Episode 17 Dressing Timber

Dressing Timber. In this episode, we are having a look at dressing timber so that it is flat/straight and square, ready for a project. In this case, we are using some reclaimed Jarrah from an old deck, but the principle is the same if you are preparing timber that is DAR (dressed all round) from a timber yard, or hardware supply shop, or even if you have prepared your own board from raw timber.

DAR stock can still have warps, cupping and twists, so it is definitely beneficial to go through the motions of actually dressing the timber yourself to ensure it really is straight and true (and square!).

The two units used here are the Jet 6" deluxe longbed planer (jointer in the US), and then the Triton 15" Thicknesser (planer in the US).

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• thicknesser
• planer
• jointer
• dressing
• timber
• stu's
• shed
• video
• jarrah

[5059jeff]

do you swap ends after each pass on the jointer?

[stusshed]

Generally no - it is much more important to feed the timber through the blades based on grain direction. If you get it the wrong way around, it is like brushing the hair on a dog - go the wrong way and it all gets raised up and rough, or in timber terms - tearout.

Brush it the right way, and it is smooth and sleek, just like you'd want your timber to look after machining.

[stusshed]

You can....it would make the other two sides flat, but not necessarily parallel to the first side. The Jointer/Planer can produce a side that is 90 degrees to the previous (reference) side, but cannot ensure that opposite sides are parallel.

Imagine a wedge (such as a door wedge). Each side is 90 degrees to the previous side and is flat, but there is still a serious varying thickness issue that is...undesirable.

Good question though, and one that I have asked in the past as well!

[stusshed]

I do, just not connected up at the moment. It will be done as part of a significant shop rebuild over Easter (08). The heart of the system is a 4" dust collector (a bit underpowered, so may upgrade it), which is connected to PVC piping that runs to each machine, and blast gates prevent loss of suction (ie I block off the machines that are not in use).

[zantraux123]

thanks heaps mate, i love design and technology and your video has really helped with an assignment on timber preparation :D keep up the good work!

[ibanezrg320fm]

Q: Why couldn't you use the first machine to shape the other two sides?

[ORBEX]

Nice vid, thanks.

[macdonaldjohnstonfan]

Mate this needs more than a shop vac, it needs a proper dust extractor.

[holman26]

do u have a shop vac