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topcat6 · Nov 24, 2009, 09:15 PM

Need to glue 2 pieces of 1" X 12" X 36" oak together to make a 2" oak together to make a 2" X 36" piece. I also need to glue 5 pieces of 1" X 36" X 16" X 41/2" X 22.5" of oak together to make a 1" piece for a furniture project I'm working on. I've heard in the past that how you lay the end grain is very important to how long the piece will stay together and to keep the lumber From warping.

hkstroud · Nov 24, 2009, 09:58 PM

On making the 2x12x36.

It can be done but you would be better off buying a piece of 8 quarter oak. The thickness of hard wood is measured in quarters of an inch. Go to a hardwood supplier, you won't find it at your DIY stores like Home Depot.
If you insist on gluing up your own, the faces must be very smooth. The rings should be in the same direction. Oak is quite stable and cupping should not be a problem. Reversing the direction of the rings may cause the planks to delaminate as the planks move in different directions. Use lots of clamps. One about every 12" on each side. Because of the limited throat depth of the clamps it will be difficult to get pressure in the center of the boards. Use cauls. Let dry a couple of days. It will take time for the glue to dry in the center of the boards.

On gluing up the 22.5 board.

Easily done. Alternate the direction of the rings. Edges must sawn or jointed smoothly at 90 degrees to the face. Clamp with 3 bar or pipe clamps. Two on one side and one on the other to prevent cupping.

Assuming you are starting with one long 4 1/2 board. Mark one of the faces of the board. Resaw one edge taking off as little as possible. Turn the board around. End for end, not over. Keep the same face up. Resaw the other edge. Cut to length. When you flip every other board over to alternate the direction of the rings you will also be alternating the faces of the boards.
If your saw blade is not at exactly 90 degrees the error will also be alternated.

hkstroud · Nov 24, 2009, 10:43 PM

After giving a little thought to making the 2" thick plank, it would better to saw the board into 2" wide strips and glue them together into a 12" wide plank than face gluing two 12" wide boards.

Clough · Nov 24, 2009, 11:35 PM

Hi, topcat6!

What is the kind of funiture that you're trying to make, please?

If this is to be a large, flat surface area where you need everything to remain stable, then breadboarding the wood together is what initially comes to my mind.

However, more information from you is needed as to what specifically this is concerning.

Thanks!

topcat6 · Nov 25, 2009, 07:20 AM

Originally Posted by Clough

Hi, topcat6!

What is the kind of funiture that you're trying to make, please?

If this is to be a large, flat surface area where you need everything to remain stable, then breadboarding the wood together is what initially comes to my mind.

However, more information from you is needed as to what specifically this is concerning.

Thanks!

A Baby Cradle, I plan on using my new DeWalt biscut joiner instead of dowls. I have made them before with Pine, Oak, & Maple. But now I'm fine tuning my woodworking skills so I ask the Pro's here. I ripped cut all the pieces from the same
1 X 12 to maintain the same grain and color consistency throughout.

hkstroud · Nov 25, 2009, 11:47 AM

Using biscuits if fine but doesn't really do anything for you. Some people say that biscuits helps with alignment but I don't see how since the biscuits fit rather loosely until the glue makes them swell. There is not enough wood to make the joint any stronger. In a well made edge joint the glue is stronger than the wood so how can you get any stronger. The only time I use biscuits is in butt or miter joints.

The largest glue up I have ever made was two 22" wide planks of four quarter walnut for an "L" shaped bar top. One leg was 12' long the other was 10 foot. Just used glue, no dowels or biscuits. Made it for a friend's basement bar. Every body in town came around to see his bar (and get a free beer).

topcat6 · Nov 25, 2009, 07:13 PM

Originally Posted by hkstroud

Using biscuits if fine but doesn't really do anything for you. Some people say that biscuits helps with alignment but I don't see how since the biscuits fit rather loosely until the glue makes them swell. There is not enough wood to make the joint any stronger. In a well made edge joint the glue is stronger than the wood so how can you get any stronger. The only time I use biscuits is in butt or miter joints.

The largest glue up I have ever made was two 22" wide planks of four quarter walnut for an "L" shaped bar top. One leg was 12' long the other was 10 foot. Just used glue, no dowels or biscuits. Made it for a friend's basement bar. Every body in town came around to see his bar (and get a free beer).

I also would like to stop by and admire your fine woodworking skills over a cold one or two, Do you think that dowls would be a better way to go? Just with dowls if you don't get it perfect then your pieces are uneven at the surface and then you need plenty of sanding. I find that with the biscuts it gives you the play needed to keep everything flush. As far as the strengh of the piece remember its only a 10 ounce baby it rocks to sleep. While I have your attention, thank you for taking your time to help me out, how can you work and give valuable advice for free? Do you guys get paid for your experience?

hkstroud · Nov 26, 2009, 08:45 AM

Neither the dowels or the biscuits are necessary. A reasonably well made glue joint will not come or break apart. The biscuits may help keep the surfaces aligned but using cauls will work better. Admittedly the glue makes the edges slippery until it "grabs". Glue up two or three boards at a time so you will have time to align the surfaces. I am fortunate, I have planers and drum sanders so I can flatten panels after glue up. Flattening a glued up panel can be done with a hand plane, but not by me.

Glue up two or three boards at a time. Clamp lightly, align faces as best you can, wait a few minutes for the glue to grab, then tighten clamps. If you are using pipe clamps with black pipe be sure that the pipes do not come in contact with the glue. There is a chemical reaction between the metal and the glue that leaves a black stain that is almost impossible to remove. If you are using 3/4" pipe clamps get some 1" CPVC couplings, drill out the stop rings inside or cut them in half to remove the stop ring. Slip a couple of these on the pipes to serve as a spacer between the pipe and the wood. Must be CPVC not PVC, size difference.

The size panels you are making can be flatten and smoothed with random orbiting sander.

As far as advice, Lincoln said "Advice is worth what you paid for it". Since mine if free, that tells you what it is worth. What woodworker do you know that doesn't like to talk wood working? As far as work, I am old and retired. I still work, but I'm still old. At one time I had a picture of the bar top I made for my friend, but it got lost in a computer crash several years ago.

topcat6 · Nov 26, 2009, 07:37 PM

I've always use wax paper from my wife's kitchen to keep the piece from making contact
With the clamps. I think that gluing up 2 at a time for better alignment sounds good to me.
Thanks. I live in N.J. and need a good band saw, any sugestions?

hkstroud · Nov 26, 2009, 08:26 PM

I only do a limited amount of resawing. I have an old (40 years old) Craftsman 12" but I use Timberwolf blades. I have used it in making a bandsaw boxes which requires cut of about a 6" thick material. I have even used it to rip open 7" logs for turning blanks for pepper mills and bowls. That is pushing its capabilities. I keep looking for an excuse to buy a nice, big bandsaw but my little Crapsman keeps on ticking, and it's not "tuned" very well. Its all in the blade.