How to Square Rough Lumber
Standard-sized lumber often doesn't fit the bill for woodworkers. When this happens, they purchase rough lumber and cut it to appropriate sizes themselves. Squaring rough lumber requires experience with power tools, such as planers and jointers in order to safely accomplish the project. When done properly, woodworkers get the size and quality of boards for any project.
Supplies
- Table saw
- Jointer table
- Thickness planer
- Use a jointer to face one of the sides of the board.
- Determine if the board has a crown, which is a concave or convex area on the face. If the board has a crown, lay it face up on the jointer table. Place on the table according to the grain of wood. With the crown positioned up, and the grain set with the jointer, run the board over the table. Pass the rough board over the table until it is completely flat on the face.
- Plane the opposing face of the wood. Put the newly jointed face down onto the thickness planer and position according to grain orientation. Set plane at 1/16-inch for the first pass. Run the board into the planer. This may require several passes to get it to the correct thickness. Your wood is not perfectly flat on each face.
- Trim the edges.
- Return to the jointer to work on an edge. Determine if there is a crown on the edge and properly align with your joint table. Check the grain orientation and set it against the cutting edge.
- Pass the board over the jointer until the edge is flat. This can take several passes, as before.
- Use the table saw to cut the final edge.
- Set the saw to the required board width and put the board holders in place. Run it through the saw, along the non-jointed edge. When completed, you will have a board with two edges and faces, flat and parallel.
- Trim the board in desired lengths.