# mill long piece flat



## Jsears (Apr 3, 2013)

Hi, my first post on the site and I hope this is the right forum. If not maybe joinery.

I rescued a number of oak railings from a 1970's building being demolished. Topping an oak/glass railing around an atrium.
The pieces are 9' long 2-1/2" thick and 8" high. They are glued up of a cap and 2 side boards to make a solid unit.

Problem: many of them have a slight to moderate bow along the length on the 8" side. Worse case 1/2" most 3/8 or less.

How can I mill them to get straight pieces of wood (still 1-1/2" thick or more). Because of the length and the fact that most thickness planers or drum sanders don't have 9 foot in run and out run tables, what kind of machine would work?


----------



## Gone Wood'n (Feb 4, 2013)

I'd use a jointer preferably an 8" or wider OR, if you're NOT going to use them that long then U can cut the pieces to shorter lengths and still use a jointer to flatten one side then flatten one edge then run the opposite face threw a planer to UR finish thickness then the table saw to finish the last edge. IF you don't have a wide enough jointer then try your best to make the best router sled to again joint one edge and again plane the crowned face with a back and forth notion to which you can run the planer threw the last face to get parallel and then the table saw for the last edge.


----------



## plainolebill (Mar 31, 2013)

Flattening with a jointer then running the through a planer would be the best solution but a chunk of wood that size is going to be hard to manage. As Gone Wood'n said cutting close to whatever length you are going to use would make it much easier. Jointing/planing a shorter length would also result in less waste.


----------



## Jsears (Apr 3, 2013)

Thanks for the replies guys.
I'm afraid that doesn't work if the piece is longer than the length of the joiner.
If you run it through with the bow facing down like a rainbow, it moves across the joiner in an arc. The feed end hangs below the in-run table and once the front end of the board passes off the end of the joiner, it starts to drop below the table while the feed end is still climbing up.
If you run it across with the bow up, you have no way to keep it from rocking with both ends up in the air.
Even a 5 foot piece will never come out flat if the joiner table is 42" long.


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*You gotta use it different than that*



Jsears said:


> Thanks for the replies guys.
> I'm afraid that doesn't work if the piece is longer than the length of the joiner.
> If you run it through with the bow facing down like a rainbow, it moves across the joiner in an arc. The feed end hangs below the in-run table and once the front end of the board passes off the end of the joiner, it starts to drop below the table while the feed end is still climbing up.
> If you run it across with the bow up, you have no way to keep it from rocking with both ends up in the air.
> Even a 5 foot piece will never come out flat if the joiner table is 42" long.


If the bowed side is down and you just run it off the tables you will still get a bowed side. Here's what I do when the board is longer than the tables. I sight down the board and make several passes part way in from each end. The more I take off the closer it becomes to straight/flat. I keep at it until my "eye" says it's close and there is not "hollow" in the center. Then I set up some roller stands off the jointer to keep the same height as the outfeed table. You may need a helper on a heavy long piece to start out with, but let the rollers support it when you get it close to flat. 
There is no other way that I know of. :no: Makita makes a 12" wide hand planer for timberframe builders...$$$$


----------



## MissionIsMyMission (Apr 3, 2012)

I'd make a tablesaw sled and trim one side flat then run it thru the planer or over the jointer. then do one of the other sides the same way.


----------



## TimPa (Jan 27, 2010)

easiest method is a large jointer. maybe you could locate a woodshop in the area that has one, they would likely run it through for you. if not, you can hand plane/belt sand down to as level as you can get, then plane it. 

I also have been successful laying the concave side down outside, when the ground has moisture and the sun is hot, check hourly. if it was straight then stored for awhile, it is likely how it got that way, the convex side absorbed more moisture than the concave side could.


----------



## Jsears (Apr 3, 2013)

Thanks again for all the response.
I was thinking about trying to straighten them. The wet ground idea seems worth a try. I'll try a couple of the worse ones, nothing to lose. 
I think the problem was that the sun from the atrium was shining on the outsides of the railing for decades and just baked them. The inside just saw room light. They are bone dry.
I also like the idea of creeping up on it by working off the ends a little at a time.


