This may be a FAQ, but it's on topic. My dovetail jig just arrived in
yesterdays mail. Obviously, I'll want to play and practise with it for a
while before I make any real joints.
Can I get away with using the cheap pine boards available at my local
MegaHomeStore ? Or should I stick with the poplar and oak hardwoods? Or
should I just go away, cut some wood and find out for myself?
Thanks
Jim H
Pittsburgh PA
Go Stillers!
Jim Helfer wrote:
> This may be a FAQ, but it's on topic. My dovetail jig just arrived in
> yesterdays mail. Obviously, I'll want to play and practise with it for a
> while before I make any real joints.
>
> Can I get away with using the cheap pine boards available at my local
> MegaHomeStore ? Or should I stick with the poplar and oak hardwoods? Or
> should I just go away, cut some wood and find out for myself?
>
> Thanks
> Jim H
> Pittsburgh PA
> Go Stillers!
>
>
:-) don't go away, there are few enough OnTopic posts.
Personal opinion, I always grab either a pice of pine or popular or even
plywood to pratice on, for anything. Now you will get tearout, it may
not look pretty but you will figure out how to set it up and what to do
when the joints are too loose or too tight. this is the educational
part. then build a small box or tray (even for the shop) out of
"better" material.
in my case, A lot of turners say that pine doesn't turn well but I use
glued up 2x6 stock and have turned out some usefull pieces, is it easy,
no. It doesn't work well so you have to have sharper tools and smother
technique. So when I turn some "real" wood it actually gets easier.
Pratice on what you have or buy less expensive stock, cut it longer than
your project requeies and make a couple of test runs.
BRuce
Jim Helfer asks:
>This may be a FAQ, but it's on topic. My dovetail jig just arrived in
>yesterdays mail. Obviously, I'll want to play and practise with it for a
>while before I make any real joints.
>
> Can I get away with using the cheap pine boards available at my local
>MegaHomeStore ? Or should I stick with the poplar and oak hardwoods? Or
>should I just go away, cut some wood and find out for myself?
>
Unless you plan to continue with pine, don't start.
Yellow poplar, aspen, alder are inexpensive, easy to work hardwoods. Do NOT by
wood for woodworking at a borg (your MegaHomeStore) unless you truly can't fid
it elsewhere. You pay 2-3 prices.
Check http://advantagelumber.com/
Theya re currently listing poplar at $2.10 a bf, soft maple at $2.30. Shipping
adds to that, but it's still less than 50% of what the big box stores charge.
Charlie Self
"The income tax has made liars out of more Americans than golf."
Will Rogers
>
> "Jim Helfer" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> > This may be a FAQ, but it's on topic. My dovetail jig just arrived in
> > yesterdays mail. Obviously, I'll want to play and practise with it for a
> > while before I make any real joints.
> >
> > Can I get away with using the cheap pine boards available at my local
> > MegaHomeStore ? Or should I stick with the poplar and oak hardwoods? Or
> > should I just go away, cut some wood and find out for myself?
> >
Get your feet wet (and bits dusty) with pine or other cheap wood first.
This will teach you
how to set the bit depths, work the cut direction and technique to
minimize tearout, and any
other "tricks" to getting the boards properly aligned in the jig.
Then you could move up to the fancy stuff (poplar cost about $4 bf
around here) after you have
the basics down and want to work on getting the "perfect" joint.
-Bruce
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"Charlie Self" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Jim Helfer asks:
>
> >This may be a FAQ, but it's on topic. My dovetail jig just arrived in
> >yesterdays mail. Obviously, I'll want to play and practise with it for a
> >while before I make any real joints.
> >
> > Can I get away with using the cheap pine boards available at my local
> >MegaHomeStore ? Or should I stick with the poplar and oak hardwoods? Or
> >should I just go away, cut some wood and find out for myself?
> >
>
> Unless you plan to continue with pine, don't start.
>
I don't know. Maybe sometimes. Why not?
> Yellow poplar, aspen, alder are inexpensive, easy to work hardwoods. Do
NOT by
> wood for woodworking at a borg (your MegaHomeStore) unless you truly can't
fid
> it elsewhere. You pay 2-3 prices.
>
> Check http://advantagelumber.com/
>
> Theya re currently listing poplar at $2.10 a bf, soft maple at $2.30.
