Help with First "Big Investment" Piece

[Art Davis]

I am soon going to tackle the first piece that I will sink a fair amount of money into, and being a newbie to woodworking, I thought I would ask your advice. If the specs say 8/4" stock milled to 1-1/2 inch, does this mean I can use "2x" premilled stuff? Most of the specs are for 3/4" stuff.

A related general question. I am still trying to get the hang of milling with my jointer and planer. Would it be better for me to use standard premilled stuff for this big project or mill thicker stuff down? If the latter, how much oversized do I go (and how much do I plane off)? I realize that this will depend on how crooked the stock is, but how does an inexperienced guy learn this stuff? Frankly, I am getting a bit discouraged because it seems that the only way I can get this kind of knowledge (out here in the boondocks of Southern Oregon) is to make a lot of sawdust. It kinda' hurts me to think of wasting several hundred bucks gaining this kind of knowledge.

Any suggestions?

Thanks.

Art

[Doug Shepard]

The reason it probably says start with 8/4 and mill to 1-1/2 is that they're probably assuming you're going to use hardwood. You don't often see 7/4 hardwood which would be a little less wastage. Standard 2x stuff (that's typically about 1-1/2 anyway) is normally some type of white wood or soft wood (spruce, pine, fir, etc.). What are you making? Does it matter if it's hardwood or not? If not, go ahead and use the 2x stuff, but you may have to account for the radiused corners and buy a little wider than you need.

[Pete Brown]

How about making something inexpensive first, or making a version of your big piece using cheap lumber?

I have had a crappy experience using big box store lumber. Besides being the ugliest cuts, it is almost always bowed, twisted or otherwise a mess. I used to spend a lot of very frustating time just getting peeved in the aisle, trying to find lumber that was any good. Of course, once I did find some, I'd bring it home and it would turn into a banana or boomerang because it was more humid in the store.

Construction grade lumber (2x etc.) is not suitable for furniture. That wood tends to be a terrible grade, with the pith running through it and the moisture content way too high for woodworking.

I very highly recommend getting rough lumber. It is a lot of work, but it is also very rewarding. I haven't looked back since I bought my jointer/planer and started buying rough. I save the pre-milled stuff for things like paint-grade trim work in the house or other stuff where the time spent milling isn't (in my opinion) worth it.

Cut all your pieces slightly oversize first (a few inches too long) and then do the jointing and planing. That way you can reduce how much thickness you lose to the jointer. Lots of lumberyards will even joint an edge for you to make the initial ripping and crosscutting easier. Resist the urge to have them joint a face too, or you may end up with a banana when you get home :)

I still get all my sheet goods at the local big box, and am consistently disappointed, but it is much easier and cheaper than the alternatives.

If you post your plans here, folks may have some suggestions to save you some pain.

[Bruce Page]

Art, the best way to gain experience is to do it. I would suggest that you get some inexpensive kilned dried lumber like popular, basswood, etc. from the lumber supplier and practice. Stay away from 2x material, it’s good for framing houses, but that’s about it.
The jointer is the first step in getting flat, straight boards. Practice on the jointer until you feel comfortable with it. Make some simpler things like mirror frames or boxes. The jointer can be intimidating at first - it was to me, but all of a sudden things will click and you’ll never look back.

Most importantly, never be afraid to ask questions, no matter how basic. There are some very talented people here at the Creek willing to answer them.
Woodworking is an exercise in patience, no one learns it overnight.

[Tom Grice]

I was faced with the same situation this summer. I have just gotten back into woodworking - but had never owned a jointer/planer.

For me, I got a lot of great advice here by searching all the old posts. But I also bought a bunch of white wood on fire sale at Menards to practice on. I ended up turning a lot of boards into sawdust (literally) by making pass after pass to work on my technique.

The combination of reading posts here and practice seemed to work for me. I still make my fair share of mistakes, but the practice on cheap wood made me a lot more confident before I started running QSWO through.

[Robert Waddell]

Art,
You've gotten good advice here. Take it and jump in. Many of the finest woodworkers today are self taught. Have fun. Remember you're not going to learn any younger and through making mistakes you learn how not to make mistakes! All ww'ers make mistakes. Some just hide them better than others.
Rob

[Art Davis]

Thanks a lot for your advice and support, guys! I will take your advice and buy some poplar and run through my project first. I guess that the old cliche is true (to mix metaphors!): "Just belly up to the bar and do it!"

I will post pics as I progress.


Art

[Mike Cutler]

Art.
Picking and reading wood is an acquired skill, and unfortunately some folks are just naturally better than others. It takes awhile to find out the types of material that suit you.

Some tricks to make it "easier".
Know the final dimensions of the materials that you need, you may not have to bring a cutlist with you, it doesn't hurt though, but you do need to know what size the Material needs to be milled to.
What this allows you to do is look at a board that may have some twist, or bow over it's length, and visualize how much of that board has the potential to be usable for the final dimensions that you require,ie. If a board is 10' long and has a 5/8" bow to it, but the longest piece you need is 4' you could end up having to mill out 5/16" to get it flat. This could be doable if the board is thick enough initially to plane off this much and still be thick enough for your needs.
It's easier to make a board wider, than longer. If you need 12" wide,and all of the 12" stuff is cupped or twisted, but the 4"-6" stuff is straight. Do a glueup with the narrower stock, instead of fighting with the wider stock. Those 4"-6" wide boards can really save a project sometimes.

Look at the end of the board. How are the growth rings running relative to the face. The closer the growth rings are to 90 degrees (quartersawn) the more stability you can expect for a given species. Boards that have the growth rings running somewhat parallel to the face (Tangenital) will tend to release enrgy as they are milled,and will move on you. This doesn't make them unusable, you just have to remeber to account for the potential movement. Additionally boards that are quartersawn expend and contract with seasonal changes in humidity less than tangenital.

I personally like to start with the thickest material I can find/afford. I find it gives me more options and control. I have a bandsaw though, ergo I can resaw the thickness I need,and then move onto planing and jointing. You may want to start with 4/4 board if you don't have the ability to resaw.

Use chalk and a square and mark on the face of the rough material where you expect to get each piece on your cut list. Cut the longer pieces first (Remember, it's easier to make a board wider than longer). Cut your material long enough to be able to square up both ends,and remove any slight cracks in the end,an inch or two over is usually good.

Be prepared for the wood to bend a little as it relieves stress when it is ripped. Leave enough extra width to resize it to it's final dimension.

I personally like to joint a face on a board first, then establish a jointed edge to this jointed face, Then plane close to thickness (Leave enough thickness for sanding). I then let the board set for a few days to see what it will do. Usually the jointed edge has to be done again,and then ripped to width on a tablesaw.Be sure to plane equally from both side once you have parallel face to allow the moisture to escape evenly from both faces.

Poplar is a nice wood to start with. It's relatively stable, inexpensive and available, It doesn't weigh a ton. The grain fills nicely with a grain sealer,and it paints well, or accepts gel stain well.

I hope that others will add to this "short list". There are so many little tips that can help you to economize wood,and save time.

Good luck. If you have a pic of your intended project, it may help to post it, or the plan. This might help folks to more specifically address your questions.