Aerowerx
Well-Known Member
Sometimes, to get the wood you want at a decent price you have to buy rough cut lumber. In which case you have no idea what the edges are going to be like, except they certainly will not be straight!
Today I made a "bed of nails" from some MDF so I could rip a straight edge on my Hickory (for the landing gear).
The first picture shows the 3/4 inch wire nails sticking through the MDF. There are 4 rows of nails, two on each side. In each row the nails are separated by 8 to 10 inches.
Picture 2 shows the "bed of nails" with a Hickory board on the bottom. A light tap with a hammer on each nail secures it in place. The nails penetrate the Hickory by less than 1/8 inch---which will be planed off later. The Hickory was first run through the planer a couple of times to get a reasonable smooth surface. Results where not satisfactory and I want to rip it to a narrower width to make it plane easier---but I need a straight edge first! I am also going to build a longer in-feed and out-feed table for the planer to give the wood more support.
Picture 3 shows how it is used on a table saw. The straight edge of the MDF is against the fence, and the edge of the Hickory is being trimmed. (And, yes, I stopped the saw while taking the picture!) A couple of passes where made, trimming a bit at a time, perhaps about a blade width (0.10 inch) each time.
The results where certainly better than the rough cut lumber, but it is till not straight enough to satisfy me. Maybe 1/8 inch off at the center. I had verified the edge of the MDF with a piece of string and, as you can see in the picture, used a finger board (the yellow thing in picture 3) to keep everything tight against the fence.
Any suggestions? Not knowing where the curve came from I am trying to figure out what to do next. How do the rest of you get a straight edge on your lumber?
Besides the table saw, the tools I have available are a small band saw and a hand held router (with table). Perhaps the router would do better?
Maybe the MDF was not as straight as I thought it was, so I will need something that I know is straight regardless which tool I use. Perhaps a length of aluminum or steel angle? Or something better than MDF?
I also found that the Hickory has developed a warp, and perhaps a slight twist, which certainly won't help.
I need to solve this problem. If I can't cut a straight line on an 8 foot board, I certainly won't be able to on my 16 foot Douglas Fir!
Today I made a "bed of nails" from some MDF so I could rip a straight edge on my Hickory (for the landing gear).
The first picture shows the 3/4 inch wire nails sticking through the MDF. There are 4 rows of nails, two on each side. In each row the nails are separated by 8 to 10 inches.
Picture 2 shows the "bed of nails" with a Hickory board on the bottom. A light tap with a hammer on each nail secures it in place. The nails penetrate the Hickory by less than 1/8 inch---which will be planed off later. The Hickory was first run through the planer a couple of times to get a reasonable smooth surface. Results where not satisfactory and I want to rip it to a narrower width to make it plane easier---but I need a straight edge first! I am also going to build a longer in-feed and out-feed table for the planer to give the wood more support.
Picture 3 shows how it is used on a table saw. The straight edge of the MDF is against the fence, and the edge of the Hickory is being trimmed. (And, yes, I stopped the saw while taking the picture!) A couple of passes where made, trimming a bit at a time, perhaps about a blade width (0.10 inch) each time.
The results where certainly better than the rough cut lumber, but it is till not straight enough to satisfy me. Maybe 1/8 inch off at the center. I had verified the edge of the MDF with a piece of string and, as you can see in the picture, used a finger board (the yellow thing in picture 3) to keep everything tight against the fence.
Any suggestions? Not knowing where the curve came from I am trying to figure out what to do next. How do the rest of you get a straight edge on your lumber?
Besides the table saw, the tools I have available are a small band saw and a hand held router (with table). Perhaps the router would do better?
Maybe the MDF was not as straight as I thought it was, so I will need something that I know is straight regardless which tool I use. Perhaps a length of aluminum or steel angle? Or something better than MDF?
I also found that the Hickory has developed a warp, and perhaps a slight twist, which certainly won't help.
I need to solve this problem. If I can't cut a straight line on an 8 foot board, I certainly won't be able to on my 16 foot Douglas Fir!
