Hi all,
I continue to have trouble getting boards that are flat and straight. Here is my process. I let the new wood acclimate to my shop (my garage) for a week or so before using them. Then I will cut to approximate size and check for twist or bowing. To fix either of these problems I go to the Jointer. Once satisfied that the board is flat I plane the other side to size. However after I use the board in my project it seems to bow a few days later. Any suggestions? By the way I live in Beaufort, SC, which is on the coast, but the humidity has not gotten bad yet.
RCSCW
Replies
Only a week of rest. I let mine go a month or more in a heated basement. And then I cut it oversized and let it rest some more. And this is with kiln-dried. There are all sorts of issues, depending on the wood, with internal stresses, rate of acclimation, etc. Sometimes, even the planing can result in wood movement.
rcscw said..."Once satisfied that the board is flat I plane the other side to size"
I don't know if you just misspoke there or not, but you should take an equal amount of wood off of each side of the board. I also agree that a week isn't very long. You should also plane down to 1/8" oversize or so and let that rest for a few days before planing to final thickness.
Rob
Presumably, you're sticker stacking the boards (?).
I think "InMyOpinion" is on the right track.
After you have finish-sized the wood, do you keep both sides exposed to the air? I made a stupid mistake and glued up a table top (dead flat) and then laid it on a bench for two weeks while I worked on other components. When I checked it had a large, cross-grain hump. A change in the weather got to the top and not the bottom.
Easy to correct, but time consuming: just sticker it so air can get to all sides. It gradually moved back to dead flat.
Frosty
It doesn't help to forget what you already know.
This is my first time using this forum and I wanted to reply to the three people that responded. I assumed (we all know what that does) that selecting "all" would only go to the people that responded to my question. If it goes farther, could someone explain how to respond to more than one user?I should have been more detailed in my explanation. I do plane both sides of the board equally, but I don't let them sit after planing, so good suggestion and I'll give it a try. I also have just been stacking my wood not sticking it. I know about sticking but just thought that was for drying green wood. Thanks for the suggestions and maybe my next project will be more successful.RCSCW
just for reference... the project I'm currently working on is using stock that was KD'd to 9% then stored in my shop for nearly 2 years... it still moves a little when I start working it...Mike Wallace
Stay safe....Have fun
Mike,
I had a piece of pine I was carving for the back of a seat - about 4'6" * 10" * 3/4. It would cup within 30 minutes of being placed on the bench for a carving session. I solved this by placing a 3*3 block under each end and using another 3*3 under the area I was carving at that time, just used a couple of those quick claps to stop it jumping about. This ketpt the air circulating both sides and no more problems. Used to turn it upside down between sessions just in case.
dave.
i am wondering what stickering is??
Placing small pieces of wood between boards for better air circulation.Do a Google Image search on "wood stickering" to see examples.
thanks
cant forget the almighty google
did your stock stay stable after you were done carving...???
sounds particlarly unstable to me.... poorly dried...??Mike Wallace
Stay safe....Have fun
It's not about how dry it is, it's about EMC, the equilibrium moisture content. Wood KD'd to say 6% will take up moisture from the air if it's humid, or lose moisture if it's very dry. And it's going to twist, cup or bow if it doesn't do it evenly.
Are you saying, then, that, practically speaking (in a normal, dynamic ambience), one cannot consider the wood reasonably "stabilized" until it is coated by whatever means to virtually prevent water transfer?
Read this:http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/Materials/MaterialsPDF.aspx?id=27129
It's virtually impossible to completely seal wood to the point where it will no longer absorb or lose moisture. Film finishes like varnish can slow the rate at which moisture is transferred in and out of the wood, but it won't eliminate it. That's why we design furniture to take seasonal movement into account.
Mike,
meant to take some pic to show the piece but didnt manage. The piece has been in use for about 10 years.
The carved piece in place is the backrest of a bench so has airflow both sides. It has been stable. The seat however sits on a blanket box so has airflow on only one side. Its movement is liited by two braces attached to the bottom with sliding dovetails. both boards have cupped, but the effect was limited by alternating the grain and the braces so has not been a problem.
I like working this timber and realy like its melow tones over time, but I am sure it is handled to quickly. On the other hand, I built this in an unlinded steel shed and had a lot of problems that year from wood movement. A rocking horse I tried that year moved so much the head fell off. I laid that project aside for a year and it now occupies the family room with the head secured by a long screw.
dave
my gut reaction to your description of the movement was that it'd gone from log to the kiln far too quickly... but then, commercialism demands a return on the expenditure all too quickly.. so much for allowing green boards to air dry for a year before seeing the kiln...
still... kudos to you for managing to carve it despite all the movement... To date I haven't had the guts to try to carve anything meaningful... my last attempt got me detention for a week.!! Mike Wallace
Stay safe....Have fun
If I have boards that I mill and sticker and then cut to size after I let them 'rest' I stack them and put some weight on top (a big board or bricks) if it is a day or two for the next step (joinery or assembly). I saw this tip a few months ago on a FWW video and it seems to have helped fix the mysterious bowing of boards that were milled straight.
I will say that I am working harder to REALLY make sure that a board is straight and square. Seems like I was getting close to square but when I retuned all of my tools and started checking each board and making sure that the jointer fence was REALLY square when I edge jointed a board, it made a difference in my work.
Scott
good advice. It seems by the thread that the sticker is key. This is something I have not been doing. I'll also give the weight a try as well. Thanks for your helpRoger
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