Bob,
I’m new to woodworking and have a problem that I am sure is my technique. I have a six inch jointer and a 13-inch planer, both Delta. I am making a table, and formed the legs by laminating four 1×3 pices of cherry. Although cut to basic length, some of the boards had a bow on the edge. I ran those through the jointer and then my tablesaw to square up the edges. I also planed the two faces.
After laminating a leg, I then used the planer to square up the sides. When I was getting ready to make the mortists, I discovered that two of the legs are twisted, so they are not square to the base of the planer. I ran the four sides through the jointer careful to keep it square to the blade, but the twist did not even off.
How do I square up those legs. I am working with cherry. Also, I live in the desert and allowed the lumber to dry for 10 weeks before using it.
Thanks
Eric
Replies
Eric- Sorry I did not answer sooner- I was out of town for a few days.
Anyway- It sounds like you are fairly close in technique but let me review.
After glueing up your lamination you should
1.face joint one face
2. Plane the opposing face parallel to the jointed face
3. Joint one edge- against the fence
4. rip or plane the opposing edge parallel to the jointed edge.
Now you can go to the planer and plane to dimension
you plane the face and the edge that are opposite the jointed face and edge (which should be marked!)using one planer setting- plane the face and then turn it 90 degrees and plane the adjacent edge without changing the setting. continue until you reach the dimension you need. Using this technique assures that you keep it all square once it is square to start.
Once a board is twisted it is very easy to magnify the twist if you face joint in the usual way. A friend of mine showed me the following technique which works incredibly well for twisted boards (up to about 3 ft on a 6" jointer)
set the depth of cut a little heavier than usual.
Using one jointer push block only (not your hand!)
place pressure in the middle of the board. Run that face over the cutterhead- do not move or shift your pressure! Your hand with push block should stay in the middle of the board the whole pass.
Sometimes I will then readjust the depth of cut back to a light cut and rejoint normally.
Using this technique I usually can flatten and straighten a severely twisted board on two passes.
I am guessing you will need to remake the legs- Make sure to start out with flattened and planed lumber if you are going to laminate the blanks again.
Let me know how you make out.
Bob Van Dyke
Thanks!!
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