Stock prep???

Re: Stock prep???

Neal in San Jose

>Unfortunately, I have the same issues about time that you do. One or two hours two or three times a week in the evening, and if I'm lucky a whole day on the weekend. My results have been hit-or-miss. Sometimes things go together just fine, other times there are problems. It took me a long time to finally decide that I wasn't just goofing up on the initial fits. I now try and leave things just a "tad" tight (tough on dovetails) so I can sweeten up the tenon or whatever on assembly evening. I also do smaller sub assemblies so I don't have as many fit-ups at one time. And, sometimes I just postpone until I can schedule a whole Saturday or Sunday.

This goes a long way toward explaining the glacial speed of my progress, LOL.

Re: Stock prep???

MikeW

>Hi HB,

I don't know what you do with your dimensioned stock between work periods, but stickering for air flow is the only way I can keep stock from moving too much.

Laying it flat or stacked together flat will inevitably force uneven moisture migration which results in unpredictable movement.

That said, I try to always follow-up final dimensioning with joinery asap.

Take care, Mike

Re: Stock prep???

Glenn Madsen near San Francisco

>Well, sometimes, early joinery and assembly takes care of the wind and twist. Sometimes, though, it moves to the finished project, and still haunts it. Sometimes, the wood is saying it can't or won't do what you wish.

Find some more stock. It's seldom that expensive, compared to your time and tools.

Aren't you building heirlooms? ;-)

verticle not flat makes all the differeance

Robin Corell in Atascadero Ca

>When I prep thin stock and don't have a chance to glue it up before the end of the day I stand the boards on edge on my bench with a bit of space between each board. This allows the air to circulate around both sides of the board giving it a better chance of staying flat.

Robin

find straight stock

Jack Guzman from Maine

>In my job as a carpenter I have taken 16' 2x4s with a little twist and tried to use them as short pieces figuring the twist would be almost nonexistent in a short piece.It doesn't work that way. Even a 6" piece has enough twist to make it useless. I know this isn't the same thing but my point is,the twist is in the grain.Each cell of that board has a slight twisting to it. You can beat it and clamp it into submission but the wood will always want to twist. It's alot easier to just use a straight piece of wood.Wood moves.---Jack

Re: Stock prep???

Warren in Lancaster, Pa

>Generally for thin stock it is helpful to get the stuff assembled as soon as posible after preparation. A 1/4 inch board lying flat on the bench, even if quarter sawn and kiln dried, can cup overnight if there is a big humidity change.

You have gotten some good advise from the others- I have one more suggestion. Prepare all your boards in tandem. That is, flatten a side on every board then an edge, etc. Save the thicknessing of the boards for last. Then check the face side one last time before thicknessing. If there is a small amout of cup or twist you can adjust things a little before marking and planing to thickness. This way you won't have a prepared board sitting aroud for as much time before joinery.

Re: Stock prep???

Ed Mulligan, Cape Cod

>Some pieces of wood are just not going to stay flat. If at all possible, make extra parts and toss the bad actors.

If there is going to be a long time between milling and joining, arrange your milled stock on stickers and clamped to a very flat surface. In effect, the stuff is immobilized. Might work, might not, but it doesn't hurt to try.

I agree with the other suggestions.

Ed

Re: Stock prep???

Paul Kierstead

>I've made a fair few picture frames are particularly troublesome. You have longish spans of thin wood completely unsupported; often the cross-section to length is pretty poor. Unlike most furniture joinery, there is no support to help. So even the smallest trouble can translate into bigger trouble. I do this:

* Pick wood which is reasonably straight grained. I do this for both looks and stability. I often cut my pieces out on the bandsaw on an angle to the board rather then just rip them off the edge. Any place you see some sudden grain changes will almost certainly be a point where some bow/twist will occur (and repeatedly). No wood is perfect, but I try to keep the number of problem pieces down. Frames don't take that much wood, so a little extra wastage, percentage wise, isn't that expensive and they'll still be 1/10th the price of a custom frame. Or 1/20th.

* mill at least twice. At minimum, the first milling is rough cut and rough plane to get some "new" wood exposed. Sticker. Then final mill later. I actually prefer to mill 3 times; once rough, one close to final, and the last one at assembly just to correct for some minor problems. If, on the second milling, a piece has moved a lot it is probably a lost cause.

* Don't sweat it too much. A small twist in the frame will come out once you pin the glass in and it lays up against the wall, especially if the frame is not 'heavy'. A little bow won't show so long as your mat is big enough to keep the eye from drawing direct parallel lines. You do need to make the rebates big enough, though, which is often a good idea anyway since somehow the frames don't always end up as square as you planned.

My CAD$0.02

Re: Stock prep???

HB

>Thanks for the info fellas. Since I store my prepped stock on end leaning against the bench, and the workshop is in the basement next to the furnace (warm and dry), I must have just had a bad piece of wood - although I fought it back into place and now it's permenantly part of that picture frame!

I'll have to try the method of "two sides square and leave the thicknessing for joinery day" too. That may help a bit.

All in all I'm just glad to hear that sometimes it's just the wood. I don;t mind that so much since it doesn't mean a mistake in my work, just a mistake in my stock celection, which in my opinion is easier to overcome.

Thanks again.

HB

Re: Stock prep???

Paul Kierstead

>It isn't quite clear where you set it ... basement floors are very very wet and could cause some grief.