Replies

1. 
   philip_r | Oct 19, 2009 08:23pm | #1

   The short answer is to do what you want.

   However, my preference is to bring it in to the shop and acclimate for a few weeks.  The wood will move on you when you bring it home.  I'd only let them S2S, at the most.

1. 
   nicko | Oct 20, 2009 04:44am | #5

   what quickstep said

   nicko

2. 
   stevo1952 | Oct 19, 2009 09:19pm | #2

   Hi Larry,
   I always buy my wood rough and start with the jointer. That way you always have a good flat side. You can then use the planer to get a parallel side which not only is the same thickness, but is also flat. Then go to joint the side, rip the other, joint the final side.

   If you plane only, or take something that is planed when you buy it,
   it might be even thickness, but not flat, ie. like a banana.

   Also a scrub plane can knock off the worst of twisted boards before the jointing, planing process.

   This is my opinion so hope it helps.

3. 
   Quickstep | Oct 19, 2009 09:26pm | #3

   I find that wood can sometimes move around after the first jointing and planing, so I've taken to buying it rough, letting it acclimate and then jointing just enough to clean it up. Before I'm ready to cut to final dimensions, I joint and plane it again.

4. 
   MrSQL | Oct 20, 2009 04:35am | #4

   a lot of places will "skim" plane the boards say to 7/8 + for 4/4, then you bring it to your final thickness.  don't buy the boards if cupped, bowed or twisted, unluss you can use short boards and they knock some off the price.

    

5. 
   JohnWW | Oct 20, 2009 07:54pm | #6

   If you are buying rough sawn stock from a local source it will probably lose more moisture once it is moved into your shop and is allowed to acclimate to the relative humidity levels indoors. This will be true even if it was kiln dried. If you are buying green stock then it will certainly be losing moisture. In all these cases the wood will change in dimension and flatness and will need to be planed just before use.

   You can save yourself some wear and tear on your planer and blades if you have the mill plane it down to take off most the rough, and often dirty faces, of the stock before you take it home. This is usually called skim or skip planing and will still leave you enough thickness to plane it down further later.

   Another advantage in having the stock skip planed is that it will allow you to see the wood's grain so you can start planning which boards will go where in the piece you will be making.

   John White
   Shop Manager for FWW Magazine, 1998 to 2007
6. 
   BG | Oct 21, 2009 12:39pm | #7

   Larry,

   I'm cheap. To comply with that motivation, I often use a combination of rough and S2S in a project. I'll go S2S for the top(or show side) and work the rough for the rest of the requirements. Because I can pick through the S2S I usually have less waste.

7. 
   ted | Oct 21, 2009 01:43pm | #8

   Depends on what material you have and what you plan on doing with it.
   I usually by hit and miss, straight line one edge. if I'm purchasing a larger volume (100 b.f. +) for a project.
   for smaller stuff like a few boards it's a toss up. If it's a scarce commodity I'll by it in the rough and plan it myself.

   
   

   ---

   Edited 10/21/2009 6:43 am ET by ted

8. 
   lwilliams | Oct 22, 2009 05:04am | #9

   Larry,

   There's one reason to prepare your own stock. That one reason is to start your project off with straight, flat and true stock of an appropriate thickness. You want to avoid setting yourself, your joinery and your project up for failure at worst and struggling with every step at best.

   The first step in stock preparation is stock selection and the second is to reduce pieces to rough size for flattening, straightening and thicknessing. Stock selection involves deciding grain is appropriate and if individual pieces are true enough to allow for the desired thickness after it's flattened straightened and planed to thickness. You don't get there by planing or skip planing whole boards. Grain simply isn't that difficult to read in rough stock.

   Anything that's removed from whole board rough stock is going to limit your ability to get the desired thickness. Why start off with a handicap? You don't want to try to work with crooked stock or stock that's too thin.

   Your woodworking will be easier, use less wood and more than likely be more successful if you control the whole process and learn to properly prepare stock. Avoid stock that's been planed in any way if you want to get the most from it. You don't prepare your own stock to save money; you do it to make the work faster, easier, more efficient and more likely to end the way you planned.

9. 
   bones | Oct 22, 2009 04:18pm | #10

   Well my answer is depends.  If it's a few pennies/bf then why not. Realize though that depending on the environment change cupping could occure requiring you to further work with the wood.  Many moons ago, in my early days I had the opportunity to do this and took advantage of it.  I found though that the wood cupped a bit and I had to rework it and decided my time was worth something and decided I would not "save" again by doing this.  Experiment, and get some stuff and take it home and see how it reacts.  Of course each batch of wood brings new possibilities, but for me, I prefer to get it flat & parallel and square and sit in the shop for a while then work it.  TMTCW.

   I was married by a judge - I should have asked for a jury.
   George Burns