Curly Maple Questions - Woodworking Talk

thunderbyte · 10-17-2008, 05:01 PM

Im building a couple mantel clocks out of curly maple (not real cheap) and need opinions/ideas dealing with my wood. The wood I purchased measures 1 1/8" thick and 6 to 10" wide by 3 to 4' long. To make the clocks, most of the pieces need to be 1/2" thick. I hate to plane them down to 1/2" and just turn all that pretty wood into chips, not to mention added wear to my blades, but I dont have any way of splitting it. If I had a large bandsaw, I read I could possibly cut it with that. Is it possible to raise the blade on my table saw all the way up and make a pass, flip the wood and make a second pass to complete slicing? To me it sounds difficult and maybe dangerous, but I really would rather slice it and have some 1/4" to 3/8" curly for furture projects.

Any thoughts???

Boardman · 10-17-2008, 06:53 PM

I do that all the time with my saw. 2 things are important though - check the blade to make sure it's dead-on 90 degrees from the table itself, and square up the stock you're using. The edge vs. top/bottom of the board should be as square as possible. Otherwise you'll end up with cuts that don't match up.

And you should probably make 1 pass, raise the blade, and make the next pass. Don't try doing it all at once since maple tends to burn pretty easy because of the sugar content.

firehawkmph · 10-17-2008, 08:34 PM

Thunder,
Do you know anyone in your area that has a bandsaw that could resaw it for you? Maybe a local cabinet shop would run it through for a few bucks.
Mike Hawkins

Al Killian · 10-18-2008, 07:36 PM

I would see if there is someone near you that can use there saw. Alot less waste on nice wood like that.

Ken Johnson · 10-19-2008, 09:15 AM

For maximum wood utilization I would find someone with a bandsaw suiteed for resawing. If you don't know anyone, post a services wanted ad on your local craigslist.

red · 10-19-2008, 10:36 AM

Just remember that using the table saw your maximum board width you can resaw is about 6”. I would try a local cabinet shop or craigslist that was suggested. Curley maple is beautiful. Good luck with the project. Red

boondocker · 10-19-2008, 01:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by red

Curley maple is beautiful. Good luck with the project. Red

I would agree with those folks about resawing with a band saw. You are going to loose twice as much wood using a TS to slice the parts, plus you then loose more surfacing the pieces.

Here is the lid of a quilted maple box I made this year from a plank about the size you are using.

thunderbyte · 10-19-2008, 06:57 PM

Thanks for the replies. I will try to find someone local to re-saw it for me. If I cant, I will just plane the crap out of it. I hate to do that but I need to finish two projects using this wood for christmas gifts so time is important. So far I hebent found many resources for wood workers in my area. Even finding a good local source for wood was tough.

Wood4Fun · 10-19-2008, 08:12 PM

make the depth of the clock thicker

thunderbyte · 11-02-2008, 10:24 PM

Well, I couldnt wait any longer trying to find a way to resaw my wood. I went from at least 1 1/8" thick down to 1/2" on my curly maple with my planer. Heres a pic of the leftovers....

Ken Johnson · 11-02-2008, 10:46 PM

Noooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!!!!!!!

firefighteremt153 · 11-03-2008, 07:40 AM

Omg!

**Daren** · 11-03-2008, 08:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by thunderbyte

Heres a pic of the leftovers....

, that'll get a reaction from the crowd

.

Gerry KIERNAN · 11-03-2008, 11:34 AM

I am sitting here quietly sobbing as I look upon the carnage of what was once some beautiful wood.What a shame.

I guess a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do.

Gerry

Kenbo · 11-03-2008, 12:25 PM

Once I'm done crying, I'm going to go out into my shop and hug all of my wood in the stock pile. sniff sniff. It's true, you always hurt the ones you love.

Hey there thunder, I didn't see on your profile where you are located. Don't forget, that there are many talented woodworkers on this forum that may be in your area. Where are you from?

thunderbyte · 11-03-2008, 01:00 PM

Im in Erie PA. Apparently there arent a lot of woodworkers in this area, or at least I havent found any.

Yea, it was a shame to do it but I didnt have any options that I could find. Since then I found someone that has a bandsaw I can use but the blade is only 3/8" wide. That should work but I would prefer thicker for resawing.

boondocker · 11-03-2008, 01:20 PM

Thunder - that pile of shavings made me gag too. I have two "suggestions" for you to mull over. First, is to make buying your own 14" band saw a priority! You will always find uses for one and they are surprisingly inexpensive (ie: there is a 14" Dellta [among several] on Craigs List today in Denver for $300). I bought one several years ago for $200, did a restoration and now have a tool my Great Grandkids will be able to use. The other suggestion is, if you are going to continue to use your friends saw, buy your own darn blade for resawing (I recommend a 3/4" or 1" skip tooth) and donate it to him for friendship and for the use of his equipment.

BTW, there are several band saw's listed in Erie PA on Craigs list today. I wouldn't buy any of them because they are 12" Craftsmen and IMHO about worthless for most woodworking shop projects, but if you search around you can find a good 14" Delta for cheap!

clarionflyer · 11-04-2008, 07:31 PM

YOU'ALL...

Crack me up with the wasted wood replies. Now that's serious... but funny. Thanks. I needed that on election night.

**Leo G** · 11-04-2008, 09:29 PM

Cracks me up too. It's just a little curly maple. The stuff grows on trees

I wouldn't have waited as long. I would have just done it. I chuck about 100 gallons of chips a week. No, not curly maple, this week it was quarter sawn white oak, And I was only bringing 4/4 down to 13/16"