Bread board/bowed wood question

[Mark Rios]

I am replacing two pull-out bread boards in a kitchen. The boards are 23+ inches wide so I will be using between 24 and 26 maple strips per board (there is some other wood in them as well, if you're doing the math).I cut my maple strips, 3/4" thick x 1 1/2" wide x 23" long. The 3/4" edge goes up; the board will be 1 1/8" thick. I rough cut the maple and let them set a couple of days and then finish cut them. However, some are now bowed a little. In the 23" length, some have from a 1/16" to 1/8" bow. I am gluing up 1/2 of the total width (about 12" wide) so that I can run the halves through my planer. I am using TBIII glue.

Am I asking for trouble if I glue these up? Will the tend to want to pull apart? Or will all be well? Should I maybe glue up onlu 1/3 of the width at a time? would this help?


Thanks very much for your advice.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

bread boards in a kitchen [...] 23+ inches wide so [...] 24 and 26 maple strips per board

sounds nice.



(there is some other wood in them as well,
Just be sure the dynamic responce to humidity is about the same as maple.



if you're doing the math)
Me? Math? You are joking.



3/4" thick x 1 1/2" wide x 23" long.[...] 1 1/8" thick
Nice thin strips like that should be layed up so they warp in opposite directions and you should be good to go.


However, some are now bowed a little. In the 23" length, some have from a 1/16" to 1/8" bow.
You might want to straighten them on a jointer (or with a hand plane) first. Why are they bowed?



I am gluing up 1/2 of the total width (about 12" wide) so that I can run the halves through my planer.
OK I guess.


I am using TBIII glue.
All polyvinyl glues will cold flow under stress. So will epoxies. The amount of flow is the question.

The slight bow may not be too much of a problem in strips as thin as you have - a purist wouldn't take the chance.


Am I asking for trouble if I glue these up? Maybe some.


Will the tend to want to pull apart? Oh yes of course. The question is will they succeed? I am guessing they won't.



Should I maybe glue up onlu 1/3 of the width at a time? would this help?
And now I am wondering about the reason for the concern over joint failure. If you are concerned whether the planer will shatter the glue joint it might dependin on the amount of bowing. If your glue up is really out of flat and the pressure rollers may possibly break the joint by straightening the glue up to the table. BUT you should not flatten stock in a planer.
In any event the planer may be the wrong tool.
A jointer will flatten it properly a planer will duplicate the cumulative mean bowing found in the glue up.

True your wood with a first pass on the jointer.
Do not try to correct warping or bowing with a planer.


Thanks very much for your advice.
That'll be a nickel.

[Don Baer]

Mark ole buddey. a lot of hardwood suppliers sell cutting boards already made up sinze I assume that this is one of the remdels that you are doing why not save yourself a lot of time and simply buy new ones. If this was for your own use i could see making them but time is money.

[Alan Turner]

Mark,
I have seen the Bally butcher block operation, and you are way within limits, at least as to what they do, without problems.
But as to the glue, I would personally use Unibond 800, as it is quite water resistant, and will not creep.

[Gary McKown]

Biggest problem I see with your plan would be planing the glue-ups. That many maple strips (alternating bows included) almost surely will result in grain reversal and potential chipout somewhere on the surface. Wide belt sander, or a lot of hand work on the completed board would be preferred.

I have tried planing 10-12" wide cutoffs from the Bally operation that Alan mentioned. With the sharpest of knives, the maple ones always left divots although the ones made of ash generally came out fairly well.