If you have a piece of wood that is twisted, bowed, or cupped and is relatively dry or aged, when you mill it, will it result in a stable board or will it move again? I have a bunch of 2"x8" red oak from a horse barn that I was thinking about resawing. Can I get useable 3/4" or 1/2' boards if I do this?
Being from a barn, it should be relatively dry unless exposed to a bucketload of rain (pun intended). Even if dry, there should be stresses and strains in timber that will be release when cut.
My suggestion would be to go on the generous side to expected final dimensions. Shorter lengths should be easier to handle… then like a good steak, let it rest and come back a few days later and re-examine. That should give you an indication of what next.
But before you take tool to wood what is the quality of the oak… sometimes revival may be a futile exercise depending on condition… just cause it's recycled, doesn't necessarily make it good.
Now hopefully members with better nous can give you good advice.
Thanks for the reply. As far as I can can tell the wood is in good shape. I think it's been dry and out of the weather for 40 years and is very solid and heavy. It doesn't have any outward signs of rot. I could be missing something though. What should I be looking for? I guess worst case I can make saw horses or something out of it. I'd like to develop my skills with it and really stretch the material if its possible.
I've also been wondering about what happens to wood when it gets rain soaked. I'm in Cincinnati and inevitably get caught in the rain without my materials covered or have a tarp blow off. Does saturating wood with water cause it to warp? I have seen a lot of PT pine and kiln dried SPF that twists all over the place. Is that going to happen despite fluctuations in moisture or is the rain and weather accelerating the process or increasing the movement?
Resawn lumber is the most trouble prone. I suggest you stack the boards in stickers immediately after, and either add some weight to the stack or use strapping binders. Give it a week and then start milling. I'd probably star by doing a very light skip plane.
Be very careful about checking for nails.
And keep in mind everything can look great, whether it stays that way depends on how you store it, and the wood gods.
Sorry BD but I live in Churchill in Victoria Australia which is a bit more than the corner away…
I just gave a layman's reply as I hate seeing a post without any acknowledgement.
Robert above seems to know a ********************load more than I do and you'll find many more members will eventually respond that can give you more good advice.
To make life easier for potential helpers, could you please post some pictures… and please don't post them sideways… if in doubt please refer.
I think the question is will a board move the second time it's milled once it's already been dried.
The answer is, yes it can.
Boards warp, twist bow and cup for a combination of factors, not just climate changes. There can be internal stresses in the wood that will remain until some material is removed buy cutting.
Once the board has changed in size whether thickness or width, the internal stress can cause the now smaller board to move freely.
No one can answer your question. That wood could do anything when you resaw it. I've had boards where both slices bent in or bent out. I've had resaws where one slice was straight and the other was curved in or out. The only thing I've never seen is both boards bending the same.
The best advice I can offer is to just go ahead and cut it. Stacking is a good idea, but the main thing is to let it acclimate for a few weeks. Only then can you assess its condition.
I generally get a good yield. On the boards that never straighten up, I set them aside for smaller pieces where the defect won't matter.
... The best advice I can offer is to just go ahead and cut it. Stacking is a good idea, but the main thing is to let it acclimate for a few weeks. Only then can you assess its condition…
- Rich
In my limited experience with warped wood, my best friend was the band saw to take out the major kinks free hand.
Then the jointer… don't exert too much downward pressure, which is a tad hard when feeding through and trying to keep control.
I have seen many sleds with packers… just Google it… everything depends on what will be your expected yield… to justify the build.
As everyone has confirmed, it's gonna shapeshift, be generous and expect much smaller results.
Nevertheless, we are all talking hypothetically without pictures of your "reclaimed boards"... before and after the first cut…
One thing that should be a must is a metal detector if you're ripping the barn apart and a bloody better one if someone else is ripping it apart.
The video Gr8hunter recommended explained it perfectly. Thanks for all the advice LBD. I meant to take photos today but the lumber is at my parents house and I didn't get to it. I'll definitely take pics tomorrow. I need to get a metal detector and moisture meter. I'm buying an 18in bandsaw off of Craigslist tomorrow so I can complete this task.
I bought a house which was "only" $270,000… "cheap" house, but bloody expensive lemon!
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