Hi, I am looking for some thoughts on milling drawer parts.
I’m currently preparing the 2nd milling of some white oak drawer parts that have been stickered in my shop for a couple of weeks after initial milling. I’m at the point of breaking the larger boards down closer to the final dimensions but was just wondering if it is better to mill the boards further as larger boards, or to dinmension them down closer to their eventual sizes and then mill them at those dimensions.
Obviosuly larger boards are easier to handle and it would be my preference when bringing them to eventual thickness and dimensions but I was just wondering if it is better to get the parts down in size for the 2nd milling to reduce future movement (based on my experience that smaller parts move less than larger ones) – or is the difference at this point (after an initial milling completed) negligible.
Look forward to any insights.
Thank you
Replies
As I get closer to the finished thickness I like to get closer to finished length. Things can move a bit on crosscutting. For "normal size" drawers I'll final mill at a length that gets me just over a long side and short side of a drawer. They are still safe for the jointer & planer and one cut from final size.
This comes from knowing my planer is snipe-free. If I had to worry about losses I would final mill at larger sizes.
In general, you will have a bit less waste when milling shorter, narrower parts.
This is because any cup or bow in the board will be reduced by trimming.
I usually cut my pieces to rough dimensions before doing any significant milling.
Best to get them down to size for the 2nd milling.
I agree with rob_ss. Only caveat is to consider the shortest piece you can safely run through your planer.
Cut your rough stock into manageable lengths and widths, joint one face and edge, then plane (taking relatively light even cuts) to finish thickness. Rip and crosscut to final dimensions, then don't look back.
This idea that you have to sneak up on final sizes after milling, stickering, aging, milling and on and on is nonsense.
I agree with Rob-sp. Mostly. I was taught at the Furniture Inst. of Massachusetts--Phil Lowe's school, now closed--to do as Rob says. Always use the chop saw (crosscuts) and bandsaw (rips) to get to rough length and width. Then joint and plane. Then rip to final width on the table saw and crosscut there as well.
I disagree with Rob_Sp. I have had a number of experiences starting with 8/4 or 12/4 lumber where a seemingly stable 4/4 board resawn from it cupped after crosscutting it. I've never been able to figure out how to predict when that will happen. So if I'm going for actual .75" inch boards, I resaw and plane to 4/4, sticker for a week and then go back and cut near length and plane to probably .800". Take another few days and then cut to length and plane to thickness. YMMV
mschlack - check out Amanda's recent blog post regarding predicting wood movement. https://www.finewoodworking.com/2024/03/15/predicting-wood-movement-before-resawing
As Rob says "In general, you will have a bit less waste when milling shorter, narrower parts.". I cut oversized blanks but not too large as the length and width can exacerbate the deviations I am trying to mill out.
Too short of pieces can become unsafe. I shoot for an inch or so over-length and half an inch or so over-width. Accepting that there is spoil when milling is one of the things that improved my parts selection and end product quality.
If blanks will be too short for safe handling I combine them with adjacent parts. Too small can be an issue just as too large can. It is a judgement call during parts (blanks) breakdown for me.
Thank you to everyone for your comments, insights and advice. This has been helpful. I appreciate being able to access the wisdom and generosity of the woodworking community through this Forum.
Best regards