buying S4S boards

peacefrog

I have a planer but no jointer. I've experimented with milling rough wood using my router as a jointer, but I need to get a better fence set up for that to be really viable. So for a side table I just built, I bought S4S poplar (it's going to be in our girls' room and will be painted) from a local place that only recently started selling surfaced wood at all. They sell it in 12 and 14 foot boards. I had them cut a couple of 12 ft boards in half for me so I could fit them in my Honda Element. I was a little disappointed to find that some of the boards were twisted or cupped. Why pay for someone to mill the lumber if it's not going to be flat? Is it normal for surface wood to not actually be straight and flat? I bought it because I thought they'd do a better job milling it than I could, but that turned out to not really be the case.

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Bob

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challagan

It's really hard to tell what shape your wood is going to be if it is in 12 and 14 foot lengths. I would think it would be kind of hard to surface it that long as well for them.

Corey

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curiousgeorge

Hi peacefrog.
Two words.... WOOD MOVES. It was probably in pretty good shape when milled but by the time it gets to the store it has either warped, cupped, twisted... or all of the above depending on the wood and weather. Wood is very unstable, especially after it has been cut and or milled. Odds are if you leave it laying around in your shop for a while it will move even more.
If possible it's best to mill your own after it has acclimated to your shop.

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George
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harrysin

On the odd occasions that I actually have to BUY timber (as distinct from having it donated) I usually have to go through every piece in the rack and even then there have been times when I left without finding a single straight piece. There was me thinking that it was just an Australian thing!

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Harry

The best advice that I can give a newcomer to routing is, learn to use the router mounted, this can be as simple as a board held in a vice, with the router firmly attached and a simple fence held with clamps, and when he/she feels competant and confident in it's use and is familiar with all aspects of safety, THEN, and only then proceed to learn how to use the router hand held. This is MY opinion, and may or may not coincide with that of the forum management, but is based on a lifetime of woodworking.


http://members.dodo.com.au/~sharry02/

kp91

No Harry, it just twists in the opposite direction down there!

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Doug
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Hamlin

LOL kp

As said above, wood moves.

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Ken

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harrysin

I didn't know that Doug!

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Harry

The best advice that I can give a newcomer to routing is, learn to use the router mounted, this can be as simple as a board held in a vice, with the router firmly attached and a simple fence held with clamps, and when he/she feels competant and confident in it's use and is familiar with all aspects of safety, THEN, and only then proceed to learn how to use the router hand held. This is MY opinion, and may or may not coincide with that of the forum management, but is based on a lifetime of woodworking.


http://members.dodo.com.au/~sharry02/