A couple of months ago I picked up a small board of Quilted Maple while playing tourist in Oregon. I didn’t need it but the board looked cool and thought it might come in handy some day. Flash forward to today and I thought I would make something out of the board. I needed a ZCI for my new tablesaw and figured the Maple would fit the bill nicely.
But when I picked up the board, it had more bowing, cupping, twisting and yaw than I thought was possible for such a small piece of lumber. The warm air here is SD had dried out the board beyond recognition, bummer!
No problem I thought, I can just whip out my hand planes and flatten this baby right out, well okay it was a little more involved that what I had hoped for, here are some pictures after I had finished using my Jack on the bowed side:
Here is a pic of the cupped side:
Here are some pics after using the LA Jointer:
The gap at the edge of the board was on the “live” edge side and since I was cutting off that edge, I didn’t try to get that edge level.
Here are some pics of both sides after using the #4 Smoother:
The board is still not perfectly flat, there is still some twist to it but it is waaaaay better than when I started. I have been racking my brain as to what I should make with this board. I was thinking about making a couple of pencil boxes as gifts for some co-workers. We have an annual conference in a couple of weeks that would make some nice surprises. I put a coat of Danish Tung Oil on both sides of the board to give an idea of what the finished product will look like:
Now, there is only one last problem, shop cleanup! ;o)
-- "You get what you inspect, not what you expect"
9 comments so far
GMman
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1350 posts in 590 days
posted 76 days ago
Why can’t you put it trough your thickness planer.
-- --<<<<<< I will not stop until I get it right. >>>>>>--
Todd A. Clippinger
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5631 posts in 992 days
posted 76 days ago
I would immediately resaw it while it is flat.
If the board bowed then it will bow again, that is the nature of this piece. I would not put it into a project unless I had made veneer out of it and glued it to a stable substrate.
It is a beautiful piece of wood and I would have been inclined to buy it as well.
-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com
3fingerpat
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906 posts in 561 days
posted 76 days ago
If you are asking about using the planer to get rid of the bowing and twist, it won’t. Not without using a special made jig and shims, not worth all that for this small board. The hand plane method is much faster IMHO.
-- "You get what you inspect, not what you expect"
Durnik150
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536 posts in 215 days
posted 76 days ago
Beautiful piece! While I would love to see the solid board used in some way, I think Todd is on the right track. If the board has shown that much movement, it will do it again. Veneer may be the best way to go and you will likely get several pieces out of it instead of one.
Good luck and keep us up to date on how this very nice piece turns out.
-- Behind the Bark is a lot of Heartwood----Charles, Centennial, CO
CaptainSkully
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468 posts in 451 days
posted 76 days ago
I’m confused as to why you’d clean up the shop. You’re just going to get it dusty again. Plus, tracking all those shavings into the house makes me feel like I’m in the shop all the time. Unfortunately, my girlfriend doesn’t feel the same way…
-- You can't control the wind, but you can trim your sails
TopamaxSurvivor
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3014 posts in 569 days
posted 76 days ago
You could send to me back here on the coast so it will restabilize :-))
-- Debt is nothing more than the 21st Century's form of slavery.
HokieMojo
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1140 posts in 621 days
posted 76 days ago
why did you oil it? doesn’t that mean you won’t be able to glue it now? you probbaly know more about this stuff than me, thats why I ask.
3fingerpat
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906 posts in 561 days
posted 76 days ago
I would have loved to resaw the board but I don’t have a bandsaw yet, someday….
Skully, I track shavings into the house all the time, but with such a small shop, I have to keep it clean to be able to work effectively, plus I am just a neat freak at heart.
Hokie, I oiled it just to see what it might look like, at the time I hadn’t made up my mind on what to do with it. I have since cut off a few pieces and glued them up to use as a pencil box. There was no oil on any of the newly cut surfaces.
I will post pics of the box once I finish it next weekend, going out of town on a business trip tomorrow.
-- "You get what you inspect, not what you expect"
HokieMojo
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1140 posts in 621 days
posted 75 days ago
thanks for the reply.