On Fri, 19 Nov 2004 14:37:16 -0500, "Billy Smith"
wrote:

I'm planning to make a good bookcase, about 5 ft high,
with glass doors using red oak. This will be my first
project using solid oak. I have neither a power planer
nor a jointer but I have a good table saw. I could try
to get the wood I need ready dressed but there are
advantages to buying it rough.

I have a good hand plane and I know how to sharpen it.
If I buy rough lumber I'll have to flatten it, remove twists
and cups, and reduce it to final thickness, all with the
hand plane. I'm aware that once I get one edge very
straight I can do some of the squaring with my table saw.

I'm strictly an amateur so time does not matter. I like
using hand equipment although I've never worked
oak by hand. My question is: would I be stupid to try
to do this project with rough wood and a hand plane?

Not stupid at all. The first time I tried to handplane rough stock, I
had no idea how to do it, and it still managed to come out ok. After
a little practice, it's easy as pie. After all, people made furniture
long before there were power planers or jointers, and I have a hard
time imagining that they got their stock S4S from the lumberyard!

Maybe I'll just have to try a few pieces to see what it's
like but I'm wondering how many experienced woodworkers
would try this.

I suspect a whole pile of them would- they're called Neandertals, and
a lot of them do really nice work. I use a mix of power and hand
tools, myself, so I guess I'm a Cro-Mag, but there's definately no
reason you can't smooth a board without electricity and a ton of iron!

Thanks,
Billy


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