Another jointing thread, wood that is not dimensioned [Archive]

Mike Holbrook

05-25-2016, 3:32 PM

I have been working 24, 26" boards for panel glue ups. The work has been going slower than I had hoped. I finally discovered that none of the 4/4 stock I am using is reliably square\flat on any of it's surfaces. Once I am done I will have a better idea about how to prepare wood for glue ups. The project has reminded me of the fact that I like working from split/rived logs. My question then becomes how would other posters suggest preparing stock without any reliable dimensions for furniture projects? Using an electric jointer would be considered cheating.

Luke Dupont

05-25-2016, 3:40 PM

Create one flat surface, and mark the other surfaces from that. This surface doesn't need to be square to anything - it just needs to be square to itself (no twist).

If your board is twisted, you may want to start with flattening a face and removing the twist. Use winding sticks to sight down the board and find the high spots. Plane those down, and then continue flattening the whole surface. You can then use this surface as a reference from which to derive the rest. When doing the edges, continually check with a square.

If your board is significantly twisted, you may need to cut it into shorter, or narrower dimensions. Those will be easier to remove the twist from without removing too much thickness.

For your last edge, use a marking gauge or panel gauge to mark the opposite edge parallel to the first.

There are lots of great videos on this. I'd recommend just looking up on Youtube "How to square up (/true) stock by hand"

Brian Holcombe

05-25-2016, 3:45 PM

Prashun Patel

05-25-2016, 3:54 PM

"My question then becomes how would other posters suggest preparing stock without any reliable dimensions for furniture projects"

Not sure I understand the question. If you mean no reliable REFERENCE, then you can either use winding sticks or a known solid reference like a bench to test.

Warren Mickley

05-25-2016, 4:36 PM

I do like Brian: Flatten one edge using straightedge and winding sticks and do likewise for the matching board. Then with the second board still in the vise, lay the other board on top and check for rocking, gaps etc. Take your straightedge and hold it vertically against the two boards to see that they match up in the best way. It may be that they are convex at one end and concave at the other.

If they match poorly so that a glue up would create a concave panel or something, then make an adjustment with the jointer so there will be a minimum of work to flatten the panel after gluing.

george wilson

05-25-2016, 5:21 PM

Using an electric plane can get rid of the grunt work,and I use one myself if I have to take a lot off of,say,a door. But,it will only get you so far as far as accuracy is concerned. Hand planes should then take over since their blades can be set much more finely. And,they give you more time to think.

Mike Holbrook

05-25-2016, 5:38 PM

Right Brian, Prashun, Luke I was talking about starting out with boards or even splits that have no reliable reference surface. Most posts about jointing suggest using a square to adjust two edges until they are square, 90 degrees to each other, which does not work if there isn't a level/flat surface to start with. I think the answer I was looking for was winding sticks. Winding sticks, however, are a more sophisticated way of "eye balling" where wood needs to be removed not a way to make a surface flat. Running a plane down a surface makes it flatter, but in reference to what.

A video I have by Schwarz uses winding sticks and a cambered plane. The cambered plane takes more off of one side than the other lowering the high side, once it is found. Still it seems that we have to do a fair amount of "eye balling" to figure out where our work needs to be lower. Then we have to use shorter, narrower instead of full length full plane strokes to lower the high places enough to use full strokes. All those videos showing a board being leveled with a jointer plane taking full length perfect shavings can be a little deceptive. I have found a shorter plane with a cambered blade to be useful for some of this work instead of the normally used long plane with a straight blade. The long plane tends to continue on the existing plane vs adjusting to a different plane, if that makes sense?

I have seen so many videos that I think may over simplify the process in an effort to make the process understandable. Those idyllic videos don't seem to me to show how to work all those warped,twisted,cupped, cross grained....boards that I always seem to end up with. One can end up continuing an existing error instead of correcting it trying to follow those procedures. I think this may be the issue for another poster who was posting that he could not seem to get his boards jointed.

Mike Holbrook

05-25-2016, 5:45 PM

Thanks for the replies Warren and George.
In the past I would have just used an electric planer, bandsaw... or wood that had one or two reliable surfaces. I am making myself do these with hand planes in an effort to learn more about how to do the work with hand tools.

The boards, which I thought were decently dimensioned, are so far off I have not been able to clamp them together in a vise to match plane them. As George suggests I have been sorely tempted to run them through the planer to get them closer. I am doing this the hard way on purpose for the learning experience.

