Tips for saving good Hardwoods with a table saw, router, or planer.
Don’t plane wood on just one side. Many times the wood will cup unevenly. Reduce the chance of having a piece of cherry wood or black walnut cup. Plane both sides evenly.
If you don’t want to splinter the end of a router cut, stop just before the end and hand file or sand the radius in by hand. You can even set up a stop so your piece doesn’t pass all the way to the end. Another way to prevent tear out is to butt two pieces together.
Always test a new finish on scrap first. Many times the finish can lose it’s quality by sitting in a can for too long or it is not the type of gloss you need. Don’t take a chance on using old finishing products on your project because you might have to do it over if it doesn’t dry properly. This is especially the case if you are going to use an expensive piece of hardwood.
Don’t try something new with a project that you have invested long hours to complete. In other words, if a certain glue you have used works good, use it. Don’t try to experiment yet on any project that you invested long hours to complete. One example would be trying a new woodworking glue or finish that you may never have used before only to find out that it doesn’t work the same with all woods. Test first. Set the job aside and work on another project in the mean time.
Use plenty of scrap wood when in doubt. Don’t use a piece of cherry wood when pine is readily available. Make a test cut out of scrap wood for any complicated projects. Then, at worst you will have made one to give away. Scrap wood should be used liberally to make test cuts for any new set up.
Fresh cut wood can be up to 50% water. That means that a fresh, 25 pound log contains up to 12 pounds of water! It is good to know your wood’s moisture content. Damp wood will expand, and drying wood causes shrinkage. Kiln dried wood is not necessarily better than seasoned wood. In any case, if the wood is not at the proper moisture content when worked, it might warp, crack, or check. Don’t use wood immediately after bringing it into the shop either. The ultimate precaution is to let it acclimate for awhile first, before machining it if the slightest bit of warping will be a concern.
Instead of only focusing on the right power tools, or the right woodworking machine, learn more about how they build and use jigs; wood jigs, especially with a table saw. They are the key to increase productivity, increase accuracy, and reduce mistakes. By using jigs, you expand your range of abilities, and use machines for their full potential, and then waste less hardwoods.
To build solid, flat dependable woodworking jigs I recommend using cabinet grade plywood wherever possible. It rarely warps, and it is easy to drill into. If there is ever a screw that strips out of plywood, that is easy to fix. Just use a dowel. First, take a 3/8″ drill, and drill a hole. Then fill the hole with a short piece of 3/8″ dowel dipped in glue. Then file it level and smooth. Now you have a solid surface to re-drill into.
Work safe, and always do a number count after your router, planer, or table saw blade stops before touching the blade for any reason.
Tags… Oak, Walnut, Curly maple, Woodworking Lumber, Mahogany, Maple, Exotic Woods, Cherry wood, ash, chestnut.
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