suggestions for oak backing.

[UTMonkey]

Sorry if I have the term wrong.

I am building my first bookshelf out of American white oak and as I want this piece to be "solid" oak I wondered how you source this kind of wood for use as a backing.

The thinnest my timber merchant can give me without cutting is 1 inch, I don't fancy wearing out my tools getting that down to size.

Do you procure sized up wood for just this purpose?

Regards

Mark

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Broadly speaking, there are two ways to make up backs from solid timber.

The 'posh' one is a frame-and-panel, with the panels set into grooves ploughed in the stiles and rails of a morticed and tenoned frame. The frame is then set in rebates cut in the back edge of each side, and held by screws (or it could be let into a groove ploughed into the back inside edge of the side piece).

The other method is to set boards edge-on across the back, holding them top and bottom with screws or nails. The edges of the boards are usually rebated, sometimes with a bead worked on the 'show' side to visually disguise seasonal shrinkage.

The easy way is veneered ply, held by pins or screws.

 

[marcros]

In short, you probably don't/can't, not off the shelf. A merchant may be able to plane it down but it won't be cheap. You may get some flooring, but may struggle for AWO. That could be about 3/4" if you could get it.

Any reason not to go for veneered ply, or veneer some ply yourself?

 

[dm65]

Do you really mean bookshelf ?

If you mean bookcase, not bookshelf, then could I suggest tongue & groove boards ??

Traditional in granpappy's days, and would mean narrower boards making them easier to source

Unless you have access to a thicknesser, from what I have found so far, you'll struggle to find thin (below 1/2") timbers

Personally, and again, for the back of a bookcase, I would use veneered ply or mdf

Just my two pennorth

Denis

 

[Togalosh]

I make my own panels & drawer bases useing off cuts, mistakes & odd pieces of the same wood as that project or a complimentary wood. I cut & thickness to 8mm thick x 60mm-ish wide x whatever length, then router a rebate along the edges on opposite faces & clamp with panel clamps http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ax ... prod22116/ .They sit in a rebate & fixed in with beading like a pane of glass.

It is a royal pain in backside at first but it's getting easier with practice & MDF boards to keep things flat.. but it's still time consuming.

I think they look great & worth the hassle as I've convinced myself I makes a real difference.. but I might need my head testing so others should be the judge of them.

 

[Lons]

Why don't you buy a pack of engineered type oak flooring. this has a ply or MDFC backing and a 3 or 4mm oak top. Plenty of thickness to sand off the surface if it's pre-finished and if you wanted a decoration, you could route grooves down the length of each "plank".

Bob

 

[UTMonkey]

Thanks for the comments.

This will be my first bit of furniture I have built and I would like to look back on it as solid oak. Though I suspect any other pieces I do will definitely have some ply in it somewhere.

I did look at the oak flooring option and to be honest I thought it quite expensive.

I think when I get to doing the backing I will have the merchant split an inch board into two which will probably (hopefully) come out of my PT at 10mm.

All the best.

Mark

 

[marcros]

It won't come out at 10mm. If you get an inch board, and it actually is inch, you need to account for the blade- 2mm? - then flatten both pieces both sides. Even if it is a reasonably flat board and you merely have to skim it on the planer I think you are more likely to end up with shavings and not much else. I normally bank on losing an eighth of an inch each side when planing, so an inch sawn board will finish at 3/4 etc. sometimes you get a bit more. As a beginner, I have often got a bit less by the time it is squared up. That is why jewellery boxes are quite wasteful because you can't get 2 box sides from an inch board suitable for a typically sized box.

You also have the problems of very thin pieces on the PT. it is not something I do- I know that there are ways to do it but I have never tried. You could plane 1 side carefully, joint the edges and then fix to the unit. Then sand it flat in situ. This would remove any machine marks and wouldn't be seen against the wall. I would probably suggest producing them as tongue and groove boards rather than edge jointed pieces.

 

[UTMonkey]

Blimey, I don't doubt what you say but working on that I would end up with boards with a thickness of 5mm.

Strong enough for a back?

I am a beginner and am shocked at how much of the wood I buy turns to sawdust. Eek.

 

[RogerS]

If you are going down that route then wasteful though it seems, do not be tempted to rip down a thick board into two and then try and thickness them down to size. You will most likely end up with bananas. Bite the bullet. Plane your face and then thickness down to the right thickness by taking equal amounts of both faces.

 

[UTMonkey]

Thanks for your comment, you mean take an inch board and take it to 12mm lets say?

 

[RogerS]

Thanks for your comment, you mean take an inch board and take it to 12mm lets say?

Yup...taking approx 6mm off both faces

 

[UTMonkey]

Eeep :shock:

What do you think of this skirting material?

http://www.theheritagecollection.co.uk/ ... 21658.html

 

[mind_the_goat]

Could you find a friendly local joiners shop and ask them to resaw the thicker boards down to a more sensible thickness on a bandsaw, I'm sure if you offer the price of a few pints they would be happy to help. It's worked for me.