I just got back from a buddies house that he is in the process of building. The house is a log home and he was planning to make the window sills out of 1 3/4″ pine lumber. He asked me if I would mind planning down some rough stock to the right thickness for him. I told him I would and when he showed up with it was 1 7/8″ thick green pine. What he had done was resawed some of the left over logs to make the window sills.
My first thought is that the wood was going to twist and cup badly. Any ideas of how I can prevent this from happening. I was thinking about make some 3/4″ to 1″ deep relief cuts on the bottom. Any ideas would be welcomed.
Scott C. Frankland
Newfoundland Wood Worker
Replies
Scott, you don't mention in your post exactly which pine you're dealing with...So, I can't give you the specific stats. The pines and most other "softwoods" (gymnosperms) have relatively low volumetric shrinkage. However, they do vary quite a bit in terms of their T/R ratios (the differential between radial and tangential shrinkage that affects their tendency to cup and distort), so it would help to know the species.
I think it would be wise to let the stock thoroughly season before you mill it, or if you are in a hurry, buy kiln dried stock for this purpose. Also, the relief cuts on the bottom surface are a good idea. They will help reduce cupping, and that's especially important on a sill.
...Just for curiosity, if you can identify the species of pine you are using, I can give you its shrinkage stats.
Edited 6/18/2002 10:06:31 AM ET by Jon Arno
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