Replies

1. 
   Midnight | Oct 21, 2003 10:09pm | #1

   My current project (a blanket chest) owes it's styling to a 21" wide sycamore board I bought to see what could be done with it. Only tools I know of that can take a board that wide from rough sawn to finished stock are hand planes. The only power tool the board saw was the table saw, cutting the board into panels. Everything else was done on either the bench itself or with a series of shooting boards. Took a while, granted.... but well worth the effort.

   Mike Wallace

   Stay safe....Have fun

1. 
   maple_geek | Oct 22, 2003 12:42am | #4

   Mike, my question to you would be...how did you get the original 21" board (which I assume was rough cut) to panel panel size dimension? ...or how did you manage to cut rough lumber on the table saw? It sounds a bit risky as would would not have a straight edge or face to work with.

   Eric

1. 
   BG | Oct 22, 2003 01:03am | #5

   Eric,

   Usually I hand plane one side of the rough wood and one edge and then run it through the table saw for the other edge and the planer for the other face.

   The whole board could be done with a plane, winding sticks and a straight edge.  In your case I'd probably plane one side and attach a straight edge on the board and rip the board with my skillsaw

2. 
   Midnight | Oct 22, 2003 01:45am | #6

   Eric....

   dead simple..... planed both faces till they were true, flat and parallel before jointing an edge in the bench vice (my bench vice has jaws 60" wide..... don't ask). Butt that edge against the fence of my large panel cutter.... square one end of the board on the table saw before "slicing" the remainder into panels 1/4" larger than final dimension. I built a shooting board that had a pair of fences that were  square (to within 2 thou over 42") to the plane guides. Used that to propelry square all 4 corners, shoot all the edges and bring the panels down to final dimensions. Mike Wallace

   Stay safe....Have fun

2. 
   JohnWW | Oct 21, 2003 10:45pm | #2

   Eric,

   Are the jigsaw and circular saw hand tools or stationary tools?

   John W.

1. 
   maple_geek | Oct 22, 2003 12:39am | #3

   I was refering to the power tools jigsaw or saber saw and circular saw or skilsaw.

   Eric

3. 
   RMillard | Oct 22, 2003 01:22pm | #7

   Eric

   Because my space is limited, I rough cut most material as soon as it is delivered , using my worm drive saw. I also many times just hand saw things to length. One thing I never do, is to rip material to fit a tool. I don’t own a jointer and never will. The best investment any woodworker can make is buying or making a decent bench and hand planes. Armed with nothing more than a jack and jointer plane any board can be squared up in fairly short order, without any sort of jigs. It is such a fundamental skill, to be able to dimension stock with hand tools that I would consider it essential even for those dedicated to power tools. I will be the first to admit, that dimensioning stock over 5 -6 feet long, (which most furniture is not), is a little more difficult, but certainly not impossible. I myself have planed several sideboard tops measuring about 27”x70” with relative ease.

   Rob Millard