Just got a bandsaw for X-mas and my first project is to make a small counter top, 25in X 25in X 1.5in approx.
I am going to use part of a beam that I cut out of the basement when I did some renos there.
I believe it is old Fir, house is 82 years old.
The beam is 6in X 9in.
I plan on cutting strips along the 6in.
What way do I lay the grain up?
I plan on cutting the strips a little bit thicker then 1.5in and using a thickness planer to get final thickness?
How wide should the strips be for stability for glue up?
Thanks
James
Replies
any width will do
The width of the strips is not too important. What is important is the glue up itself and how you arrage to wind up with a flat top. You are at 1.5 inches by 25 wide by 25 long. I did a 32 inch dia lazy susan and used jointed thick boards supporting th etop and made cauls for the bottom. Worked out fine with no bisquits, Another poster here said he used a 1/8 inch crown for a 4 ft length caul.
I hope you are going to cut across the grain. You almost can get quarter sawn pieces that will give much more long term stability. Done the other way you will most likely wind up with cupped boards at some point down the road.
You might think about using a urea glue like Unibond 800 for the fir. My lazy susan was Alaskan Yellow Cedar and urea was recommended for a 'sappy' wood. Of course, 82 years aging should have cured most of the sap, but only you can tell.
Forrest
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled