"Eigenvector" wrote in message
. ..
Let's say you have a long board that has a bow to it - nothing huge but
maybe 1" deflection over 8 feet on a 6" board. How would you remove
that bow? I'm thinking about it and wonder, because you don't have a
straight edge to use as as reference point, removing the bow with a
bandsaw or tablesaw seems terribly wasteful, but bending a 6" board
doesn't seem possible.

Well I guess that answers it. For small bows, smooth them out, for big
bows, smaller boards.


Well, there's always the chalk line and bandsaw method for edges. Superior
to any tablesaw jig I've ever used at safely getting things in the ballpark.

The hand plane guy takes the convex part down to a snapped line, the jointer
guy takes the concave part, runs two ends then the entire. Or, if he's one
who thinks a long-bed jointer is magic, he might try to hack the whole thing
at once.

If you're talking the face of the board, which I didn't read, but others
did, there are three letters that cover getting a straight board - SOL. Set
it aside for short pieces. Yet another reason for sighting your lumber
prior to preparation. It keeps you from hacking up something straight for
small stuff and trying to use something bowed at full length.