thicknessing to final dimensions

[StevieB]

Now owning a decent planer and thicknesser, I am able to buy sawn timber and prepare it myself. I picked up some sawn oak on saturday and have run it through the planer and thicknesser to rough dimensions. How long do you suggest it is left to aclimatise before going to final dimensions? Does it depend on its location or is it thickness dependant like drying wet boards? Boards were an inch thick and I have taken the minimum off to get a good face on all sides - leaving me at about 20mm thick. Would leaving them a week until next Saturday be OK or does it need longer? Final dimension will be 18mm hopefully.

Cheers,

Steve.

 

[Steve Maskery]

Hi Steve

Well you certainly are doing the right thing by allowing acclimatisation. But I'm afraid there is no absolute answer to your question. It all depends on the moisture content of the timber now, the MC of the room in which you are keeping it, and the MC of the room in which the final piece will live.

Oak is more stable then, for example, pine, so I think your chances of success are high. Although a wek isn't very long, it's probably long enough to show you whether or not that oak is going to stay flat or not.

Cheers
Steve

 

[StevieB]

Thanks Steve, I will keep an eye on it and see how much it moves!

Steve.

 

[custard]

The other strategy is not to wait at all but to go like the clappers once you've dimensioned the timber, and get it all jointed and glued before it's had a chance to move!