Three R's question

[James Mittlefehldt]

If you accept that one should follow the three r's,(ie reduce reuse and recycle) I have a question for you that may test your creative process.

I am unfortunatly at the moment in the middle of a sudden home inprovement project, from SWMBO. I have two bags full of old wood lath from a plaster wall I had to take down. The stuff has been up for 111 years and is dry as a bone and roughly 5/16's of an inch thick, and of course rough as well.

My question is, can you think of something I could use the stuff for rather than just toss it. I will for sure save the square head nails that held it on but would like to do something with the lath as well. Any ideas? I hate to waste somethingI could potentially reuse.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

How wide is it James, right off hand you could make boxes, drawers, substrate for veneer, bent laminations, or moulding.

[James Mittlefehldt]

How wide is it James, right off hand you could make boxes, drawers, substrate for veneer, bent laminations, or moulding.

It is 1 3/8 wide by 3/8 thich but will probably end up at 1/4 inch when planed smooth. I could always make a coffin for our bird so we have som,ething for it when it shuffles off this mortal coil.

[Tyler Howell]

I keep a big bundle on hand for shims, repairs to old plaster and firring out sheet rock walls. tomato stakes and yard sale signs DAMHIKT.
I burns real good but there may be asbestos on them so I restrict my burning to start out door fires only;)

[Bob Smalser]

Laid-up, crossgrain drawer bottoms are where my short waste goes. Include a couple sticks of cedar for the ever fresh smell.

No stick is too small, and any thickness can be used. Butcha gotta make traditional drawers to use them....after a while, plywood there will make your teeth itch, too. :)

http://pic3.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/5732475/73536392.jpg

http://pic3.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/2594265/36624721.jpg

Long waste becomes easels for your favorite teacher. I have wel over 50 easels spread out in schools and colleges around the county.

http://pic3.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/2594265/29956022.jpg

[Pam Niedermayer]

How about trellis lattices and other garden pieces?

Pam

[James Mittlefehldt]

How about trellis lattices and other garden pieces?

Pam

Good idea I don't know why that did not occur to me as well, thanks Pam, and Bob to, as I do make traditional drawers when I do make them.

I want to make a whole bunch of them as it happens, for my workshop but other more mundane stuff keeps getting in the way, you know no heat, stuff for the house things like that.

[David Fried]

I used mine as kindling since I wasn't woodworking at the time. Could be a source of thin wood for jewelry box dividers and such.

Dave Fried

[James Mittlefehldt]

I used mine as kindling since I wasn't woodworking at the time. Could be a source of thin wood for jewelry box dividers and such.

Dave Fried

Smacks hinself upside the head, why didn't I think of that I just bought some thin stuff from the big orange place, not much mind it cost a fortune, for that very purpose and was debating buying more.

Glad to see you guys are thinking.

[Alan DuBoff]

Laid-up, crossgrain drawer bottoms are where my short waste goes. Include a couple sticks of cedar for the ever fresh smell.
[sniparoo]

http://pic3.picturetrail.com/VOL12/1104763/2594265/36624721.jpg
Bob, can I ask you how you chamfer the sides on the bottom of those drawer bottoms? I'm guessing a moulding plane, but just wanted to see the response you give. Cedar is wonderful for drawer bottoms. My house has cedar floors in the closets.

[Bob Smalser]

3 passes help upright on the table saw, is how. You can set the fence close to provide a clean, flush surface on the bevel, or a bit deeper for an 8th or so of reveal on the top of the panel. Takes about 3 minutes. A sharp, good-quality blade requires no sanding. This is a task much beter and faster done by machine than a panel plane.

Then if you want a clean, untapered fit into the side grooves and front dado, just run the #78 set up with fence and slitter around the edges to make flats. Another 3 minutes less setup. I don't even go to that much trouble for drawer bottoms and just hit the edges with the shoulder plane. A little irregularity is good, so there's no mistaking hand as opposed to machine made.

[Brett Baldwin]

What about shiplapping them for the back of a box or for the panel of a door?

BTW, if asbestos is a concern, isn't planing or sanding them going to be releasing a lot of that into the air?

[Alan DuBoff]

3 passes help upright on the table saw, is how.Ok, you fooled me...I had thought if it was a power tool it would have been a router/shaper. Interesting using the tablesaw for that. If I understand, you could stand it on edge, take the bevel off, then one cut along the face and one along the edge (both at 90 degrees) to form the tenon along the edge, if that makes sense. Are those the 3 cuts you make?

This looks clean to me.

Then if you want a clean, untapered fit into the side grooves and front dado, just run the #78 set up with fence and slitter around the edges to make flats.This is what I had been planning. I wasn't sure if there was a way to do that with a shave, drawknife, or similar. I 'spose you could, but I'm fine using a rabbet since nobody sees under the drawer most of the time.

[James Mittlefehldt]

I keep a big bundle on hand for shims, repairs to old plaster and firring out sheet rock walls. tomato stakes and yard sale signs DAMHIKT.
I burns real good but there may be asbestos on them so I restrict my burning to start out door fires only;)

Where does the asbestos come from Tyler was it used a fire retardant in the plaster?

[Mike Becker]

James,

If you're into crafting, you can use the latice as is to build "ladders" for home decorations. In our travels thrue various crafts stores/shows we have seen many of these latice "ladders" with various floral decorations on them. It's amazing just how much these places get for the things as well!!! After seeing these "ladders" my YF had me build about a half-dozen of them, in various sizes, out of some scrap red oak. Fun project for me as I was just starting my ww career at the time. There are other craft items too you can build with old latice (and the older and the more worn the latice is the better) but damn if I can remember them at the moment!

Take a walk thrue a craft store or show and you'll see what I'm talking about.

[James Mittlefehldt]

I did a quick check and apparently Asbestos was rarely if ever used in plaster and only after 1925, the walls I was dealing with were installed in 1894 so as far as Asbestos goes I should be fine. There is of course a risk handling the plaster itself as it may contain silica fibers which are also dangerous but this can be avoided by wearing a good dust mask. So the wood lath and 2x4's are okay to use. Whew.

[tod evans]

james, for me the residual plaster would pose enough of a threat to my edge tools that it would negate any benefit of using the wood....02 tod

[James Mittlefehldt]

james, for me the residual plaster would pose enough of a threat to my edge tools that it would negate any benefit of using the wood....02 tod

I happen to have a couple of beater planes that need a good blade so with a bit of honing they should do the job. I had considered that as well but thanks for mentioning it, it does bear consideration.