planing/thicknessing service wanted

[Rogerthedodger]

hello all

i have the potential acquisition of 600mm wide 25mm thick iroko (ex seasoned clean tabletops) .
i need to resize stock to 18mm thick and 316 wide for a new project . My problem is that my planer only goes up to 260mm. My location is south london. Is there anyone who can plane the pre-ripped and sanded boards to an agreed price or recommend a planing service in my area (croydon)

Also

I know nothing about iroko. I am intending to make boxes to stand outside - any comments on this as material or tips on the suitability. What is the potential for jointing? weight?
etc

thanks in advance


Roger

 

[9fingers]

Should be fine outside. Possibly glue up with polyurethane glue.

Should go silvery grey if left naturally for a year or so or re-varnish every year or so for a 'browner' look.

Woodworking shop might not be too keen to machine secondhand timber (that might have metal in it). Just a case of phoning round and see what they say.

Bob

 

[jasonB]

Give South London Hardwoods a call, May be able to help. Though some places don't like cutting/sawing recycled wood due to the risk of hitting something hard :!:

http://www.slhardwoods.co.uk/

I have used iroko outside and its ideal, I used epoxy adhesives. Watch the dust, some people react more than others

Jason

 

[pinkyinboro]

where a mask with iroko
its worse than the old MDF
its the new asbestos
be warned

 

[wizer]

Rip it down the middle and rejoin it back together, surely?

 

[Rogerthedodger]

Thank you so far.

I tend to use a mask and visor anyway. I find that the tropical hardwood dust affects my eyes. I googled iroko and most of the hits describe it as a teak substitute. Hells bells :shock:

wizer - I realise that yours is an option but it is more work for me (I don't have a biscuit cutter) besides which I would prefer the visual effect of "no join". Also I will rip the 600 into two widths (not much spare) and have a use for the smaller width piece.

Keep them coming please.

Regards

Roger

 

[devonwoody]

Have you tried a sample section planing and thicknessing this timber that you have.
You might be disappointed, some iroko has so much twisted grain it doesnt always work well.

 

[wizer]

I understand Rog, but sometimes wide boards like to cup...

 

[Rogerthedodger]

Wizer

thanks i understand the cup issue.

These are old school lab tables and I don't have them yet. Might not go ahead with purchase if I don't have a positive route to prepare the stock for assembly.

Mrs Dodger has said that if any more timber enters this house without an assembled article leaving it.....................???

For the sake of moderator censorship, I'll leave it there but the penalty does involve much acute pain. .

 

[9fingers]

If these are Corby tables or ones of a similar design (the size is right) that are made from a number of jointed boards anyway.

There is no guarantee that the joints will have been made with water proof glue so you may need to rip them, joint them and reglue.

Bob

 

[wizer]

I wonder if your buying Corby tables, but not from Corby? i.e not for £6 a top?

 

[Rogerthedodger]

Ah it would appear that my source is not unknown.

with that in mind is it still a good deal? I want them to make observation bee hives so first class joinery is a secondary issue (good job too)

Also, now that my source is sussed, is the timber quality a known issue ?

I did not expect 600 to be one piece but in your greater experience how many pieces is it ? :lol: :lol:

 

[9fingers]

Roger,
My corby tops varied between 4 and 6 pieces per top. also the joints were not necessarily parallel to the edges. Add to that the tongue and groove joints need to be cut out.
The tops were clearly assembled from random width boards and then dimensioned afterwards.
Around the underside edges there is a drip groove (or should that be a chewing gum groove??).

You can thickness this out if you come down to 20mm thick or so.

Reckon to get boards out between 100 and 130mm wide.

Still good value at £6.

Pretty variable grain though as you can see in these drawer fronts and 1 drawer side that I planed up recently. The rest of the sides are beech which came from the frames which were about 60mm max.

Bob

 

[JonnyD]

I wonder if your buying Corby tables, but not from Corby? i.e not for £6 a top?

Corby isnt the only source of Iroko tops both my parents used to work in schools and i have had about 3 complete science rooms worth of worktops for nothing. When a school gets refurbished all these old hardwood tops are usually just skipped and the school is usually glad for someone to take it away. You just need the inside knowledge of when the refurbishment is taking place

 

[devonwoody]

Yeah I got 4 laboratory tops. However the grain is a problem and also they cup when ripped up even though they must be 50/70 years old.

 

[Rogerthedodger]

Smashing. That has pretty much summed it up for me - thanks people

I accept that they are good VFM but for this task, I'll pass and look for some reasonable price cedar. I really want it to be a one piece side.

As a matter of interest, did all youse who had some from Corby collect them?? For me - it's a reasonable trip to collect a trailer load but not one or two.

I note the point on skip raiding (or school raiding?). The trick is to be in the know or just be lucky to be there when it happens. I took a bag of junk to the skip and just managed to prevent a chap skipping a carload (and I mean "carload" - the only space in the entire car was his seat!) of solid oak floorboards - all cut into 1000 mm lengths - perfect to make Hive roofs from. I cried all the way home after he told me that was the last of 7 trips he had made . The reason for the dumping- the colour did not match his new extension??

thanks again

RTD

 

[Rogerthedodger]

Epilogue

First off - Check out the posting dates!- especially if you have read this thread for the first time.

Point number 2 - I never did buy the table tops - read on.

Two weeks ago (note today's date) , my daughter played in a netball tournament hosted at a local school. In the break I went to move the car (parked outside) to the school car park as I did not want the women in my life to have to walk (knackered) to the car (nice dad :roll: ) There were no spaces in the car park (jam packed solid - very popular this netball! ) and I spent ages trying to suss a space to squeeze the car into. Eventually managed it (fag paper job) and upon checking my parking skills at the rear of the car, spotted a pile (15 as it happens) of the aforementioned table -tops sitting all abandoned.

Needless to say, one phone call to site manager later (who told me they were one day away from going in the skip :shock: ) and they are squirreled away in the garage.

Having finally managed to get the foot-wide smug grin off my chops, I settled down at the PC to see if I can find somewhere where I can get wood of this size thicknessed. Top of the results in my Google search?

This thread! (three+ years old?)

Spooky or What? . How many "what ifs" involved here, including leaving the car outside and not getting that space ???might do the lottery this week :wink:

ps - even the previous chewing gum comment is valid. Upon initially checking the stack of tops (not being able to believe my luck that they were not plywood? or faced composite board ??) they appeared to be glued together? - the stack of 15 appeared to be one solid lump and I could not prise any part of the stack apart? Answer? The full bucket of chewing gum pieces I had to chisel off the bottom of each board. Off particular interest was the ageing factor of this gum. The pieces that were 50 years old (same age as the school) were as you would expect, brittle and fragmented whilst chiseling them off with a hammer. The newer stuff was far more pliant. Yuk - all done wearing marigolds. Yuk again .

As a public transport operative, this only reinforces my deep distain of chewing gum but hey ! on balance, maybe I can put up with the odd bucket load of gum?? (homer)

 

[jasonB]

Like I said South London Hardwoods would be the first place to try they have moved around the corner since your last post though.

J

 

[Rogerthedodger]

Yes Jason thanks. In the intervening years, I have discovered SLH and will include them in my inquiries . I just thought it made an interesting post script to the original post.

RTD