Datasheet

wide
world
of
wood
Dealing
witfr
vvood
defec{s
There's
no
such
thing
as
the
perfect
board.
But
you
can
salvage
a
lot of
"challenged"
Iumber
using
these
tricks.
n woodworkers'
dreams,
all
wood
looks
like
the
boards
we see
in cut-
ting
diagrams:
flat and
straight
with
parallel edges
and
not a
single
knot
or
inconsistency.
In reality,
though,
wood
is
far from
perfect.
Even
the
best
grades
often
suffer
from
one
or
more of
the
defects
shown
in these
drawings.
The best
way to
deal
with
lumber
defects
is, of
course,
to
avoid
questionable
boards
in the
first
place. But
if a
board
has
great grain, is the
only
one
available
that
suits
your
needs,
or
carries
a bargain
price,
don't
reject
it
just
because
of a
few
prob-
lems.
Use
the
following
tricks
to
get
the
most from
less-than-perfect
lumber.
DEFECT
Bow:
A board
that
rocks
from
SOLUTION
Salvage
a bowed
board
by crosscutting
it
into shorter
sections,
matching
the
lengths
of
pieces
to
the
curye
of
the board.
Use
areas
that are
too
bowed
to
produce
flat stock
to
test
setups
or
finishes.
You
may be
able
to create
small
parts,
such
as
cleats
or
spacers,
from
the bowed
pieces.
SOLUTION
Rip a
wide,
cupped
board
into
narrow
flat
sections,
as
shown
in
Photo
B, below.
Rip each
piece slightly
wider
than
you
need,
then
rerip
or
joint
the
edges
square
to the
face.
You even
can
glue
these
sec-
tions
back
together
to create
a wide
board.
Transform
mildly
cupped
lumber
into
flat, thinner
boards.
First,
joint
the
concave
face
flat,
then
plane the other
face
parallel.
How
you
straighten
the
edge
of
a crooked
board
depends
on
the severity
of
the
defect.
If the
crook
is mild,
run
the
con-
cave
edge
over
your
jointer
to straighten
it. Use
caution
to
prevent
the
leading
end
from
catching
on
the
outfeed
table.
For
boards
with severe
crook,
options
exist.
You
can
crosscut
the
board
into
shorter
pieces, then
joint
each,
as
dis-
cussed
above.
You
also can
rip off
the
crooked
edge
at
the tablesaw
using
a
long
carrier
board,
as
shown
in Photo
A,
above.
Or
snap
a
straight
line on
the
board,
cut
it
with a
handheld
circular
saw,
then
joint
the
edge
smooth.
Rip
cupped
boards
with
the
convex
face
against
the saw
table.
A scrap
clamped
to
the fence
guides
the
workpiece
and
holds
the
portion
being
cut
flat against
the
table.
Continued
on
page
28
io
put
a straight
edge
on
a crooked
board,
stick
it on
a long,
straight
cariier,
such
is
a stiip
of
plywood
(about
7cx8x60"),
using
double-faced
tape. Guide
the
carrier
along
the
tablesaw
fence
to
rip off
one
bad
edge.
DEFECT
Crook:
A board
that
rocks
from
end
to end
when
laid
on one
edse.
end to end
when
laid
on
DEFECT
Cup:
A board
that
rocks
from
edge
to edge
when
laid
26
WOOD
magazine
November
2002