I tend to forget that a plane, especially a long one, is a relatively reliable "winding stick", straight edge.

Patrick Chase

05-25-2016, 6:32 PM

One thing that hasn't been mentioned yet is that 4/4 stock is pretty flexible, and can easily bend to conform to the worksurface during planing. If you just plop your workpiece on the bench and have at it with a jointer then there's a good chance that you'll end up creating a mirror image of the opposing face (the one that gets bent flat by planing pressure).

There are a few ways to avoid that problem: First, you can flatten the high spots of the back face (the one that will rest on the bench) using cross and diagonal strokes with a jack or scrub until it rests reasonably flat on the bench. Second, you can shim under the high spots. Third, you can keep vertical forces low during planing (easier said than done though).

Warren Mickley

05-25-2016, 6:34 PM

Pat Barry

05-25-2016, 7:01 PM

Mike, are you talking about glueing up panels with stock that has not been face jointed?

I would joint the edges using winding sticks, then adjust them so that the entire panel is flat-ish then glue it up. Face joint the entire panel after the glue has cured.
I think this is the best method for the stated situation also, assuming the faces are relatively decent and flat. Ie : if there are very large dips, twist, bow, gouges, etc it could take an enormous amount of planing to get the resulting glue up flat. I think common sense needs to prevail, that is to say, you the woodworker needs to decide how flat is flat enough. If it is excessive then by all means face joint the pieces becuase that will be easier than an entire panel..

Prashun Patel

05-25-2016, 8:15 PM

I appreciate that it is difficult to flatten a face.

Flat in reference to itself. All points of the face should be coplanar. Using winding sticks is ultimately fast but at first you can try flipping the piece upside down and rocking it on the bench top. Plane the sections that do not rock.

You require a reference at least at first. It is not an eyeballing thing.

Phil Mueller

05-25-2016, 9:00 PM

Mike, I'm going through the same learning curve. In my case, I'm just trying to get project parts flat and square. I do have a piece of glass I used to use for sharpening that's about 24" x 6" x 1/2" I use as a reference.

I have also adopted Brian's and others method of using the bench top to create a long shooting board. Challenge of course is making sure the iron is square to the bench top :confused:

I just started practicing on scrap to edge joint two boards for a glue up. Quickly becomes obvious that two banana shaped boards won't go together too well. Slight hollow in the middle isn't bad, but a curved down end just isn't going to cut it.

I guess I just posted to say you're not alone.

James Pallas

05-25-2016, 9:01 PM

Mike, If you are working with riven stock you may need to start with a hatchet and maybe a slick to get it clean enough to plane. Even a scrub plane will take it one splinter at at time depending on the wood. So it's hatchet ( I like a single bevel for this work), slick if it helps, scrub plane and eyeballs, winding sticks and coarse cutting Jack, and jointer. You should now have a face to work from. Been a long time since I did any of this work and it is work. With short boards like your working you could go to the shave horse and a draw knife if you have it.
Jim

Mike Holbrook

05-25-2016, 9:43 PM

Right Warren, I am trying not to loose too much stock before I get the boards glued up. I am making 8 panels, 3 boards each, for raised panel shutters. The existing shutters must have been made from 4/4 stock, they are 7/8-3/4" thick. Match planing was not helping with many of the boards, for the reasons Warren mentions.

Actually I found and bought 4/4 stock at Lowe's. I had never seen 4/4 at a box store. This must have been a special order or something that got screwed up. There are 3/8" deep gouges in a few boards, there are major patterns still in the surfaces from whatever planed those surfaces.

I have been using the method Prashun's suggests, checking the surfaces on my bench top, by rocking them, which gets me close. The concave side only rocks if there is twist too though. Once I find the convex side and get it closer to flat, I have been cross planing to find the raised areas on the other surface and then taking them down.

The issue I am finding with the winding sticks is the same error all along a board or two boards edge(s) does not show up with winding sticks as the two follow the same error. I tried using the edge of my bench as a "shooting board" which helped, but I don't want to screw up square on my bench. I may rig up a long shooting board, like Derek and Brian suggested in another thread.

Brian Holcombe

05-25-2016, 9:55 PM

Riving stock should be producing straight grained boards. I was under the impression that was the great benefit of riven stock. I like VG lumber a lot, basically the closest I can get to that ideal without felling trees myself.

