Maple TBs

[devonwoody]

I have a tale of woe this morning.

Ripped it down the centre 75mm wide each piece. Then found this.

I purchased this 8ft board 12" wide last year, the other half used, the grain was wild and not nice to work with and now this other side is also rubbishy. (the board cost around £100). Do you think the timber merchant should be expected to give me an allowance on my next purchase?

I cut the two pieces down to 12mm thicknesses and prepared, they ended up like bananas. ( have weighed them down under some heavy greenheart and other pieces as per picture.

Will have a look and see if they have calmed down later this morning.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Ripped it down the centre 75mm wide each piece. Then found this.

I can't see anything wrong in that picture. There is evidence of mineral streaking, but that was evident in your first picture of the rough sawn board before you cut it in half. Mineral streaking isn't a fault as it's a naturally formed feature due to growing conditions. What is it you see wrong in the image?

Later you mention cutting the board(s) into smaller parts that have warped, and that of course is an indication of stress in the wood. The stress could be natural, but it's possibly been induced by improper kilning. If the latter you might have a case for complaint, but you do seem to have reduced a large board into lots of little parts prior to concluding there may be a problem. Significant and problematic stress almost always shows up during the first cut. Slainte.

 

[Gerard Scanlan]

I like the grain, but obviously you were hoping for and expecting something else entirely. As far as the warping is concerned isn't this just inherent in the fact we are struggling to make conical tapered poles into straight square sections? I always cut pieces oversize from larger stock and sticker them for several weeks before planing it to size. Most wood warps a bit even if it is very dry because there is always tension in the plank. Sometimes you get lucky with a really dry piece of quarter sawn timber and it can lure you into thinking that everything should behave like that. I am not at all certain that weighting it down is going to help . It is very annoying when a piece of timber goes like a banana as you saw it down the middle. I sympathise with your plight.

 

[devonwoody]

Sgian, a brief reply, this instance is more than a timber stain, the picture below shows the timber breaking up in area of imperfection when working on this morning..

Most of the other timbers have flattened out and will be usuable in short box lengths.

The one above I am working on because the colour variations might give some interest.

Gerard, your comments are also valid, I just like perfect timber at that price!

 

[Gerard Scanlan]

Yes it was not cheap! So a sensible timber merchant would offer you a discount next time. But it is difficult to see how the timber merchant could have foreseen what was hiding in the plank.

 

[Sgian Dubh]

Sgian, a brief reply, this instance is more than a timber stain, the picture below shows the timber breaking up in area of imperfection when working on this morning..

View attachment 4

It's a little difficult for me to see exactly what you've got there, but the red blade looking thing you've stuck into the wood seems to indicate you may have found an internal check of some sort. From what you say there are more splits or cracks like that or similar, but it's very hard to assess what you are really dealing with. The photograph just doesn't really show things in enough detail.

Internal checks, if that's what you have, could be caused naturally as a result of stresses induced during the tree's growth, but they could also have been caused by too rapid drying. I know how irritating such faults can be, but as to getting a refund, I think that would be difficult because you've cut the wood up so much. In most cases, if a board is returned to the supplier because of a drying fault, it's usually returned in a barely worked state, eg, case hardening showing up after a single cut. How successful you might be in getting a discount or refund of some sort I suspect will depend very much on your relationship with your supplier, eg, are you a regualar customer that the merchant wants to keep sweet, or some other good reason to be concerned about losing your business? Slainte.

 

[devonwoody]

This timber together with a board of black walnut around the same size was purchased unseen and delivered on a very wet day. Normally I telephone an order and go and collect it and have rejected timber at yard in the past. I have to cut the lengths down to sizes that fit in my car.

This timber came from a tree in what I suspect had some decay. I could break that edge of timber off with my thumb and finger. That sliver was a piece of purple heart pushed into the crack of rotten timber) The black walnut board I reckon had at least 30% light coloured stuff..(it was wavy edge. )

I am going to try a new supplier next time. (thank goodness he says)

 

[Teckel]

I imagine DW if this timber was delivered to you, it was just taken off the top of the pile. I find that employees in timber yards haven't got a clue about timber and never sort through. They just take the first plank..and that's yours. It's best to sort the timber yourself.
Its difficult to determine what way wood will behave once you start to machine it. I wouldn't take this out on the timber yard..what I would say to him is next time I order timber please sort trough and pick straight and clean timber.

 

[andersonec]

8' long by 12" wide = £100 :shock: :shock: :shock:

I know you live in a posh part of the country but that is a seriously expensive piece of wood, my last purchase was a plank of Elm (quarter sawn) 2m long 300mm wide and 50mm thick plus a plank of pippy oak of the same size,,,,,,£46

If the grain is as wild as you say, it is a given that it is going to twist and move when resawn.

I don't think you will have much luck with a complaint a year after you purchased it.

Andy

 

[devonwoody]

£25 delivery included.

More moans, it breaks out on lots of cross cuts using the mitre sled as well.