A Thicknessing Technique

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

I have written a couple of pieces on “four squaring” and thicknessing by hand, and these are on my website. Here I want to describe a technique that I recently began using when thicknessing boards. I have not seen it elsewhere, but I am very aware that I may likely to be re-inventing the wheel.

For this article, please access the link below ..

http://www.inthewoodshop.com/Furniture/AThicknessingTechnique.html

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[bugbear]

http://swingleydev.com/archive/get.php? ... =1#message

Sorry Derek!

BugBear

 

[AndyT]

So, there's nothing new under the sun... but thanks for the tip Derek - I'd not heard of it or thought of it, so I'm glad you took the trouble to write it up and post it!

 

[Derek Cohen (Perth Oz)]

Just goes to show ... nothing new under the sun.. anyway, great minds and all that

Jesus, BB, you have a memory like an elephant!!

Regards from Perth

Derek

 

[Martingchapman]

Derek,
It may not be new but it is new to me so thanks very much for posting.

Martin.

 

[bugbear]

Just goes to show ... nothing new under the sun.. anyway, great minds and all that

Jesus, BB, you have a memory like an elephant!!

Also google ;-)

BugBear

 

[Chris Knight]

Thanks Derek! I had thought bending down and squinting were the marks of the true pro...

 

[devonwoody]

Thanks Derek, in 1953 I had a ticket on the ss Orsova to Perth, (did not make the voyage, hospitalisation and then other things came up) we might have been neighbours. :wink:

 

[matthewwh]

we might have been neighbours.

I thought that was Melbourne?:wink:

Excellent tip Derek, one of those - 'now why on earth didn't I think of that before' ones.

 

[mr grimsdale]

...I am very aware that I may likely to be re-inventing the wheel....

I think you probably have Derek. I think it's the way everybody does it, consciously or unconsciously, but not so precisely. I do myself; take off the high points, chamfer (shallower than yours) the edges down close to the line, then take out the ridge in the middle. With endgrain the same but taking a chamfer off the ends too, making a hipped roof instead of a double pitch.

 

[heimlaga]

Why have I never thought of this before......

Thanks Derek.

 

[jimi43]

Interesting Derek...I didn't know it either and since I didn't find the need to Google it I would never have known it was invented BT (before thicknessers!)


BB - that article you found was fascinating too...the last post on putting a rabbet around the edge was an interesting refinement though I am not sure the bit about putting a dado in wide boards down the middle...um...how does that work then? Surely if the middle is cupped or convex...then....um....what use is a dado?

Anyone care to explain....

Jim

 

[bugbear]

Interesting Derek...I didn't know it either and since I didn't find the need to Google it I would never have known it was invented BT (before thicknessers!)


BB - that article you found was fascinating too...the last post on putting a rabbet around the edge was an interesting refinement though I am not sure the bit about putting a dado in wide boards down the middle...um...how does that work then? Surely if the middle is cupped or convex...then....um....what use is a dado?

Anyone care to explain....

Jim

Yeah - I think Mr Barron is confused, for the reasons you give.

However, something similar WAS done for floorboards (in the old days) where they were only thicknessed where they crossed the floor joists - effectively a dado.

This both increased strength (leaving the board thick were possible) and reduced labour.

BugBear

 

[AndyT]

However, something similar WAS done for floorboards (in the old days) where they were only thicknessed where they crossed the floor joists - effectively a dado.

This both increased strength (leaving the board thick were possible) and reduced labour.

BugBear

You're quite right BB - this is how to prepare floorboards according to a treasured 1875 "Notes on Building Construction" that I have:

"If not prepared by machinery, the boards should be all brought to the same width, have their edges shot, and be gauged to the same thickness with a fillister plane, which takes out a rebate on each side down to a gauge mark. They are then turned over and trimmed down to the proper thickness at the points where they cross the joists."

- that should wear out a few planes, and a few carpenters as well!

[/quote]

 

[bugbear]

However, something similar WAS done for floorboards (in the old days) where they were only thicknessed where they crossed the floor joists - effectively a dado.

This both increased strength (leaving the board thick were possible) and reduced labour.

BugBear

You're quite right BB - this is how to prepare floorboards according to a treasured 1875 "Notes on Building Construction" that I have:

"If not prepared by machinery, the boards should be all brought to the same width, have their edges shot, and be gauged to the same thickness with a fillister plane, which takes out a rebate on each side down to a gauge mark. They are then turned over and trimmed down to the proper thickness at the points where they cross the joists."

- that should wear out a few planes, and a few carpenters as well!

Yeah - I skipped the bit about the (sash) fillister. It is very much in the spirit of this thread, where a depth "mark" that is visible from above is created.

My reference was Walter Rose - the Village Carpenter.

BugBear

 

[Smudger]

Would that be 'another job for the apprentice'?

 

[mr grimsdale]

...done for floorboards (in the old days) where they were only thicknessed where they crossed the floor joists - effectively a dado.

This both increased strength (leaving the board thick were possible) and reduced labour.

BugBear

Sometimes table tops too - just brought to thickness around the edges where they are visible and meet the apron or other undercarriage.

 

[bugbear]

...done for floorboards (in the old days) where they were only thicknessed where they crossed the floor joists - effectively a dado.

This both increased strength (leaving the board thick were possible) and reduced labour.

BugBear

Sometimes table tops too - just brought to thickness around the edges where they are visible and meet the apron or other undercarriage.

As opposed to modern table tops, where an applied under-moulding is used to pretend they're thicker than they are...

BugBear

 

[Harbo]

Reading "The Joiner and Cabinet Maker" originally published in 1839, they often did not thickness the wood unless is was necessary for the project.
They also used "rough wood" which was just sawn without planing.
The new authors reckon that the saws they used for cutting timber must have been much finer then and left a better finish. (They would still plane the timber ends etc for jointing).
Of course for better quality work full preparation would be carried out.
But if the work was not necessary they did not do it - time was money.

Not wishing to open the locked thread, in the book (although they used Dovetail saws) back in the 1800's they referred to "pins" and "pin-holes".

Rod

 

[bugbear]

Reading "The Joiner and Cabinet Maker" originally published in 1839, they often did not thickness the wood unless is was necessary for the project.

Am I missing something? Surely that's true today, even if you own a power thicknesser.

Why would anybody EVER thickness if it wasn't neccessary?

BugBear (slightly confused)