Hey everyone! I'm fairly new to woodworking, and I've recently landed a part-time gig in a wood shop that specializes in furniture. I've been tasked with cutting straight planks from live edge lumber, but I've encountered a few challenges. The wood tends to be both curved and bowed due to the way it grew and dried. While I managed to get some planks out of it, I'm not quite happy with their symmetry. I've used a miter saw, table saw, and planer, but I'm wondering if there are better techniques or tools out there to handle bowed live edge. What do you usually recommend for achieving the best results with this type of lumber? Thanks in advance!
2 Answers
You might want to try using a jointer before you run it through the planer. That could help you get a much straighter edge on your planks right from the start!
A good tip is to let the planks sit for a bit, like 24-48 hours, to let them de-stress. It can be tricky in a busy shop though! And definitely consider how you store them – if you've got them leaning against the wall, that might actually make things worse. Laying them flat would be better whenever possible!
You've got a great point, thank you. Could resting them leaning against the wall make things worse? I snuck them pretty close to the wall so they're almost standing, there was no space on the ground at the shop. Would laying them horizontally be better?