A complete hardwood machining beginners question...

[shannyla]

Don't laugh too hard if you can help yourself...

So you typically but hardwood in nominal 1", 1.5", 2", etc plank thicknesses, but what do you you do if you want to end up with a 1/2" board?

Is it the case that you simply thickness a 1" down, essentially throwing away a lot of your wood as dust, or do you resaw 1.5" on a bandsaw and then thickness down each half? In which case isn't the resaw a tricky process?

I'm at the stage where I've been teaching myself hand techniques but I realise that I need to get some machinery to get to the stage where I can build properly. Don't want to have to rely on a woodyard for everything, and I need to work out the minimum machinery I need to build furniture.

 

[MikeG.]

I went 20 years without any machinery, so it can be done. You have to be much more selective with your buying, and you end up quite tired with all the planing and sawing. A bandsaw and a planer/ thicknesser revolutionised how I work. Now, I would happily re-saw and thickness to get down to the finished dimension.

It isn't completely straight-forward, though, because both re-sawing and thicknessing can release stresses and strains from within the timber, and allow perfectly good straight pieces to turn into bananas. Ensuring your stored wood is properly conditioned prior to working is part of the learning process.

Mike

 

[Dibs-h]

Don't laugh too hard if you can help yourself...

So you typically but hardwood in nominal 1", 1.5", 2", etc plank thicknesses, but what do you you do if you want to end up with a 1/2" board?

Is it the case that you simply thickness a 1" down, essentially throwing away a lot of your wood as dust, or do you resaw 1.5" on a bandsaw and then thickness down each half? In which case isn't the resaw a tricky process?

I'm at the stage where I've been teaching myself hand techniques but I realise that I need to get some machinery to get to the stage where I can build properly. Don't want to have to rely on a woodyard for everything, and I need to work out the minimum machinery I need to build furniture.

Want a 1/2" board but only have 1" stock - assuming you want something relatively narrow - say several inches, you could resaw a 1.5" piece down and then thickness it. But in doing so you may release internal tension, the piece will curve and the remaining 1/4" may not be enough to thickness the curve out.

Welcome to the wood! Most folk will thickness down the 1" and accept the waste as being part of the process.

There is no exact answer - sometimes you will get away with resawing stock down without the slightest issue and sometimes - no matter what you do, you have problems. Part and parcel of working with a natural material!

 

[PAC1]

If you have a bandsaw then resawing is not too difficult as long as your bandsaw is well set up, you have a brand new blade, a good tall fence for resawing and you are patient with the cutting.

The wood may bow and twist a bit after cutting as the tension is released so saw it and then stack it for a few days or weeks before planing it up

 

[mr grimsdale]

Don't laugh too hard if you can help yourself...

So you typically but hardwood in nominal 1", 1.5", 2", etc plank thicknesses, but what do you you do if you want to end up with a 1/2" board?

...

Ask at the yard. They may have undersized inch and sell it as 3/4". They may even have deliberately sawn 3/4" etc.
Lots of fractional sizes used to be available in the old days and sometimes still are.

 

[Harbo]

Yes I can get 3/4" rough sawn hardwood and if everything goes to plan P/T in down to 1/2".

But on a long board a bit of cupping, twist, some defects etc can put paid to that?

Rod