LESSON – TRUING-UP ROUGH STOCK

TRUING ROUGH STOCK

The process of truing rough stock is the process of making a board flat & smooth, straight and square.

ROUGH STOCK

Rough stock is simply lumber that has been cut into rough pieces and allowed to dry. It has not been smoothed, straightened or squared after the drying process.

The reason one would want to work with rough stock is because it is considerably less expensive to purchase than lumber that is already fully processed.

TYPES OF CUTS

Cutting a board is using a machine to give it a specific length. This cutting action takes place against the grain of the wood.

Ripping a board is using a machine to give it a specific width. This cutting action takes place with the grain of the wood.

Note: You will see below that to achieve a specific thickness, we generally make use of a planer.

STEPS FOR TRUING ROUGH STOCK

1 – Using the mitre saw, cut the board to a length that is about 1 to 2 inches longer than you will need.

This is simply to make the board more manageable to work with. It can also lead to a lesser amount of waste.

2 – Using the jointer, joint one face of your board.

Remember to consider the bend in the board and the grain when deciding the face and direction that you will joint.

3 – Using the jointer, joint one edge of your board.

Remember that the jointed face should be against the fence while passing the board through. Again, consider the board’s bend and grain.

4 – Using the planer, plane your board to its desired thickness.

Do not take off too much wood at once!

5 – Using the table saw, rip your board to the desired width.

6 – Using the mitre saw, trim off one end (blade width) to make sure that end is square.

While you want to take off as little as possible, you have to make sure that you are in fact cutting some off the entire end.

7 – Using the mitre saw, cut off your board at the other end so that you have the desire length.