Replies

1. 
   highfigh | Sep 11, 2007 01:18am | #1

   Depending on how much poplar you have, your budget and assuming you'll be painting it, getting it flat and changing to 1/2" with a thicker edge might work if it's that warped. Otherwise, maybe this stock should be used for something that needs shorter and narrower pieces. Ripping the worst ones, squaring the edge and re-gluing could save some thickness.

   "I cut this piece four times and it's still too short."
2. 
   saschafer | Sep 11, 2007 01:35am | #2

   So you have solid planks of poplar that are 9" x 12"? And you want to use them for drawer sides that are also 9" x 12" (or thereabouts)?

   Unless they're quartersawn, they're going to cup at least a little bit, no matter what you do. If not today, then tomorrow, when the humidity is a bit higher or a bit lower.

   Given your equipment menu, and assuming that the amount of existing cup is not too severe, this is what I would do:

   1) Let the pieces acclimate, with good air circulation to both faces, in an environment that's a good approximation of their final destination. (In most cases, that means keeping them indoors in air-conditioned comfort.) Give them at least a few days, longer if they've been in a high-humidity environment.

   1) Rip the pieces lengthwise. Take a look at the ends of each piece before ripping to inspect the amount and location of curvature, as the optimum cut line may not be exactly in the middle. In fact, it might make sense to rip at least some of the pieces into more than two pieces. In general, the more "slices" you rip them into, the less thickness you will lose during surfacing, but the more overall width you will lose. Be sure to mark the pieces on the end grain so that you know which ones go together.

   2) Send each piece over the jointer to flatten one side.

   3) Using the flat face as a reference, joint both edges of each piece to exactly 90°.

   3) Send the pieces through the planer to flatten the other side, but just enough to flatten, not to final thickness. Plane all of the pieces to the same thickness.

   4) Glue the pieces back together.

   5) Send the glued-up pieces through the planer, at least one pass on each side. Then plane to final thickness.

   6) Glue the panels up into drawer boxes as soon as possible, so that atmospheric changes don't have a chance to get them all twisted up again.

   The above assumes that after all of the machining you still have enough width and thickness left to end up with the sizes you need, of course. It goes without saying that you want to take very light cuts, the absolute minimum required to achieve the necessary flatness and square edges.

   -Steve

    

    

1. 
   msp100 | Sep 11, 2007 02:46am | #3

   Thank you for the advice...

   So you are essentially suggesting taking my existing 9" wide boards and ripping them lengthwise in half (or somewhere there abouts), joint and plane them and then glue them back as one via tongue and groove or a similar flat joint...

   If yes, would those joints be stable long term i.e. splitting or seperating over time?  Being in a drawer that would have significant movement or banging around by kids, would be my only concern. 

    

1. 
   saschafer | Sep 11, 2007 03:09am | #4

   Ensure that the edges are straight and perpendicular to the faces, use a good glue (e.g., Titebond II or III), and clamp the panels up snugly. The edge-to-edge joints should be as strong the wood itself.

   I wouldn't bother with tongue-and-groove or anything like that. You don't need it for strength, and on pieces as small as you're using, you don't need it for alignment.

   -Steve

    

2. 
   forestgirl | Sep 11, 2007 06:45am | #5

   Msp100, I've asked exactly the same question a dozen times over while building multiples of a project over the last 6 months or so.  Every experienced woodworker I talked to said the same thing:  rip, joint, plane, glue.  For my particular project, one piece really needed to be a solid, unseamed piece, about 10.5" wide, 37" long.  It was very, very difficult to get that flat.  Not worth the time if it isn't necessary.

   Didn't notice if it was mentioned above, but let the wood "rest" a bit after ripping, and yet again after planing to near-final thickness before the final planing and gluing.  The darned stuff moves around after milling!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   msp100 | Sep 11, 2007 03:31pm | #6

   Your method definitely appears to be the consensus and the way to go.  You're right about the movement after milling.  Just since I cut and joined them last night, they moved again.  I know now what I need to do....

   thanks for the info.

   Shawn

3. 
   AdamCherubini | Sep 12, 2007 02:45pm | #7

   I don't get it. Are these drawer bottoms? Is this roughly the size of the drawer? Why do they have to be flat? No part of a drawer has to be perfectly flat since every piece can be restrained in the assembly. Just finished an article on drawer making. Looked at a lot of 18th c philadelphia drawers. Sides and bottoms appeared to all be 1/4 sawn or riven and were very thin. White cedar bottoms were nailed up from underneath and very very few were cracked.

   Adam

4. 
   colebearanimals | Sep 13, 2007 12:04am | #8

   Hi Shawn,

            The best way to flatten Poplar is to use Maple. I quit using Poplar. A lot of people do use it successfully but I've found it to be too unstable. It may be better in other parts of the country though.

                                                  Paul

5. 
   GettinTher | Sep 13, 2007 05:30pm | #9

   Shawn,

   Have you considered building a planer sled? Keith rust made a video and wrote an article about this on the FWW site.

   http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/subscription/Workshop/WorkshopArticle.aspx?id=5245

   http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesPDF.aspx?id=24118

   I'm sure there are many more examples.  Given the fact that your pieces are relatively short, you may be able to get by with a piece of 3/4 ply for a sled with some shims under the high points to make your poplar stable as it moves through the planer.

   Good luck,

   Danny

1. 
   forestgirl | Sep 13, 2007 06:17pm | #10

   Danny, a planer sled will work for longer pieces too.  That how I got my 3' long tops face-jointed to prep for thickness planing.  Didn't make a fancy sled, just a piece of MDO with a walnut cleat on one end to keep the stock from moving off the sled.  Used plastic wedges that were lined with stick-on sandpaper to level-up the board.

   Wide poplar (11") being what it is, though, rip-and-joint is still the way to go if it's not crucial to have a one-piece slab.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-) 

1. 
   GettinTher | Sep 13, 2007 06:39pm | #11

   ". . . rip-and-joint is still the way to go . . . "

    . . . because of the potential for more cupping in the future?