Shipping
> adds to that, but it's still less than 50% of what the big box stores
charge.
>
> Charlie Self
>
> "The income tax has made liars out of more Americans than golf."
> Will Rogers
>
Thanks for the link. I'm afraid I don't speak BF very well yet. <g>. At
least at the Borg, I can touch the wood so I know I'm buying the right size.
Jim
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
>
Jim Helfer responds:
>> > Can I get away with using the cheap pine boards available at my local
>> >MegaHomeStore ? Or should I stick with the poplar and oak hardwoods? Or
>> >should I just go away, cut some wood and find out for myself?
>> >
>>
>> Unless you plan to continue with pine, don't start.
>>
>
> I don't know. Maybe sometimes. Why not?
Because it doesn't work anyting like hardwood, tends to gum up your tools, and
just generally is NOT cheaper, especially when bought at HD, Lowe's et al.
>>
>> Check http://advantagelumber.com/
>>
>> Theya re currently listing poplar at $2.10 a bf, soft maple at $2.30.
>Shipping
>> adds to that, but it's still less than 50% of what the big box stores
>charge.
>>
>> Charlie Self
>>
>> "The income tax has made liars out of more Americans than golf."
>> Will Rogers
>>
>
> Thanks for the link. I'm afraid I don't speak BF very well yet. <g>. At
>least at the Borg, I can touch the wood so I know I'm buying the right size.
A board foot is a simple thing. It is a square foot one inch thick. Surfaced,
it is probably 3/4" or 13/16" thick (and is called 4/4 or four quarters thick).
You need to combine board feet with your actual linear foot and width needs to
determine yuor wood needs, and you need to learn how. Simply put, discover how
many linear feet of a wood you need in a particular width and thickness.
Mulitply length (in inches) by width (in inches) to get square inches. Divide
by 144. Multiply again by thickness (1", 1-1/2", 2", etc.) to get board feet.
It's not complex. It is pretty near essential to woodworking.
Charlie Self
"The income tax has made liars out of more Americans than golf."
Will Rogers
That doesn't stand up to reason or reality. Plenty of excellent furniture,
chairs, desks, cabinets have been, and still are, made out of pine. Although
you'd do much better at a lumber yard, what the Borg's call "white pine" is
about as cheap as what they sell and will not "gum up" your tools.
I've used it often to make a prototype, or "practice" piece ... that's what
you stated you were looking for.
There is NO reason not to use one of the various grades of pine for your
intended purpose, don't believe a word otherwise.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 9/21/03
"Charlie Self" wrote in message ...
> Jim Helfer responds:
>
> >> > Can I get away with using the cheap pine boards available at my
local
> >> >MegaHomeStore ? Or should I stick with the poplar and oak hardwoods?
Or
> >> >should I just go away, cut some wood and find out for myself?
> >> >
> >>
> >> Unless you plan to continue with pine, don't start.
> >>
> >
> > I don't know. Maybe sometimes. Why not?
>
> Because it doesn't work anyting like hardwood, tends to gum up your tools,
and
> just generally is NOT cheaper, especially when bought at HD, Lowe's et al.
The OP wants something to put in his brand new dovetail jig to make some
practice cuts and learn how it works.
Cheapest thing he can find, pine included (pallets, or dump wood, as you
say), would serve his purpose well... certainly NOT special ordering
"hardwood" off the Internet to make some practice cuts on, as was suggested,
for chrissakes.
I save my "hate" for spammers these days. I don't go out of my way to use
pine, but there is a world of various types of pine, including some which
makes beautiful furniture, so anyone who denigrates "pine" as a blanket
generic term is either not telling, or is not aware of, the whole story.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 9/21/03
"B a r r y B u r k e J r ." wrote in message
> On Thu, 09 Oct 2003 16:07:00 GMT, "Swingman" <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >The word "practice" is the operative word here. OP specifically stated "
...
> >before making any real joints".
> >
>
> He's better off with hardwoods from pallets or dump furniture than
> pine. Who cares if it's for a finish on it.
>
> I *hate* pine, and it certainly doesn't work like any hardwood I've
> ever used
On Thu, 9 Oct 2003 10:58:09 -0400, "Jim Helfer" <[email protected]>
wrote:
> Can I get away with using the cheap pine boards available at my local
>MegaHomeStore ? Or should I stick with the poplar and oak hardwoods?
