Planing live edge brace stock

[Brad_bb]

I've been planing for a couple months now straight. I've used it since 2014, I'm just working my way through my current stock now in preparation for an upcoming project next year.  My live edge brace stock sits in the shed for 1-4 years or more to air and stabilize before I put it back on the mill for jointing/planing to get the two faces flat and parallel.  It acts more like a jointer than a planer.  I measured the stack of 4" thick stock that was in the shop this week at about 12% MC on my Wagner meter.  Not sure how far in it actually reads, but 12 is good as that's about ambient.  What that that means is that it should not move significantly while cutting joinery, storage and frame assembly.  Once the building is closed in, who cares, it's held in place.

One thing I finally did today was make some new wedges (because a lot of them have become mixed with the chips and ended up in the burn barrel), and I installed FastCap's 9/16th diameter rare earth magnets in the wedges, gluing them in with their 2P-10 CA glue. I then glued a piece of 120 grit from used 5" discs on the back end of the wedge.  You can see it in the pic next to the wedge. Worked great.  They really stay in place now to stabilize the brace while cutting the first face.  This is a big improvement.  In the past i struggled with wedges slipping out and then having to plane off more to get that first face flat.  If it rocks while planing/jointing, not good.  A simple little improvement like that keeps my wedge in place about 90 percent better than before. 


 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jwOQTx_DME