Mike, a pair a winding stocks does not find the highs on an edge, it's used at the ends of the board to see if there is any 'wind' or twist to the face in question. It's the only way I'm aware of, other than using a known flat reference, to check for twist.

I do as Prashun does on small parts, using a section of my bench as a flat reference. For thin/ small pieces it is great.

If you have a few hours (or days) read through some of my blog posts as I routinely go over making original reference faces in rough sawn stock. The photo essays may help offer a new perspective.

Phil Mueller

05-25-2016, 10:12 PM

Mike, I'll share the bench top shooting board I rigged up. I actually made this long ago to saw a straight edge on rough stock through my table saw. But I'm finding it works well for shooting.

The base is plywood with two blocks attached and clamps attached to the blocks. I clamp this to the bench up against my planning stop (secured in the leg vise).

338132

I then use a piece of 1/4" scrap to raise the height of the piece I'm working on (I have a few different widths as needed).

338133

Put the piece I'm working on on top of that, clamp it down, and shoot away. So far, so good.

338134

Luke Dupont

05-26-2016, 1:38 AM

Mike, take a look at these videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ojeul33vXL4
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cl5Srx-Ru_U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RTc_vE8kYHE

Take any twist or cup out of the face, flatten it, and you're good to go. You don't need any other surface to reference off of. Just winding sticks and a straight edge - the face only needs to be square to itself. You can do this very accurately by eye; winding sticks will magnify any error in twist, and the straight edge will either rock, if there is a hump, or have light underneath it if cupped.

I have used this method a number of times, often working on the floor without a bench, and have gotten a flatter surface than either my kitchen floor, or my concrete patio, apparently. The tipping method (seeing if the stock rocks on two points) can help you identify twist, but you can get much straighter by eye - make sure to continually rotate your board if and see if it is still racking on the same two points off of the surface you presume to be flat. If those points change as you rotate the board to different orientations on that surface, then your board is actually flatter than the surface you're comparing it to.

So, in short: Use a straight edge, and winding sticks. Sight down the board. Take out any humps or valleys or twist. Do that, and you will have a very flat surface that is square to itself. Then, square up one of the edges to that original surface. Then flatten the other side, and mark the remaining edge from the other edge that you made.

It's not hard to flatten a piece that is not too long or wide and take the twist and cup out. As you get to very wide boards, or very long boards, it becomes more difficult, and might be worthwhile to actually rip it in half, or cut it to length (if it's not already to the finish length you need).

Mike Holbrook

05-26-2016, 8:26 AM

Thanks for all the good, helpful suggestions.
Brian I have been visiting your Blog. I was watching your most recent video and reading last night, great resource to have. Luke I will be watching the videos you linked us to this AM. Phil, I like your design for a long bench top shooting board.

I am working on something for shooting/jointing using my Festool tables. I should be able to use the, hinged\height adjustable Festool cutting guide/straightedge that lives on my main Festool table, with supporting blocks, as a shooting board for any board under 28". The Festool clamps will clamp objects: from above the top, along the surface, or along the side rails. I should be able to come up with a jig for shooting and jointing boards longer than 28" using a Festool guide rail.

Somehow I have misplaced my Veritas aluminum straight edge, may not have made it back from a class or three I have taken in the last year. I am wondering about the straight edge/winding sticks Brian uses in his video. Maybe they are the Veritas or Starrett Steel Straightedges? The Starrett straightedges are the most accurate, of course, but they are also very pricey. The metal winding sticks I have are only 18". I am thinking about buying a couple Veritas 3' straightedges. Brian apparently uses his long straightedges for both purposes and it looks like the longer length may accentuate error.

PS
Luke, I found videos by the same three presenters you did when I searched, but you found more pertinent videos, thanks. I am impressed that Brian shaved for his video as I have taken a break from the razor. I was a little disappointed that he was not wearing tweeds or his new Japanese planing shoes. My duck feet do not fit in anything with pointed toes, so I am more of a Chacos kind of guy.

Brian Holcombe

05-26-2016, 9:26 AM

3' sticks are really too long for edge jointing but I've just been too lazy to make up a set for edge jointing so I just use my panel/table jointing sticks for that. Warren suggested 16" (IIRC) and I would use that size for edge jointing.

