Getting to 1-1/8" without a bandsaw and without killing too many trees

Do you see any harm in simply modifying the plan, and going with the 4/4 ?

-- -- Neil

You can certainly resaw on the table saw. Or you may want to consider an enginnering change and go with one inch or even 1 1/2 inch. Just depends on what is available to you. You have to wonder if the designer derived his data from actual structural aplication testing. I don t think that 1/8 inch would be critical criteria. Good luck JB

@Neil: I did this on a cherry bed I built with a friend and it turned out fine (http://lumberjocks.com/projects/29495). We used 1/2” plywood for the panels instead of the 3/4” it called for to account for the thinner rails. I’m concerned about using the thinner stock for the side rails (nearly 80” long) with a softer wood like pine.

-- Darren

As cabmaker said, a table saw would do the trick. A thin kerf blade would help using this method.

Since you are making it out of pine, did you consider using top grade kiln dried construction lumber? I just bought some shorts at Menards. They have an area where they get rid of offcuts at very low prices. I got some great 2” x 8” (actually 1-3/8” x 7-1/2”) that were 4 feet long. You probably won’t be able to get offcuts since you need 80” long pieces.

-- "A goal without a plan is a wish."

@dvhart: Your link does not seem to work?

@sandhill, ugh, the website included the ) in the address. Try this one:

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/29495

-- Darren

If you’re using bought plans it’s probably sized that way to use construction grade lumber. A 2x is easy to get to 1 1/8 with a couple of passes through a planer.

I’m with Ampeater. Check your local lumber yard or BORG and get some good construction grade. Pick your pieces carefully!

Alternatively, you could laminate 2 pieces together.

-- Nate, thegaragestudio.etsy.com

Thanks for all the ideas everyone. The plans I’m using don’t specify the wood species, but the example was in cherry – so definitely not based on construction grade lumber. I found a local supplier that carried 5/4 poplar, and they planed it all down to 1-1/8 for a very reasonable fee. This saves some wear and tear on my planar, leaving me to just do a final finish pass – if anything at all.

I was originally planning on pine because it is inexpensive and it’s what I thought the piece I want to match was made of. As it turns out, the piece I’m matching is made of a variety of things, including MDF with faux grain. I’ll be using a gel stain, so the pigment (vs dye) will muddy the grain of whatever I use. Poplar will hold up a bit better than pine and still doesn’t break the bank.

Wish me luck :-)

-- Darren