board bowed after ripping in half
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23 January 2019 at 5:53 pm #554668
I was just starting my Trestle table this morning. Been seasoning the Oak for 3 months, 1 1/4 x 8. Seemed ready.
First thing I did was to plane my edges parallel for the long apron. Measured in 3 5/8 in from each edge, center line was at 4 inches. Disaster strikes!
I cut leaving an 1/8 extra to allow for wobble of my cut if I had any. As soon as was 1/3 of the way through the board it began to spring apart. Finished my cut and the board bowed horrible. Both sides bowed away from each other. To plane them back to straight I will lose an inch of wood easily, maybe more. So those boards are not useable now.
This is the first time I have cut such a long length of wood, 8′. Before I try another piece, I thought I’d check here and see if that is normal, is there something I can do differently? I have clamped the pieces back together, hoping they might straighten, but I believe I read somewhere in one of Pauls lessons, that once bowed, it’s done, no going back short of planning.
When I was planing the edges, it planed real nice, did not seem wet or anything. Boards were light, not heavy.
23 January 2019 at 8:55 pm #554671This wood was seasoned before I bought it. I just left it in my shop extra time until I was ready.
However, I did not know about the one year per inch rule, thanks for that info.
No, this wood was definitely dry, no question there. I looked at the grain again real close and there were a couple spots that could have caused some of it, not sure though.
23 January 2019 at 10:40 pm #554672I’m going to guess it was the grain, although I really don’t know. After waiting a few hours I decided to cut another piece of wood. This time it still bowed, but very acceptable. Maybe 1/8 over the 8 foot span. This piece I can plane true.
is there something I can do differently?
No, it’s nothing to do with you. The wood had internal tensions in the area where you ripped due to some conditions during it’s growth. It’s not a terribly rare thing. No way to detect it beforehand. Sometimes you can steam the wood, clamp it straight and in a day or two after it’s dry again you’ll take it out of the clamps and some of the bowing will be reduced, but that doesn’t often eliminate serious bowing, just modest amounts, although there are exceptions.
24 January 2019 at 4:16 am #554675Sometimes I pay the couple extra dollars to have to the sawmill rip and s4s my stock for just this reason. If they rip the board there and it goes wonky I am not stuck with it. Sometimes due to time, money or supply I can’t risk losing a board or making another trip back and I never seem to know when it might happen so it’s nice to at least get it close to size while I’m still there
25 January 2019 at 2:55 am #554695[quote quote=554668]I was just starting my Trestle table this morning. Been seasoning the Oak for 3 months, 1 1/4 x 8. Seemed ready.
First thing I did was to plane my edges parallel for the long apron. Measured in 3 5/8 in from each edge, center line was at 4 inches. Disaster strikes!
I cut leaving an 1/8 extra to allow for wobble of my cut if I had any. As soon as was 1/3 of the way through the board it began to spring apart. Finished my cut and the board bowed horrible. Both sides bowed away from each other. To plane them back to straight I will lose an inch of wood easily, maybe more. So those boards are not useable now.
This is the first time I have cut such a long length of wood, 8′. Before I try another piece, I thought I’d check here and see if that is normal, is there something I can do differently? I have clamped the pieces back together, hoping they might straighten, but I believe I read somewhere in one of Pauls lessons, that once bowed, it’s done, no going back short of planning.
When I was planing the edges, it planed real nice, did not seem wet or anything. Boards were light, not heavy.[/quote]
Would the boards of been useable if you’d ripped the board down the middle at the 4″ mark? Doesn’t sound like it for this particular board. I had a similar thing happen when I was ripping some 2 x 2 strips of European Beech for my new work bench. One went all wonky!
Hopefully you can use the pieces in shorter lengths for something.
Jim
25 January 2019 at 12:59 pm #554705Hi @flyboyjim
I did cut 2 more on the 4 inch mark and they came out fine. The planed down very easy too.
As for the board that bowed, I’ll find some use for it. Maybe cut short pieces for something, or plane them even again. I sure won’t waste the wood though.
3 February 2019 at 9:40 am #554872Any chance of gluing them back to back – bow against bow and getting a new piece that you could rip down the other edge?
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