The Wide Board Club

WDH · March 15, 2018, 07:38:35 AM

Had a call yesterday from a guy wanting to make a bench out of red oak. He specified 1" to 1.5" thick and 24" wide and 7' long. I asked him if he wanted boards that would add up to the 24" of width, but he said, "No. I want a single board 24" wide". When I asked why the board had to be 24" wide, he responded that he did not want to spend the time gluing up several boards. I did not even try to talk him out of it. Of course, I did not have a red oak board that wide anyway. I try not to saw anything wider than I can plane, and that is 20" max.

I get these calls a lot. I deal with some really skilled wood workers, but also many beginners and novices. What many people do not understand is that if the 24" wide board is not cut perfectly from the center of the log, the board will have flatsawn, rift sawn, and usually quartersawn grain across the face of the board. Since quarter and rift grain shrinks less than flatsawn, it is very hard to dry a 24" board perfectly flat because of this differential shrinkage. They are very prone to cup, which in a board that wide, usually cannot be planed out. If the board is in fact sawn from the dead center of the log, it will be quartersawn across the width, but the the juvenile wood and the pith and center ALWAYS cracks and splits in oak. This is usually not desirable.

I call these folks members of The Wide Board Club.

Don P · March 15, 2018, 07:49:00 AM

I spent a couple of hours last night trying to politely write someone who will only hear the music in their own head. I think much of the current proliferation of wide milling capability is going to people with no real understanding of how wood behaves. Yup we can mill wide and you can make something out of it, but go carefully my friend.

Kbeitz · March 15, 2018, 08:40:51 AM

I'm in that market. Or I'm working on it. Lots of people as me for he same thing. so I'm cutting really wide stuff real thick. Then I'm letting it dry and I built a router plane to make it flat again after it drys. No clue if it will work but I'm going to give it a try.

TKehl · March 15, 2018, 09:36:42 AM

You just need a bunch of logs 54" diameter and wider so you can get single 24" quarter sawn boards from half the log without including the pith. I don't see a problem here... :D ;D :D ;D :D ;D

8) 8) 8)

muggs · March 15, 2018, 10:47:32 AM

I have dealt with that my whole life of selling lumber.
A lot of people find gluing intimidating. I solved it by gluing up panels and charging a big premium. :

Muggs

pineywoods · March 15, 2018, 11:06:10 AM

The wide board club is wide spread :

I get lots of woodworker customers who don't comprehend that 2 10 inch boards is much better than a single 20 inch. I haven't tried offering to glue up 2 or three boards and charging accordingly. Might be a good idea..

Bruno of NH · March 15, 2018, 11:50:00 AM

That's why I'm getting out of the contracting business no one wants to listen to you any more.
They know it all already.
They see a wide board on tv and think it one board not 3 glued up.
I sell firewood now.
Last week a women calls me up desperate for wood.Tell her all I have is green wood by the cord or 1/3 of a cord.
She says can't do that all I have is $40 .
She asks if she can come get it. I again tell her it's green ,wants it any way.
Calls me up Sunday wants a refund on the wood it's no good.
Tell I'm come get the money Monday.
She tells me it's my fault meet her at her work.
I do and she won't come out wants the money slid under the door.
I tell her no money unless you come out finally goes.
The new world order we live in

TKehl · March 15, 2018, 12:29:24 PM

Quote from: TKehl on March 15, 2018, 09:36:42 AMYou just need a bunch of logs 54" diameter and wider so you can get single 24" quarter sawn boards from half the log without including the pith. I don't see a problem here...

Hmmm... I realized my figures were off. To avoid drying issues, you really should cut off the sapwood. So the logs need to be a bit bigger than 54", but diameter required would vary by species. ;) ;D

warren46 · March 15, 2018, 12:51:58 PM

Sometimes the appearance of a really wide board is attractive (in the eye or the beholder). When I wanted a 24 inch board for a dresser top I took a 26 inch wide board that had dried and of course cupped. I then ripped it into three narrower boards, jointed the edges and planned to 3/4 in thick. I then glued the boards back together matching the grain. I got a top that look like it is a 24" board with rift and flat sawn grain. It has stayed flat for some 20 years.

I like the looks and get a lot of positive comments about it.

Warren

Southside · March 15, 2018, 02:00:35 PM

Quote from: Don P on March 15, 2018, 07:49:00 AMsomeone who will only hear the music in their own head

Wait - I hear music in my head...:D

LeeB · March 15, 2018, 02:50:29 PM

Is it music they hear or just the wind whistling through?

starmac · March 15, 2018, 05:16:32 PM

I have seen some really nice bar and counters that were wide and live edge, how is it that they saw these for the best success, some I have seen were pretty old. The ones I have seen were pretty thick.

thecfarm · March 15, 2018, 05:36:35 PM

I get people like that all the time in the hardware store. They are looking for that certain answer in thier head. Even though they asked me to help them. :

Magicman · March 15, 2018, 09:00:09 PM

I put a customer in the Wide Board Club today with many 20"-26" 9/4 Walnut two live edge slabs. ;D

Larry · March 15, 2018, 09:09:59 PM

The Arkansas chapter of the Wide Board Club is alive and well. I had two inquiries from members this week. It seems like the membership here may not be the sharpest and also don't have very deep pockets.

I always politely refer these people to my almost neighbor. He has been doing slabs as a full time business for nearly 30 years. Has a Lucas slabber, kiln, all the right equipment to process slabs, showroom, and plenty of inventory. He says most of the members of the club are only slab kickers, something I have also learned.

Peter Drouin · March 15, 2018, 09:44:20 PM

That's why I'm not into wide wood, unless it's 1" thick pine board.

WDH · March 15, 2018, 10:52:55 PM

Slab kickers :D :D.

21incher · March 16, 2018, 08:25:44 AM

Send them to @tule peak timber
he is king of the Extra Wide Board Club. ;D

tule peak timber · March 16, 2018, 09:14:23 AM

Someone say wide ?

Southside · March 17, 2018, 10:40:57 AM

Had a charter member contact me this morning. Has one highly valuable 400 bft (18' long) walnut log to be sawn, into full width boards. Told the customer best to bring it here given it's a small volume and would be 100 miles of driving for me so the normal bft sawing rate would not apply. Didn't like that answer and wanted a price. So I explained that it would cost one Standard Goat Unit ($300) for me to travel there and complete the sawing. That was when the crickets came out...slab kickers.