Raw wood sizes
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- This topic has 5 replies, 3 voices, and was last updated 10 years, 9 months ago by Ken.
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6 July 2013 at 8:48 am #14488
Hi all, I’m finally attempting the wallclock project and have a question about the material sizes.
The project cutting list mentions 20mm pine, and as far as I can tell it has to be 250mm wide. Then, in episode 1 Paul mentions he is using a piece of 8×1. Finally, when I wander down the aisle at B&Q I can find 18mm or 22mm thick furniture board.
So my questions are:
1. Do I use 18mm or 22mm thick timber?
2. Is a 250mm wide board wide enough?I realise my sizes don’t have to be precisely the same as the project clock, but because I’m a total beginner I’d prefer to follow along exactly.
Thanks.
Hi Dave,
18 or 22 will be fine, clock will look a little lighter in 18 mm the 22mm will allow for any cupping and final clean up planing. The sides of the clock are only 3 1/2″ wide or 65mm so 250mm will be plenty wide enough. Paul used 8×1 so he could get two sides out of the board, but you will need the 250mm for the top and bottom.Just work as close as you can buddy, and fine tune as you have to. Enjoy 🙂
PS……A lot of these furniture boards, have a bullnose finnish on one edge, so that will need to me taken into account.
Ken
Dave,
I can remember having exactly the same frustrations when I started getting into this. There’s always a range of opinions but here’s mine, for what they are worth.
1. Exact dimensions don’t matter most of the time. In terms of the look of the piece, your eye will tell you the right balance between ‘too flimsy’ and ‘too clunky’. When making a joint, you’ll see that Paul virtually always uses the wood itself to mark out the correct fit, rather than a measurement.
2. While I agree with Ken that 18mm is probably a good finished dimension for this project, you may well find that the wood will bow and twist a little as it acclimatises to your workshop and you’ll have to lose a mm or two planing it back to square. This seems scary at first but Paul has 2 great videos on stock preparation and it is so important to being able to enjoy your woodworking rather than fighting with wood that isn’t flat and square.
3. I’d be wary of using furniture board from a DIY store. I’d suggest ‘premium planed pine’ from your local timber merchant. It will cost a little more, but practising on cheap wood can end up being an exercise in frustration. Keep in mind that ‘nominal’ sizes are from before planing so 25mm Nom will be about 21mm actual.Enjoy the journey!
6 July 2013 at 1:26 pm #14497Thanks guys. I’ll start searching for a local timber merchant who sells to the public.
10 July 2013 at 12:53 pm #14591Hi Martin & Ken, I just wanted say a big thank you for the advice. I found a local timber merchant with helpful staff good quality PSE pine at prices far below those of B&Q.
Feeling much more confident now that I have a board I can actually use.
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