They also don't need to be precision steel, precision wood is just as well. If you have some VG stock of something stable use that to create a set of winding sticks and you'll be better off.

The reason I have those is that I was attempting to get a straight edge from precision steel via McMaster carr. They promised a certain degree of tolerance and upon checking out of the three that I received one was .001" over it's length, one was .005" and was .020"! The .020" is a spare that I really never use anymore, the .005" is my winding stick and the .001" is my straight edge.

I have a real hardened steel straight edge for more important work (plane bodies) which require extreme precision (as far as woodworking is concerned) and since the smallest tolerance I work with in woodworking is .003" the .001" straight edge is plenty good.

Glad you are enjoying the blog! Hah, yeah I did shave before one of the videos. Those videos pre-date the jikatabi so you will see them very soon (I'm about 3 weeks ahead of the blog at this point)...and since it's hot outside now you may have to settle for madras plaid :D.

Mike Holbrook

05-26-2016, 10:01 AM

Good information Brian. I will change the 3' straightedges to 2', on the LV order I am working on. I thought about just making wood straightedges/winding sticks. I just have too many projects working and I am facing a move to lesser conditions, at least until I finish whatever new shop I end up with. I like the idea of a heavier steel straightedge too. My dogs are well trained but they have this obsession with any stick I touch, actually part of the training.

I will be looking forward to seeing the Madras and jikatabi in future videos. Better get back to my list.

Warren Mickley

05-26-2016, 10:22 AM

Mike Holbrook

05-26-2016, 10:33 AM

Hmm, thanks Warren. Maybe the nesting set I got from Lee Valley is just what I need. I probably need to adjust my directional lights and position myself better, probably just needs more work. I'm on it!

PS
Right Warren, not having used the LV winding sticks for a while I was not using them "correctly" and I jumped to cause seeing Brian's video. What I have works great, after I took the time to figure out how to use them again! I still have a little trouble sighting along two long objects at once...it will get better with practice.

The Festool saw guides turn out to be a needless complication. Simply clamping my piece to a plywood or MDF off cut on the Festool saw/glue table I just made makes a quick and easy jointing jig. Festool MDF tops are very flat and a LV,LA Jack runs against the slick top very easily.

Now I can get either a surface or an edge level much easier, even if I do not have a good one to start. Once I get the one good edge or surface the reference surface makes everything else easier.

Steve Voigt

05-26-2016, 4:05 PM

3' sticks are really too long for edge jointing but I've just been too lazy to make up a set for edge jointing so I just use my panel/table jointing sticks for that. Warren suggested 24" (IIRC) and I would use that size for edge jointing.

They also don't need to be precision steel, precision wood is just as well. If you have some VG stock of something stable use that to create a set of winding sticks and you'll be better off.

Brian, I just went and watched your video (all of them actually). You do great work, but I think your winding sticks could use an upgrade. The long sticks are great for flattening your bench, a large table top, etc, but as you already acknowledged, shorter sticks would be better for smaller faces and for edges. I also think you would enjoy using wood sticks a lot more. I don't know about you, but I might pick up my sticks 20 times or more during a long session of preparing stock. I think steel sticks would wear me out!
however, the most important thing for me is having some kind of contrasting inlay at the ends of the far board. My sticks are really ugly--they are Baltic birch ply, and the "inlay" is black sharpie! 😂 But adding that made a huge difference, and I can't imagine working without it. you might consider taking a sharpie and making 1/2" x 1" squares a couple inches from each end, just as an experiment. You obviously are able to do very precise work with your sticks, but I think you will notice a difference.

Brian Holcombe

05-26-2016, 4:37 PM

I have used winding sticks of ribbon mahogany since 1978. They are 16 inches long, 1 1/4 high and 11/32 thick. Roubo gives these dimensions: 18 inches long, 1 1/2 to 2 inches high and 3 or 4 lines thick (1/4 to 1/3 inches). I think if they are too long you have to get pretty far away to see the whole length of the stick. Also they are more clumsy to place on a narrow edge.

Thanks Warren, apologies for misquoting.

