SPH
New member
I have just purchased some Pine Boards, reclaimed Ex Army, 8.5"x2.75" x 71" unused. Their previous intended use was for
packing in the construction of Bailey Bridges.They are very dry and free from any metal contamination and were made into
boards in the 1950s. My intended use is to make into body blanks for guitars although another idea is to maybe get some more
to make myself a decent workbench top. Anyhow I need to have a final thickness on these boards of 1.75" although these
boards are dry having been stored undercover for the past 50 years I dont know what the moisture content is as yet. They
will probably have been stored undercover outdoors or in an unheated warehouse as they were when I bought them. Obviously
they will need to be acclimatised to inside room temperatures.
My question is would it be better to have them thicknessed to something like 2" initially and then leave them for a period
of time, not sure how long, before having them thicknessed to a final size of 1.75". If I understand things right this would
be to relieve internal stresses in the timber which could cause cupping. I have experienced this before with some mahogany
and ash which cupped after final thicknessing even though it was stored properly and very dry.
My other question is I have no machinery capable of thicknessing this timber and I wondered if anyone could recommend
someone reasonably local to me to do this. A local company or even a forum member for the appropriate remuneration of
course. Many thanks
packing in the construction of Bailey Bridges.They are very dry and free from any metal contamination and were made into
boards in the 1950s. My intended use is to make into body blanks for guitars although another idea is to maybe get some more
to make myself a decent workbench top. Anyhow I need to have a final thickness on these boards of 1.75" although these
boards are dry having been stored undercover for the past 50 years I dont know what the moisture content is as yet. They
will probably have been stored undercover outdoors or in an unheated warehouse as they were when I bought them. Obviously
they will need to be acclimatised to inside room temperatures.
My question is would it be better to have them thicknessed to something like 2" initially and then leave them for a period
of time, not sure how long, before having them thicknessed to a final size of 1.75". If I understand things right this would
be to relieve internal stresses in the timber which could cause cupping. I have experienced this before with some mahogany
and ash which cupped after final thicknessing even though it was stored properly and very dry.
My other question is I have no machinery capable of thicknessing this timber and I wondered if anyone could recommend
someone reasonably local to me to do this. A local company or even a forum member for the appropriate remuneration of
course. Many thanks