Making the Woodweave pannels

[solidwoods]

A couple people E'd me and asked about making the wood weave, so I thought I would share how to make it.

Thickness.  
Not to thin not to thick.  About .125".  Thicker wood is harder to weave, may crack at the weave bend, and since it fits tighter together, will be a little harder to shift it to square up with the frame.  Thinner wood will sag a little more if made in large unsupported spans hung upside-down.  I think though "a little thinner is better than thicker".
LOG.  
Juvenile logs work good since they have small knots.  I cut the log "through & through" or top to bottom, and use the ctr 1/3 of the log.  This yields slices of uniform width (if that is the look you want)  .  Other cut patterns work fine.  
Frame.  
I make the frame from .875" or a little bigger.  This makes the wood edges left after dadoing will be a little thicker for strength, as compared to .75".
The inside edge of the frame has a dado cut into it.  The dado it a little bit wider than 2x the thickness of the strips.  The depth of the dado is .5" - .75" making it a little deep allows for some extra room to work with.

Lay out the weave (not woven) to find the pattern or look that you want.  Cut the warp and weave pieces .125" shorter than the max allowable length (dado bottom to dado bottom).  This allow .125" all around for play.  I stack the pieces and radial arm saw them together.  You have to eyeball the cuts square if you have natural edges on the strips.
I weave the wood.  Square it up, measure corner to corner. The weave will square or fit to the frame when put together .  Glue and insert the frame spline on the corners.  check the frame is square, and clamp the frame gently, both directions.

I use green wood and weave it the same day, or real soon after cutting.  Almost no degrade.
I use kiln dried wood for the frame.
The only glue is for the frame corners ( I use polyurethane glue).
Most any type of supports (for the corners or the field) can be used as necessary and hidden behind the weave)
 
Enjoy.

Next Project:  BLANKET CHESTS...Extreme wormy White Oak,  Ambrodia Maple,  Black Cherry
JIM

[biziedizie]

What do you do when it dries Jim? Like does it crack or twist? Do you coat it with something or let it dry the way it is? I think it would look cool if a few different types of wood were used.


     Steve

[solidwoods]

I use green logs and dead/dry'ish logs. I get almost no end check or face cracks or degrade.
I weave it as soon as I can after milling (day or two most).
I put clear sanding sealer on the strips, both sides, once the whole piece is assembled.
I 220 grit sand the strips.  You could build a clear topcoat, but I would practice some to make sure you don't have adhesion problems.  The sanding sealer is plenty of topcoat to make the wood smooth (for ease of dusting/cleaning. I use Cabot's brand sanding sealer.

JIM

[Frank_Pender]

Wow!  Thanks Jim.  I now know what I am goiing to do with all this thin Oak I have had laying around for 2 years. :  It ranges from 8" wide to 2" wide  and 42" long.  I can plane down to 1/8" and then use my double drumsander if need be.   8)

[Fla._Deadheader]

Hey Frank. Does yer double drum sander actually use 2 cylinder type sandpaper rolls, or is it wide belt?? I am needing something to sand these 30"+ wide table slabs I am cutting out of the Sinker log stumps. They are approx. 60" long or less.

  What would you guys suggest for this??

[Tom]

A customer who owns a sanding machine. :D :D

lots of these are done with hand sanders and hand planes up here.  A large sanding block can level quite accurately.  Cedar and Cypress both work real good with hand tools. (we need a smiley with sweat pouring off of his brow.)

[Rick Schmalzried]

This is really a loaded question that basically depends on how much money you want to spend. ;D  I have a Performax 16-32 sander.  This is a cantilevered design (Hey if I can't have a woodmizer at least I can get the cantilever   :D ) that allows you to take a 16" pass, then turn the board around and make another pass on the other side for a total of 32".  I have been pleased with this unit.  All of the semi-pro models such as this do have a problem with power however.  If I take very much off I will overheat the motor and trip the safety. This is really easy with coarse grits.

The second option is a drum sander with both ends closed.  These tend to be more pricey and due to the width you need, you will need to go up several steps from the entry model.

The third option is a wide belt sander such as a timesaver.  However, these are $10K - $50K and will require 3 phase power.  Some have at least 50HP electric motors on the sanding drum.

The final option (and possibly a good one for you) is to build your own drum sander.  http://www.moritzdesigns.com/sander/sander.html has plans that you can purchase.  Basically, you cut a bunch of disks out of MDF and stack them together on a piece of all-thread, tighten a nut down on each side and then support the whole assembly on pillow block bearings above a table.  You use a big sanding belt to pull the material through and under the drum with sandpaper.  To true up the drum, glue 36 grit paper to a piece of plywood and run it under the drum.  It will sand itself true.

The difficult option is coming up with a variable speed drive to pull the material under the sanding drum.

Good luck in whatever you do...

--Rick

[Rick Schmalzried]

I forgot to mention that the above is assuming that you are wanting to dimension your plank with the sander.  If you are only wishing to finish sand it, someone is making a unit that gangs a bunch of porter cable random orbit sanders together and just pulls the panel below these sanders.  This would be very easy to rig up.  It is just difficult to explain to the wife why you need 12 identical sanders :D

[Fla._Deadheader]

I worked in a furniture factory for a VERY short time. They had me on an endless sanding belt. It was probably 20 feet long. You put the board (in this case veneer) on a roller table that was under the belt. You pulled the table in and out while holding down on the inside of the belt, wearing an asbestos glove. I was the only one that TRIED to not burn through the veneer, and therefore, was stuck on that machine forever. I hated that thing, so, after threatening to quit for 3 weeks, I just stopped going in.
  Now I may need one ???? :'( : :-/

[Frank_Pender]

Hey fla D.  I have a 24 Grizzely double drum unit.  I also have a stroke lsander you dis liked.  It does wonders on whatever I place under the belt.  I did have one that would do a whole sheet of plywood. by moving the rolling table back and forth.  I tired ot it as it was way toooo large for the space and a brother -in-law had one he had built that was about 2/3rds the size.  I use it extensively.  

  You might consider a large hardwood floor sander to the your table slabs.  That is exactly what I have been seeking as of late, for the tables I have sawen with The Slabber and dried inthe kill.

[Fla._Deadheader]

The Cypress is not a hard wood. I use a small hand held belt sander. I am pretty good at feeling the different bumps and hollows on the surface, but, it's pretty easy to dig a hole if ya Don'T keep it moving. The long belt would be OK for finish, but, I think a wide belt or drum sander will get a flatter surface??
  Went to both hardware stores yesterday, and the coarsest grit they carry is 120 grit. Takes a LOT of work to get the things flat. Need to send off for 60 grit.

[Tom]

Harold,

It's easier to sell it to someone and let them smooth it off. :D

[Fla._Deadheader]

That's what I thought !! Ain't workin though. "I wanna see it finished first".  Might not like it. NEXT

[solidwoods]

Frank.

I don't sand or plane the strips "full smooth, Just sanding sealer, dry, then random orbit sand lightly and assemble.
They are very smooth and sealed. My requirement is that someone can wipe it with cloth and it wont catch the cloth (for cleaning).

If you do want no machine marks, I would go with sanding instead of planing (chipout could be a problem).
JIM