Brian, I just went and watched your video (all of them actually). You do great work, but I think your winding sticks could use an upgrade. The long sticks are great for flattening your bench, a large table top, etc, but as you already acknowledged, shorter sticks would be better for smaller faces and for edges. I also think you would enjoy using wood sticks a lot more. I don't know about you, but I might pick up my sticks 20 times or more during a long session of preparing stock. I think steel sticks would wear me out!
however, the most important thing for me is having some kind of contrasting inlay at the ends of the far board. My sticks are really ugly--they are Baltic birch ply, and the "inlay" is black sharpie!  But adding that made a huge difference, and I can't imagine working without it. you might consider taking a sharpie and making 1/2" x 1" squares a couple inches from each end, just as an experiment. You obviously are able to do very precise work with your sticks, but I think you will notice a difference.

Thanks Steve! I certainly agree, these are fantastic for tables and large panels but a PITA for small stuff. I use the bottom edge, when I see light just barely between the two sticks on both ends I know I'm there. That being said, you make a good point and it would likely be an improvement.

I may dig up some well behaved stock and run a strip of ebony down it.

Steve Voigt

05-26-2016, 5:04 PM

I may dig up some well behaved stock and run a strip of ebony down it.

Thanks for taking my suggestions with good humor. I hate to be so pedantic, but I think that a solid strip is not much improvement and not worth doing. IMO comparing two widely spaced inlaid squares is visually much more precise than a single line. I would not have expected this to be true, but I've found it so.

I think Ken showed some sticks recently that used half moon cutouts at the ends. Different design, same principle.

Brian Holcombe

05-26-2016, 5:31 PM

Ahh, I see. That's even better as I have some 1/2" square, 1/8" thick ebony slices. Off cuts from a recent part of the project that I was just thinking...what would I do with these?

The universe works in mysteries ways, hah.

Brian Holcombe

05-26-2016, 5:57 PM

I've re-sawn some bubinga to Roubo's dimensions for this project. I figure if I make them from wood I can't use something that will end up turning into something else :D

Phil Mueller

05-26-2016, 6:51 PM

I'll throw in my 2 cents. I also put a contrast dowel dot in the lower center of each to easily place both in the center of the work piece. So Anal. Of course, Brian, you could certainly inlay some kind of compass with exotic woods if you wish :)

Mike Holbrook

05-27-2016, 12:24 AM

I just discovered strips of purple heart I cut off planes and saved. You are tempting me! I have some Ash that would contract well...

Kees Heiden

05-27-2016, 6:24 AM

A few more notes. It is a lot of extra work to flatten the faces of both boards before gluing, then having to true up the face again after gluing. And usually more thickness is lost with all these extra facings. As you noticed the so called "match planing" needs a face on each board to be flat, so it is not really a help in this situation. Nicholson (1812) noted that two boards were shot together only if they were very thin. In any case the use of a square from a flat side is not nearly as accurate as winding sticks in making a flat joining surface.

While I acknowledge your much larger experience, I wonder if this is all correct. When you flatten one face of the boards first, make square edges for the gluejoint and then do a decent gluejob, then you do not need to deal with "having to true up the face again after gluing". Just a bit of scraping or work with the smooth plane on the glue line, and you are set. No thickness lost either. In contrast, juggling with cupped, bowed and twisted boards, without faceplaning them first is turning a simple job in a much harder one.

I suspect it is no wonder that the method of flattening one face and squaring the edge to this face, turned into the modern standard for glue ups.

Brian Holcombe

05-27-2016, 6:38 AM

Reinis Kanders

05-27-2016, 10:22 AM

I am not an expert, but I have tried it both ways and it did seem more efficient to do it the way Warren recomends. Especially for panels because one does not have to be perfect and boards can be arranged to minimize amount of work. In panel only edges really matter. If one is making shutters which are usually mechanically secured to the siding then some twist could be easily tolerated. Modern shutters are for looks and they are screwed down so the backside can be left as is.

While I acknowledge your much larger experience, I wonder if this is all correct. When you flatten one face of the boards first, make square edges for the gluejoint and then do a decent gluejob, then you do not need to deal with "having to true up the face again after gluing". Just a bit of scraping or work with the smooth plane on the glue line, and you are set. No thickness lost either. In contrast, juggling with cupped, bowed and twisted boards, without faceplaning them first is turning a simple job in a much harder one.

I suspect it is no wonder that the method of flattening one face and squaring the edge to this face, turned into the modern standard for glue ups.

Kees Heiden

05-27-2016, 10:27 AM

Well I have a cabinet project underway and will for sure give Warren's method a try.

