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Thread: water jetting and wood?

  1. #1
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    water jetting and wood?

    Hi,

    I'm getting some steel cut at a water jet shop and their website mentions all the materials they can water jet. They mention wood. Obviously, they can cut wood if they can cut steel, but... introducing wood into a wet process seems kinda odd.

    Does anyone here have any experience water jetting wood products? What are you doing and what type of wood are you using?

    Thanks and cheers,

    (Partially asking because if this could be used to make patterns, it might be pretty cost effective. But again, I really don't see it working out.)

  2. #2
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    Quote Originally Posted by andrew whicker View Post
    Hi,

    I'm getting some steel cut at a water jet shop and their website mentions all the materials they can water jet. They mention wood. Obviously, they can cut wood if they can cut steel, but... introducing wood into a wet process seems kinda odd.

    Does anyone here have any experience water jetting wood products? What are you doing and what type of wood are you using?

    Thanks and cheers,

    (Partially asking because if this could be used to make patterns, it might be pretty cost effective. But again, I really don't see it working out.)


    I've only seen it done once. I was skeptical at the time and watching it didn't really change my opinion on it. It was a large panel of solid teak that needed a precise, though oddly shaped, opening cut into it with the cutout saved for a lid.... apparently for someones boat. It cut just fine, but of course the piece was entirely soaked, and even though it was teak I believe there were still some warping problems with it later on... maybe had something to do with the cutting, maybe not? Anyway I didn't think using water to cut wood was the best idea then and it still seems counterproductive to me now. Think about it this way, your getting ready to build a project and your first step is to take all your lumber and dump it into a pool for several minutes..... doesn't seem to me like a great way to start

    I'll be interested to see if others chime in with their experiences here though.

    JeffD

  3. #3
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    I’ve cut metal with a waterjet, but why wouldn’t you use a cnc for wood?

  4. #4
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    I think that Jeff brings up a good example of when this technique might be a good solution...where you need to make a precise cutout with minimal kerf in material that's potentially too thick for using a laser. Yes, CNC router can be used, but the limitations on cutter diameter vs length might compromise a need for a very narrow kerf. The bottom line is to use the best tool for the job. Water jet isn't ideal for wood because of the...water...but...
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  5. #5
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    If the wood was sealed in some way first, if only temporary, you could limit the impact of the wet conditions to the immediate area of the cut. Seems like an 'if there's a will, there's a way' situation.

  6. #6
    Replace the water with boiled linseed oil and finish while you cut.

  7. #7
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    Don't water jets also use very fine media mixed with the water?

  8. #8
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    Yes it does. Water jet uses a fine abrasive media to cut with, not the water itself. Think of it as a precision sandblaster with water. I wouldn't cut wood with it cause it's not a fast way to cut anything and the wood would be soaked before it's done being cut.

  9. #9
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    I use it for work all the time cutting steel parts. They recently cut a wood drill template for me out of plywood and it worked great and cost next to nothing. They don't always use abrasive media on soft materials like wood - think about a pressure washer removing the top layer of your wood deck - and that is nowhere neer the 90,000 psi you can see in a Waterjet.

  10. #10
    Ask the company you're using to explain putting it on their website. It could be that they just don't know anything about woodworking and cut a 2x4 with it to see if it would work and put in on their website.

  11. #11
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    I'm going to when I pick up the steel

  12. #12
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    It really would be interesting to hear from the jet cutter's perspective what wood cutting applications they feel are a good fit.
    --

    The most expensive tool is the one you buy "cheaply" and often...

  13. #13
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    I was on a job where they had a bunch of rafter tails scroll cut with a water jet. A total fiasco IMO- the cut was fuzzy, lot of blow out chipping and couldn't be sanded well because the end grain was soaked. Scrapers were tried and just made a mess, then the painters wouldn't touch them until they dried out. All that and they waited 7 weeks for the stock to be delivered... Job could've been done well and in a lot less time if an articulated bandsaw- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XC_lzHJs4jg- was used

  14. #14
    I built some tool carriers out of 1/2 bb and had a design cut into it with a waterjet. Worked fine.The piece isn't immersed in water but sits on a frame and the amount of wood affected by the water is minimal compared to the overall piece.

  15. #15
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    Picked up my metal. Guy said they use it on plywood. There was a laminated countertop cut out on display as well

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