----------



## Futurepast (Jun 18, 2012)

You could also take two long straight edges and clamp them to either side and use them as rails to run your router down milling off the highs and lows of the plank clamped in between


----------



## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

Jsears said:


> Thanks for the replies guys.
> I'm afraid that doesn't work if the piece is longer than the length of the joiner.
> If you run it through with the bow facing down like a rainbow, it moves across the joiner in an arc. The feed end hangs below the in-run table and once the front end of the board passes off the end of the joiner, it starts to drop below the table while the feed end is still climbing up.
> If you run it across with the bow up, you have no way to keep it from rocking with both ends up in the air.
> Even a 5 foot piece will never come out flat if the joiner table is 42" long.


The jointer will work even if it's shorter than the wood. It's called "facing". I do this to all my rough sawn lumber before sending it through the planer. As jointers get wider they don't get much longer. I worked with a 12" machine and the bed was only a foot longer than the 8" machine.

If you run long pieces through you will have to give up some thickness to make them flat. If you work out the lengths before and rough cut for length you will not have to remove as much stock. If it were me I would try to take the bow out and face after.

Al

Friends don't let friends use stamped metal tools sold at clothing stores.


----------



## Hammer1 (Aug 1, 2010)

I deal with long stock on my small jointer by adding table extensions. They can be any length you need, they just have to be flat and perfectly in line with the corresponding jointer tables. I deal with wider boards by removing the blade guard and making a full rabbeting pass. Then I bring the un cut remainder flush by using a flush trim jig on my router. The size of your jointer doesn't have to have limitations due to size.


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

Jsears said:


> *They are glued up of a cap and 2 side boards to make a solid unit.
> 
> Problem: many of them have a slight to moderate bow along the length on the 8" side.* Worse case 1/2" most 3/8 or less.
> *
> How can I mill them to get straight pieces of wood (still 1-1/2" thick or more).* ?


Sometimes when you only glue 2 boards together they will warp on the face side. By gluing on a 3rd board it may alleviate that issue, no guarantee. The boards can be placed bowed side down on some grass for a few hours with weights, then leveled out and weighted again to maintain a straight length while they dry out of the sun.

As was suggested using a router sled and 2 straight rails will also work, but it will take a long time on 9 ft'rs. 

Another approach would be to block the bowed ends off the ground and weight the center after spritzing with water several times.

You could saw off the cap and replace it with 2 straight ones on either edge after straightening the boards using blocks and weights....


Dang wood, it warps..... :thumbdown:


----------



## bzguy (Jul 11, 2011)

Two methods,
As noted, jointer beds don't ever have to be as long a the work-piece as long as you hold the piece flat to the out-feed bed.
With a piece that's extremely bowed, I often save time by making several repeated passes at both ends with piece in the "arch up" position.
You can also do this in one pass on a table saw, then run it one time on jointer if saw-cuts are a problem.
Simply attach it to a straight-edge and run it against the fence.
For a piece 9' long you could easily get away with for instance "pinning it, 16-18 gauge nailer" it to an 8' piece of plywood.
This leaves you enough fence to line up to and keep it straight.


----------



## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

Al B Thayer said:


> After rereading your post I would also add. the length of the jointer does not determine the length of stock that can be "faced".
> 
> The jointer will work even if it's shorter than the wood. It's called "facing". I do this to all my rough sawn lumber before sending it through the planer. As jointers get wider they don't get much longer. I worked with a 12" machine and the bed was only a foot longer than the 8" machine.
> 
> ...


Friends don't let friends use stamped metal tools sold at clothing stores.


----------



## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*there is some confusion here*

What is the condition at issue?

How is the board(s) curved on the face/flat side or along the edge?
It makes a huge difference as to how to straighten or flatten them.

Boards can be straightened on the table saw or using circ saw and a straight edge or the jointer or a router and a straight edge.
OR
They can be flattened using a jointer or a router on rails and a sled.
Both solutions will work... Which is it?


----------



## Al B Thayer (Dec 10, 2011)

woodnthings said:


> What is the condition at issue?
> 
> How is the board(s) curved on the face/flat side or along the edge?
> It makes a huge difference as to how to straighten or flatten them.
> ...


+1

Al

Friends don't let friends use stamped metal tools sold at clothing stores.


----------



## Cliff (Feb 5, 2012)

I've done this in the planer. I rig up a sled with the warped board shimmed solidly in place. The work piece has to be rather thick to start with because there'll always be voids between the shims and deflection won't be good.


----------