Mike Holbrook

05-27-2016, 10:35 AM

Hi Reinis, true, except the shutters on the front of my house are actually on hinges, not attached to the side of the house. They were made, by the cabinet maker I believe. Unfortunately the "raised" panels were made with MDF vs real wood. A couple got water in the seams and need to be replaced.

The LV nesting winding sticks are made very close to the way Warren mentions: 18" long, a little less than 1 1/2" tall, with four contrasting, polished metal and etched black lines on one side and the back sides are flat black. If the rear winding stick has the side with the contrasting lines facing the user and the front winding stick has the flat black side facing the user, the contrasting lines show up very well if there is twist/wind. The set costs under $30.

Brian Holcombe

05-27-2016, 11:39 AM

Handmade bacon strips;

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/1620B399-8A9F-4234-B48D-74C7644A8BE3_zpsjkbwsuab.jpg

Planing bubinga at 38 degrees, something I understand to be impossible;

http://i27.photobucket.com/albums/c181/SpeedyGoomba/117F0375-F3D7-4AAA-AD42-2CAE02377A47_zpsuvax3twc.jpg

And a movie;

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D3SzAfWUWk8

Mike Holbrook

05-27-2016, 2:26 PM

Pat Barry

05-27-2016, 2:38 PM

Brian Holcombe

05-27-2016, 3:09 PM

Very nice! The pieces of Purple heart I just found are not quite that thick. Might be a good test for a couple Japanese paring chisels I just received. Got to love a little tool porn. You don't work to rock & roll?

Thanks Mike! Purple heart would certainly be a good test. When it comes to brutal woods, like the above and ebony/rosewood, etc, I just take really like cuts and keep my tools super sharp. It's small work so they'll get there eventually.

I listen to alternative rock (new generally, but sometimes 90's), classical music, Japanese flute, cello, classical Chinese music, 90's hiphop, Jazz (greats, not elevator jazz) and occasionally a few bands from the classic rock genre (stuff thats not just overplayed to death). I'm burnt out on classic rock, I can't listen to it, though my wife finds it hysterical that I know the lyrics by heart to practically every classic rock regularly played on the radio....which is strange for something she's never heard me listen to.

Trouble is, youtube flags anything with a conflict, so if I have music in the background that is copyrighted they'll either take the video down or play adds and give the proceeds to the musician (which is fine with me). To avoid this issue I just turn the music off and play some music that is 'approved' in the videos.

I like the work Brian did and his new winding sticks look great of course, but with solid wood I worry that there may be seasonal changes and the sticks might warp. This might be one of those times when good old fashioned BB might be a better choice to help ensure stability / straightness with seasonal changes.

Thanks Pat! Good point, for wooden reference material I check them every few months. I chose this wood because typically it doesn't move much and it won't ding up easily. Otherwise I would probably put it as my near last choice of material to use, hah.

Kees Heiden

05-27-2016, 3:38 PM

Here are my winding sticks, made from padouk with maple accents. I made them many years ago. They are certainly not perfect, but they only need to be equal, which is easilly tested and quickly corrected with a few plane strokes. I always use them in the same orentation and the maple dots help to find that orientation quickly.

338210

Steve Voigt

05-28-2016, 9:21 AM

Brian,
I imagine those will work well.
I did a little digging and found this article by Mr. Schwarz:
http://www.popularwoodworking.com/woodworking-blogs/chris-schwarz-blog/winding-sticks-with-better-visibility

I'm thinking I must've read this before, and just not remembered it. Anyway it's interesting, he says the same thing I did about visibility. I'll be interested to hear, once you've had a chance to work with them, if your experience is the same.

Steve Voigt

05-28-2016, 9:26 AM

I like the work Brian did and his new winding sticks look great of course, but with solid wood I worry that there may be seasonal changes and the sticks might warp. This might be one of those times when good old fashioned BB might be a better choice to help ensure stability / straightness with seasonal changes.

Pat,
My BB sticks have held up well, but that is not always the case with BB…it won't expand/contract the way solid will, but I've had other shop tools made of it that warped, quite badly. Perhaps there are stresses caused by the opposed layers (glued perpendicular to each other, as we all know) that cause it to warp and twist. Pure speculation on my part, but anyway I'm not sure it's clearly better than solid for this application. I made mine out of BB because it was handy, nothing more.