I am about to start building some cabinets from old barn boards. Boards are coming from an old garage that held a model T.
Iin order to clean uop the boards enough to use them I am having to single pass on each side (thickness planer) which brings them down to 5/8″.
Can anyone foresee any problems with this? Face frames and paneled doors will be 5/8″. I would like to inset the doors on a beaded face frame but the owner wants full overlay, and visible hinges.
After I straighten the problem boards on the joiner, I am worried that 2 passes may be too much and I will end up with 9/16″. Then I willhave to do them ALL 9/16.
Any tips will be appreciated. I am still in the layout phase of this so I have about a week before turn the saw on.
Also, I am trying to figure out exactly what kind of lumber it is. It is void of any smell other than……old. Would yellow pine retain its aroma?
Replies
cuta,
i get nervous when face frame stock is less than 3/4" thick. although some will think me remiss, i either dowel my f/f joints or pocket screw them. 5/8" stock is pretty thin for either of these joining methods. if you were to mortise and tenon the joints, i think things would be better. this is alot of work and, were i doing it, i'd m/t it all by machine.
also, planing reclaimed lumber can be hard on your machine. watch out for nails and such!
good luck,
eef
I was going to use bisquits for my face frames and stub tenons for my door frames. I think that 1/2'' groove i use for my panels will be enough for the door joints. Some of my bisquit slots will be seen on the edge of the face frame.
My only other idea was to just glue and face nail the ff to the cabinets and hope the butt joints hold.
I hate being a pessismist about this lumber. To some, they think "no big deal" you lose 1/8'' in thickness. But it is a big deal. EVERYTHING is related to 3/4 inch dimension. I would love to use cup hinges for th adjustability abut i cannot. I would love to use STANDARD methods, but cannot. I have fallen in love with pocket screws because of thier speed.
If you are going to skin off the surface, what really is the benefit of using reclaimed boards. If there is a visual benefit, then how about reserving those boards for the panels, and make the door rails and stiles from new material of the same species so you can have the thickness you need.
Can you get by surfacing only one side, and just sanding the inside? I'd be pretty shy about 5/8" doors (not much room for a panel groove) or even 5/8" face frames, for that matter. But the frames can be stiffened by the cab (plywood, right?), so it's not really that big of a deal if they're thin. I usually use pocket screws for FFs, but I'd use biscuits for something that thin. (I assume you'll use surface-mount standard overlay hinges -- side-mount hinges want 3/4" stock.)
Oh, and get in writing that you don't guaranty that anything will stay straight for more than 10 minutes. ;-)
Mike Hennessy
Pittsburgh, PA
All the lumber is pretty stright for being that old. Yes surface mount hinges.
For th post above yours: c'mon. Older wood has character under it. You could take it straight from the barn to the cabinet if you want that nasty silver look. But you have to clean it up.
This will surely pose some problems in math as well as construction...but i work by the hour and i told him this would take a little longer than normal.
It's straight now, but you're gonna remove a chunk of its surface(s) and put it in a new environment. Thin wood in a new, heated environment = movement. I'm not saying it WILL warp, just that I wouldn't bet on it not warping.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
how is it done by everyone else? The mere idea of using reclaimed lumber is to bring it inside.
I don't know. On one hand i am being too careful by over thinking this. On the other hand, I could be building trash.
If I go to the client and express extreme concerns he will get someoen else to do it.
2 years ago I told a client it was a terrible idea to put down a solid wood pine floor before letting it aclimate to his house. He insisted and I told him I was not responsible for wood movement. To this day the floor still is tight.
I dont want to throw caution to the wind, but I dont want to be an alarmist either. My heart tells me it may move a bit, but not much.
The pine will retain it's aroma and some other's to.
Think about not taking the Back all the way off. Leave a few marks or saw cuts just get the real splinters off. Try to keep the meat up if you can.I would take a piece now and throw it in his house and see how it responds Re cupping.
Exposed biscuit look bad INHO if you want how about a spline or a feather?
Got to love them pocket screws
what is a feather? Keep in mind that this is a "no dovetail"job.
They dont want to pay a fortune and I dont want to charge them a fortune. Splines take to long so I might as well bisquit. I could half lap but hell, that is time consuming as well.
Is it possible to pocket screw into 5/8?.........heck..I guess I will see for myself. I have some of the lumber in my shop..stand by
yes, pocket screws work with 5/8 stock. I just need to be mindful how close it is.
What a relief! Such a time saver
Every piece I've made out of reclaimed lumber that needed to be finished at 3/4" thick started at over an inch thick. Reclaimed lumber is often harvested from the posts, beams, joists, rafters, purlins, etc. of old buildings instead of the siding which may be pretty weathered & checked. Not saying you can't do it -- I'm just saying you gotta allow for the limitations you're faced with.
Mike HennessyPittsburgh, PA
have spoken with my client about the limitations. He is also an old buddy of mine, so he is very at ease about telling me I am a whiner. But I know good and well that if something is wrong with my job due tothe fact that the lumber had limitations,..I will be the blame.
I am pretty resourceful when it comes to getting somthing to work...I will just have to be creative.
I have already mocked-up a door for them with a raised panel which they liked. I found out that pocket screws will work for my ff. If I blow out a corner witha nail, I can just call it "character" or "distressed". If I miss-measure I can blame it on the wood shrinking.. and if the whole job sucks, I can blame you guys here at FWW.
..hell! how can I go wrong?
Look the lumber over very carefully for nails etc or other pieces of metal. After that is done, saw it up into lengths that will fit into your wood stove and buy some appropriately sized lumber that has been recently cut and dried. It just isn't worth it.
depressing,...I actually think I will enjoy this job, ...the more you do the more you know , the more you know, the more there is to be bitter about later, right.......plus you get paid!!!
I think you are thinking about a standard kitchen..low to midrange. This is worth it.
The wood has been in his family for years...it is worth it
I've done some work with reclaimed Douglas Fir. I never had any problems with warpage. Some of this stuff sat around for quite a while [New Construction]. The biggest problem is slivers, you WILL get lots of slivers from reclaimed lumber and some may be quite nasty. I now wear the new work gloves anytime I touch reclaimed materials. Good Luck and have fun with your project.
Dave
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