Poplar (or round here, ash) sounds good. Pine is unpleasant to work
with, and not at all like the timber you'll be making the good stuff
from. Just get on and make some stuff. Pretty soon you'll have plenty
of offcuts to work with.
Here in the UK, "pine" is spruce anyway. Real pine isn't too bad to
work with (if it's a good grade) but our "generic softwood" is foul
stuff.
--
Die Gotterspammerung - Junkmail of the Gods
The word "practice" is the operative word here. OP specifically stated " ...
before making any real joints".
It is plain idiocy to order, pay shipping and spend hardwood dollars just to
"practice" with the jig and how to work it.
Any scraps in the shop will do, including pine.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 9/21/03
"Charlie Self" wrote in message
>
> Unless you plan to continue with pine, don't start.
>
> Yellow poplar, aspen, alder are inexpensive, easy to work hardwoods. Do
NOT by
> wood for woodworking at a borg (your MegaHomeStore) unless you truly can't
fid
> it elsewhere. You pay 2-3 prices.
>
> Check http://advantagelumber.com/
>
> Theya re currently listing poplar at $2.10 a bf, soft maple at $2.30.
Shipping
> adds to that, but it's still less than 50% of what the big box stores
charge.
I'd hit the trash piles at any building sites in your area. Look for homes that
are nearing completion that the trim carpenters are or have been working.
Poplar is a good material to practise your dovetails that you often find used in
new home construction.
David
In article <[email protected]>, Jim Helfer says...
>
>
> This may be a FAQ, but it's on topic. My dovetail jig just arrived in
>yesterdays mail. Obviously, I'll want to play and practise with it for a
>while before I make any real joints.
>
> Can I get away with using the cheap pine boards available at my local
>MegaHomeStore ? Or should I stick with the poplar and oak hardwoods? Or
>should I just go away, cut some wood and find out for myself?
>
> Thanks
> Jim H
> Pittsburgh PA
> Go Stillers!
>
>
Jummywood is great for practicing dovetails ... made a bunch of "L" shaped
bookends for my daughters bookshelves when I first got a Leigh. Knew there
was something you could do with all those practice joints.
--
www.e-woodshop.net
Last update: 9/21/03
"Jim Helfer" wrote in message
>
> This may be a FAQ, but it's on topic. My dovetail jig just arrived in
> yesterdays mail. Obviously, I'll want to play and practise with it for a
> while before I make any real joints.
>
> Can I get away with using the cheap pine boards available at my local
> MegaHomeStore ? Or should I stick with the poplar and oak hardwoods? Or
> should I just go away, cut some wood and find out for myself?
>
> Thanks
> Jim H
> Pittsburgh PA
> Go Stillers!
>
>
"Jim Helfer" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> This may be a FAQ, but it's on topic. My dovetail jig just arrived in
> yesterdays mail. Obviously, I'll want to play and practise with it for a
> while before I make any real joints.
>
> Can I get away with using the cheap pine boards available at my local
> MegaHomeStore ? Or should I stick with the poplar and oak hardwoods? Or
> should I just go away, cut some wood and find out for myself?
>
Practice with pine or even 1x dimensional lumber.
If you can make good joints in SPF, chances are good you'll be able
make good joints in most any other wood.
--
FF
Jim Helfer wrote:
> This may be a FAQ, but it's on topic. My dovetail jig just arrived in
> yesterdays mail. Obviously, I'll want to play and practise with it for a
> while before I make any real joints.
The Lumber Liquidators http://www.lumberliquidators.com has a
Woodworkers bargain pack, 300 board foot or lumber for $99 with "some
exotics". This is the lumber that the crates and palates are made of
that thier flooring came in. Not gradaed but certaily good enough for
praticing and you might get some stuff good enough for small projects.
jw
On Thu, 09 Oct 2003 16:07:00 GMT, "Swingman" <[email protected]> wrote:
>The word "practice" is the operative word here. OP specifically stated " ...
>before making any real joints".
>
He's better off with hardwoods from pallets or dump furniture than
pine. Who cares if it's for a finish on it.
I *hate* pine, and it certainly doesn't work like any hardwood I've
ever used.
Barry