Have you ever bought wood
by the pound. That is what I did with this piece. It is a South American wood called Thuya
and was priced at $12.45/lb. — once weighed, it cost $46.00.
When I found that out, I put it back — and then went and got it again.
It has a super amount of very fine figuring and seems quite dense. It is about 1½"
thick. I thought if I could re-saw it to thin pieces, they would make great panels
for jewelry chests...and maybe be in time for Christmas.
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Before I can re-saw it, I have to do two things. First I have to figure
out where I want the rectangle shape to start. I am scribing a line that I think will work
as the baseline. The second thing to do is to cut the width so that it fits within the
capacity of the bandsaw — 12 inches (I have a 14" bandsaw with 6" throat
extended by an extender block to 12". Click here to go to that
story.]
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To slice this "piece
of gold", I need to mount it to a carrier board. This will not only allow me to cut
the first rip cut, but will later be used to mount the slab on the re-saw jig.
I am placing a few daubs of hot-melt glue on the bottom side. I then quickly
flip it over and position it on the plywood. I have just a few seconds before the hit melt
glue sets.
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This close-up gives you an idea of the setup. I have the CMT rip blade on
even though this is probably a cross cut. It is a think-kerf blade that does an amazing
job of cutting problem woods.
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I have no idea how this piece will cut, so I take it nice and easy
— in fact, it cut very smoothly. Once I had a straight bottom, I turned it around,
reset the fence, and made the top cut.
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With the plywood carrier board still
attached, I use 1" screws to mount the plywood to the Rockler Re-Saw jig. I was
afraid the hot-melt glue might not hold the slab solidly enough. I was very wrong. Fact
is, it is going to be difficult to un-attach it from the board.
With the screws going into just the plywood, I can slice my veneers without
fear of contacting the metal screws.
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I haven't
used the bandsaw since the move so I polished the table, checked the blade movement and
proceeded to make the very thinnest of cuts. I was afraid if I went too thin, some weak
points would just crumble. I cut my first slice at about 1/8" — I wanted to see
if this thickness was doable.
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I
was very pleased with this first cut. The wood stayed together well, and the bandsaw setup
worked like a charm. I have about 1" of the slab left. I was uncertain whether I
should just cut it in half, or if I should try to cut 3 "veneer" pieces like the
first one.
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Well, I got "brave" and went for the three slices. The re-saw jig and the
bandsaw with the re-saw blade worked like a charm. The piece on the right was the first.
It appears different because I spent some time sanding it. I was impatient. I wanted to
see what it would look like.
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I have sanded each of the
pieces so that one side is flat enough to be cemented to a backer board. I have also glued
them so that they are in book matched layout. I have spread yellow carpenter's glue on
them and sandwiched them onto 1/4" tempered hardboard. I will add a veneer backer
board later on. Right now, I want these to cure overnight.
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