped, twisted, or bowed) then the board face being planed won't be, either. So you need some way of getting the reference face of the board flat before you can effectively use the planer. There are three main options: 1) Buy a jointer large enough to handle your wide boards- this would be a large and expensive machine ; 2) Build a sled for the planer, which holds the board in a fixed position and allows the planer to create a flat reference face ; or 3) use hand planes. If you have a router, a possible 4th option is to make a router sled - this excels at large slabs and benchtops, etc. The issue with sleds is the setup time for doing each board.

I use handplanes for this, myself. They don't need to be seriously expensive - vintage Bailey planes will work fine once you've tuned them a bit. A jack plane off of ebay in good condition would go for less than $70 shipped (much less, sometimes). There is a learning curve to using them, particularly with sharpening if you're not familiar with it. But these skills are useful in many areas of woodworking. It's also kind of fun once you get the hang of it.

Anyways, assuming you have a planer, all you need to do with the handplanes is to initially work on the reference face and remove the high spots that would cause it to rock or wobble if you placed it down on something flat. You don't need to take the whole surface down to remove low spots. Once those high spots are gone, place that reference face down and feed it through the planer until the other face is flat and smooth. Then flip it over and run through the planer again until the low spots on the original reference side are gone, and it is flat and smooth.

Really, you could do the same initial work with a belt sander, but you would need to carefully mark where the high spots are and check as you work, because you can't rely on a belt sander to automatically find the high spots the way a long handplane would. It's also going to be noisy and insanely dusty.

I would start by getting a planer and then search this board for information on hand planes, and sleds for the planer and/or router.

Good luck.

[Andrew Joiner]

In my experience the best way to get finished flat boards with cheap tools is a lunchbox planer and a sled. Search Google images and videos first.

I use planer sleds a lot. I have color coded shims of 3 taper sizes most are from 0" to 1/8". They are rough sawn on a bandsaw. The rough surface keeps them in place without hot glue. I set the stock on the sled,hold it to the front stop and lightly slide in shims till the stock is firm. The shims don't move as it goes thru the planer.

The key to success with this method is a flat setup area level with the infeed table of your planer bed. You can't disturb the "package" of the stock shimmed firmly on the sled before it gets pulled in by the infeed roller. I grab the stock and push it tight to the sled as it comes out of the planer sliding on my outfeed table. If I need to take off more I crank up the planer 2 turns I can slide the "package" back thru without disturbing the shims. I check the shims before the second pass, but they are usually good or just need a slight shift to be firm.

This method is almost as fast as jointer and you have power feed! I spent a lot time at a jointer getting real tired pushing down on long stock. Sleds eliminate this and they get stock just as flat.
Here's more on my thoughts as I worked this out:
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?134633-A-Lightweight-8-Foot-Planer-Sled (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?134633-A-Lightweight-8-Foot-Planer-Sled)

[Don Orr]

I agree that you can do what you want with hand tools and some time and effort. Decent hand tools can be had at flea markets, Craigslist and the 'bay inexpensively, and with a little knowledge and work can be cleaned up and put to work. More research into using the tools and working the wood and you will be on your way. It's a great learning experience and you can get a lot of help here and in the Neander Forum. Find a smal project to build and cut some wood over size and work it down to final size to build your skills. Small pieces are easier to work with. A good bench of some sort will help you as well. Doesn't have to be fancy, just sturdy. Like an old solid core door on a base like used cabinets. Have at it and have fun !

[Chris Merriam]

Good points made on the hand tools. You'd need a scrub plane and a jack plane at a minimum. You could buy some old users for 20-30 each, or buy new for $200+ each. Then you need a sharpening setup of 2 or 3 stones, which if you buy new can run over $150+. Then you need a bench to plane on with some vises/clamps/hold downs, which can run $300+ for all of that. Then after you buy all that, you have to learn how to sharpen and how to hand plane.

It'd be much easier just to buy a lunchbox planer as has been mentioned.

I don't want to sound like I'm beating up the hand tool route. I started 100% power tools and have slowly started acquiring hand tools now that I understand power tools can't do everything for you, but there is definitely an acquisition cost and a learning curve.

[Jim Dwight]

I bought my Ryobi AP-10 lunchbox planner for $100. The Ryobi is the original lunchbox planner. It didn't work well when I got it but the knives were incredibly dull - probably had never been sharpened - and once they were sharp, it has worked fine since. As the name suggests, it is 10 inch capacity which is not typically an issue. If I could not have sharpened the existing blades, I could have replaced them for about $30. Something like this is probably the cheapest way to work with rough lumber - if you can find a similar deal.

[Cody Colston]

I agree that a lunchbox planer to go with your jointer would let you get four-square, thicknessed lumber from rough-cut lumber quickly and inexpensively.

No doubt lumber can be finished using only hand tools and was for centuries but it's not for me. I don't have any cheap apprentices to do that grunt work and just the thought of hand planing Osage Orange from rough to finished makes me ill.

[Matthew Hutchinson477]

Gents,
Thanks for all the replies and advice, I appreciate it all very much. I do have a couple hand planes but they're just Stanley Handyman's with pretty messed up blades. The long term goal is definitely to learn how to do everything by hand (John Vernier hit the nail right on the head, pardon the pun) but I don't want to bite off more than I can chew for now. I've got a decent bench, all kinds of sharpening supplies (I kinda collect/restore knives and axes), and enough clamps to make do. Maybe I'll pick up a jack plane to start learning with and either suck it up and by a planer or find someone with one that I can use for a fee. Jointing with a hand plane doesn't sound like too daunting of a thing to learn but planing/thicknessing by hand sounds tedious. A planer sled looks like a simple and fun project too.

