In Over My Head?

[dail_h]

   I've got all the reclaimed beams sawed,and started to planning the lumber for flooring. Problem is ,I'm not sure I can get it straight enough to fit when I tounge & groove it. Thinking about having a local millwork shop do it,but I don't want to lose control of outcome.
                                         


                                                  HELP

[DanG]

 

What exactly is the problem, Dail?  Is the lumber crooked, or do you not have a way to cut it straight?

[dail_h]

   Tried straightlining it on the mill,but with knots and stuff,I'm afraid it won't fit . 1/8 on either side makes 1/44 gap,too much to pull together. This is for a large ,new,expensive house,and I want to do a good job.
   I went and got my Woodmaster planer this weekend,but havent got the sawhead yet if the guy I got it from even has them. I think that would do it,not sure of time factor. Bought a Craftsman shaper,and a new set of tounge and groove cutters,but have like zero experience using one. Have been around them, but never on my own. I really don't have the facilities that I need,I'm working outside on the ground,hoping for good weather. I know it can be done,just not sure if I wouldn't be better off passing on this one.

[mur]

Hi Dail
I do my flooring this way.  Cut and dry the boards.  Then I take the boards and stack about 7 of them with the "crown" up on my Norwood bandmill.  I take off about a quarter to half an inch in the length of ten or twelve feet.  I then take the boards and turn them upside down.  The "horns" on the boards are now upright.  I take off another half inch or so.  That gives me an almost perfectly straight flooring blank.  I then run it to my Logosol 260 and out comes the flooring with bottom relief etc.  I am getting orders from all kinds of people for the flooring.  One comment from an owner was that he was running around on his installed floor with a playing card trying to fit it into a crack three months later.  He couldn't find a crack!!  Drying is a key part to flooring.  Hope this helps. 
Mur

[dail_h]

   Mur,
    Therein lies the problem, I tried doing as you said on my Norwood,and keep getting unsatisfactory results. I think it would work on short stock, but some of this stuff is 14+ in x 16 ft.
   Actualy, my main problem seems to be no way to consistantly hold the stock steady.
 Now a Logosol would wo rk really good.


                                          THanks

[Furby]

Actualy, my main problem seems to be no way to consistantly hold the stock steady.

I don't understand why you can't hold it all steady?

[Fla._Deadheader]

 Dail, maybe use "C" clamps to hold the pack of boards together, and then clamp them on the mill ??

[GF]

Never tried this on boards that long but when gluing up panels for raised panel doors on the shaper, we set up the shaper to take a small amount of the entire edge off, basically using it as a jointer, this has worked on boards also that are not straight lined ripped.  When we put them together they are straight with no gaps.  We also use a power feeder to feed them through the shaper.  I am not familer with the Craftsmen shaper and how long the fences are either for jointing them this way.

[beenthere]

My paneling 'maker' used a vertical shaper-like head in a bench that had a fence that ran 16-20' either side of the cutter. He would lay a board flat on the bench, push it against the fence and by the shaper to 'joint' one edge straight. Then he would rip to width on a table saw with front and back 'table' supports. After that, the board would be pretty straight, to feed it by the vertical shaper head used initially to joint one edge straight.
This method took a lot of space along one wall for material up to at least 16' (about 34' of wall space) but it worked well for edging wide, flat boards that otherwise would have been tough to hold on edge across a regular jointer.

[GF]

beenthere,
   SOunds about the same as what I do only on a much larger scale.  Dont se why it would not work.

[whitey]

   why are you tring to run 16 ft flooring we never run anything longer than 10 ft you will find it hard to take 16 ft down a 3ft hall and turn 90 d through a 30 inch door on most flooring i wouldnt want any thing longer than 8 ft. to hard to move and turn around in a smaller room.  I size my blanks and take them to a millworks they straight line and mill for 1i9 cents ft  I cann'tdo it for that.  I make my money on the wood and the install.  But then I'm strange I work with western Juniper.                        Whitey   

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Stuff we sell for flooring, is 3'-12' long. Most of it runs 4'-8' though. Easier to saw and less waste if it ever does bow.

[whitey]

  I guess I missed the 14 in  wide part . How are you going to pull it tight and keep it flat ?     Whitey

[dail_h]

   I'm out of it ,flooring is going to a moulding shop in VA. Customer's room is 21x48,straight in front door,so long stock won't be a problem. I think they are going to facenail with soft antique Tremont nails to hold the wide stuff. You guys ought to see this stuff,AWSOME.

[Brad_S.]

You guys ought to see this stuff,AWSOME.

We'd love to! Where are the photos?

[whitey]

   Yah I  want pictures too.   Whitey

[dail_h]

   I took some pics the other day wif one of them throw away cameras,when he starts puttui this stuff down,I'm gonna git some more,and try ta figure out how ta post'em

[DanG]

Let us know when you get the pics and we'll get you through the posting thing.  I want to see them, too!