Ok guys I have a question for all you pro's out there, to wit , how
do I get the most out of my lumber without jointing and planeing away
so much on boards that are warped, cupped and twisted. Before you
answer let me briefly explain the present method to my madness.

1. To straighten the initial edge of a board I first attach the board
to a known straight board, and putting the straight board against my
table saw fence, slice the least amount off opposite edge of my new
board. If the new lumber is only slightly out on one edge I simply use
my 8" jointer until it is straight.

2. If the board is badly warped across say the entire 6, 8 or 10 foot
length, I cut the board into half to lessen the warp or twist. If
badly cupped I slice the boards into 8" wide sections to fit my
jointer.

3. Next depending upon the amount of cup curl or twist left I will
either use my table saw with a 12" flat board stood on edge against my
fence and start slicing off small face pieces from my new board until
the cup or twist is gone or if only minor problems I will once again
use my jointer like a planer to make small passes to flatten board.

4. my last step is my planer which I set up to take 32" inch passes
until the board is dimensioned, then I change my planer setting to
Finishing mode for the final passes on both faces.

using the above steps I still average only about 85 to 90 usable board
feet out of every 100. So my question is this, what am I doing wrong/
is there a better way or finally am I all screwed up. Thanks for
taking the time to read this mess and hopefully answer.

"ScRaPLeR" wrote in message
...


Ok guys I have a question for all you pro's out there, to wit , how
do I get the most out of my lumber without jointing and planeing away
so much on boards that are warped, cupped and twisted. Before you
answer let me briefly explain the present method to my madness.


SNIP
Make a habit of crosscutting things only an inch or two longer than the
length required. Makes a lot of boards straighter. Of course, you'll have
the good sense to take the better for longer, rather than wasting your time
trying to get twist out of a 4 or 6-foot board.

Only other thing to add is that a bit of judicious work with a scrub or jack
plane can be better than jointing a face six times to flatten.

You don't need a straight edge to plane, so why bother? Straighten when the
faces are parallel.

"ScRaPLeR" wrote in message
...


Ok guys I have a question for all you pro's out there, to wit , how
do I get the most out of my lumber without jointing and planeing away
so much on boards that are warped, cupped and twisted. Before you
answer let me briefly explain the present method to my madness.

1. To straighten the initial edge of a board I first attach the board
to a known straight board, and putting the straight board against my
table saw fence, slice the least amount off opposite edge of my new
board. If the new lumber is only slightly out on one edge I simply use
my 8" jointer until it is straight.

2. If the board is badly warped across say the entire 6, 8 or 10 foot
length, I cut the board into half to lessen the warp or twist. If
badly cupped I slice the boards into 8" wide sections to fit my
jointer.

3. Next depending upon the amount of cup curl or twist left I will
either use my table saw with a 12" flat board stood on edge against my
fence and start slicing off small face pieces from my new board until
the cup or twist is gone or if only minor problems I will once again
use my jointer like a planer to make small passes to flatten board.

4. my last step is my planer which I set up to take 32" inch passes
until the board is dimensioned, then I change my planer setting to
Finishing mode for the final passes on both faces.

using the above steps I still average only about 85 to 90 usable board
feet out of every 100. So my question is this, what am I doing wrong/
is there a better way or finally am I all screwed up. Thanks for
taking the time to read this mess and hopefully answer.

If you're getting that percentage of usable why do you think you're doing
something wrong?
You resaw twisted lumber (if you must) any way you see fit with the tools at
hand.

In article , ScRaPLeR wrote:

using the above steps I still average only about 85 to 90 usable board
feet out of every 100. So my question is this, what am I doing wrong/
is there a better way or finally am I all screwed up. Thanks for
taking the time to read this mess and hopefully answer.

You can't be doing too much wrong, if you're getting that kind of yield. Your
procedure sounds OK. The only suggestion I can make, other than the obvious
one (buy better lumber), is to use a bandsaw for ripping twisted boards
instead of a table saw. Ripping warped lumber on a table saw is just *begging*
for a nasty kickback sooner or later.

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

I think you're wasting valuable time and risking fingers unnecessarily.
Is it a quest you've taken on? I once took a 5/4 board down under 1/2"
trying to get a flat piece.
Was this junk wood free?
There are times when the application helps, like the sides of a bookcase
being pulled in by the top and bottom.
I've done about 30,000 BF, including a lot of pine framing, and wasted a lot
of time on bad wood myself. I don't do it anymore. If I can't rip out a
decent 1X2 for door framing, it's kindling. I gave quite a bit away for
rough floor in a barn. It would be good for horse stalls too, or pallets.
Wilson
"ScRaPLeR" wrote in message
...


Ok guys I have a question for all you pro's out there, to wit , how
do I get the most out of my lumber without jointing and planeing away
so much on boards that are warped, cupped and twisted. Before you
answer let me briefly explain the present method to my madness.

1. To straighten the initial edge of a board I first attach the board
to a known straight board, and putting the straight board against my
table saw fence, slice the least amount off opposite edge of my new
board. If the new lumber is only slightly out on one edge I simply use
my 8" jointer until it is straight.

2. If the board is badly warped across say the entire 6, 8 or 10 foot
length, I cut the board into half to lessen the warp or twist. If
badly cupped I slice the boards into 8" wide sections to fit my
jointer.

3. Next depending upon the amount of cup curl or twist left I will
either use my table saw with a 12" flat board stood on edge against my
fence and start slicing off small face pieces from my new board until
the cup or twist is gone or if only minor problems I will once again
use my jointer like a planer to make small passes to flatten board.

4. my last step is my planer which I set up to take 32" inch passes
until the board is dimensioned, then I change my planer setting to
Finishing mode for the final passes on both faces.

using the above steps I still average only about 85 to 90 usable board
feet out of every 100. So my question is this, what am I doing wrong/
is there a better way or finally am I all screwed up. Thanks for
taking the time to read this mess and hopefully answer.

Are you serious about this?
Salvaging 85% of seriously distorted wood is darn good; so shooting for
better is a fool's errand.
Unless the wood is expensive, it can't be worth the work you are putting
into it; and if it is expensive it shouldn't be so distorted.

On Sun, 25 Sep 2005 15:43:41 GMT, ScRaPLeR
wrote:

Ok guys I have a question for all you pro's out there, to wit , how
do I get the most out of my lumber without jointing and planeing away
so much on boards that are warped, cupped and twisted. Before you
answer let me briefly explain the present method to my madness.

I wa given I can't say [or I'll be hanged here for sure] how many
board feet of oak and cherry. most wasn't bad at all, but some was as
you suggest. There is usully no way to get 90% out of that unless I
first cross-cut it into tiny pieces. However, I did salvage some with
the techniques you mention. There is a tehnique mentioned in this
group for glue-tacking a twisted board to a flat bit of solid MDF and
running that through the planer. I count my losses, and with the
original gift come out way on top. The rest will keep the fire going
in the coming winter.

Thanks for all the advice guys. To further what has already been said,
let me tell you some ot this lumber is quite expensive and was ordered
from woodworkersresourse.com for a hefty price and shipping fee. I
have spent a lot of time milling this lumber only to end up with stuff
that is 5/8" thick when it started out as 4/4 or 13/16. The majority
of problems I seem to have getting more salvage is with the cupped
stuff, i.e. warped from side to side rather than from end to end. I do
also use my grizzly resaw bandsaw to resaw as needed but even with a
good bandsaw it is tough to maximize my b/f of wood. Thanks again for
all the input and advice, you guys know you stuff.