Looks like I've got some more reading to do in the Neanderthal Heaven.

Thanks

[Dan Hahr]

I'm very interested in what other tools you might have inherited. There are some good suggestions of tools that will be very useful, no doubt. But there is only so much you can do with those mentioned. If you want to start out with hand tools only, you are in for a long period of time dedicated just to learning how to set up, sharpen, and properly use the basic tools such as handsaws and planes. And, all these will get you are a board or two.

If you want to use power tools, like most of us, there are several tools that will get you woodworking and making stuff fairly quickly, although there is still a lot of learning of set up, maintenance, and use. Here are some that I think you will want to have to get started without some of the bigger tools that will take money and space:

Router- very useful for much more than edge treatments. Make a simple router table and you can cut grooves, dovetails, mortises and tenons.

Miter saw- compound miter saws are great for cross cutting and mitering very accurately. Manual ones are great if they are old and well taken care of (and sharp.)

Circular saw- great for breaking down wide boards or panels. Add a square and you can cross cut very squarely and accurately. Bolt it under a piece of MDF and you can make a table saw that you can rip long boards with.

Jig saw- you can cut a lot of curves with one of these. The pricier the better the cut.

Drill press- bore accurate holes, sand convex or concave curves squarely, and create mortises.

1/4 to 1/2 inch drill- driving screws, drilling starter holes.

Chisels- for all kinds of chores. You can sharpen them on sandpaper and granite scraps. Later, you'll probably want a honing guide to do that.

Squares- all kinds useful. For setting up tools, a small accurate one is indispensable. A carpenter square is very useful for cases and plywood. A speed square makes cutting with a skill saw very accurate.

After learning these, you may find that you need to acquire a table saw, bandsaw, planer, jointer (bigger), dust collector, planes, scrapers, marking gauges, ...yeah, the list goes on and on.

In the mean time, figure out what you have and how to use them. Start simple and make some sawdust.

Dan

[Jeff Bartley]

Matthew,
You've been givin good advise already but I'll add a question: where are you located? One of the traits of woodworkers is that we seem to obsesses over our craft to the point that everyone around us has tunes us out when we gush about this or that wood or tool. You might find that one of us would be very happy to get you started.
I'll constrast what some have said about hand planes, yes there's a learning curve but once you get the hang of it flattening a wide board is easy, it's work, but it's fun work. Using a lunchbox planer after flattening with a hand plane will let you work a board up to 12" wide.
Oh, and I'll echo the comment about the Osage and mulberry----don't try to learn on those!! I'll trade ya some cherry for either of those, I've been looking for both of those woods.

[Prashun Patel]

Gents,
I've got a decent bench, all kinds of sharpening supplies...

Being comfortable with sharpening and knowing what 'sharp' is, is (IMHO) 90% of the battle in getting hand planes from frustrating to fabulous.

[Matthew Hutchinson477]

Router- very useful for much more than edge treatments. Make a simple router table and you can cut grooves, dovetails, mortises and tenons.

Miter saw- compound miter saws are great for cross cutting and mitering very accurately. Manual ones are great if they are old and well taken care of (and sharp.)

Circular saw- great for breaking down wide boards or panels. Add a square and you can cross cut very squarely and accurately. Bolt it under a piece of MDF and you can make a table saw that you can rip long boards with.

Jig saw- you can cut a lot of curves with one of these. The pricier the better the cut.

Drill press- bore accurate holes, sand convex or concave curves squarely, and create mortises.

1/4 to 1/2 inch drill- driving screws, drilling starter holes.

Chisels- for all kinds of chores. You can sharpen them on sandpaper and granite scraps. Later, you'll probably want a honing guide to do that.

Squares- all kinds useful. For setting up tools, a small accurate one is indispensable. A carpenter square is very useful for cases and plywood. A speed square makes cutting with a skill saw very accurate.

After learning these, you may find that you need to acquire a table saw, bandsaw, planer, jointer (bigger), dust collector, planes, scrapers, marking gauges, ...yeah, the list goes on and on.

Dan


I have (or have access to) everything listed here, and most of it I know how to use at least in a rudimentary fashion. Basically my situation is this: I'm currently in Kansas (where I grew up) to help out my grandparents for a short period but I don't live here permanently and will be moving back west (I work seasonally in WA/ID/AK) as soon as I'm done with things here and have a job lined up elsewhere. All the bigger power tools like the jointer, router, miter saw, etc. are at my friend's shop since I don't have the space myself but I can use them whenever. When I move, which may be in less than a month, I won't have room for bigger tools but I'll hopefully be able to find enough space to at least use the smaller, portable stuff. So while I'm trying to learn what I can here, it will probably have to be put on hold when I leave for the foreseeable future. Hence my desire to learn how to do as much as possible with the least amount of tools. I figure I can at least learn by making small things like cutting boards. The coffee table or bookcase will likely have to be put on hold until I'm in a situation where I have the space to have access to all the big stuff.

Oh yeah and the osage and mulberry, I have a thing for both because they're wild and prevalent around here and I love the look of both but I can store it all and wait if need be. Most of the osage won't be ready for at least 6 months anyway.

[Shawn Pixley]

Others have offered sound advice. My advice is to start small. Instead of leaping into bookcase sized flattening / truing / shaping start smaller with say a box. Take a small length of the rough lumber and flatten with a handplane (not that tough or daunting). Thickness in a planer (or with a hand plane). When you get stack that is stable square and flat, you are ready to start the journey. After that, build your box with the tools you have. What you will learn by working small will prove invaluable when you go up in scale.