Hardwood Flooring

[gap15102]

I have a bunch of Brazilian Cherry prefinished hardwood flooring. Has anyone planed and used hardwood flooring for projects?

[GrayBeard]

I found some pre-finished bamboo at the Habitat for Humanity store and just sanded the finish off and used it for some oriental patterns.
It worked fine but it sure played hell with my spiral blades! The 3/4" thickness was made up of 3 - 1/4" plies and the glue ate my blades but the finished product was great.

~~~GB~~~

[Al W]

I have used various pieces of flooring for making nameplates.  I find it very nice to work with, and the leftovers burn nicely either in the pit or the smoker.   

Al

[chelcass]

I have used flooring for Christmas ornaments and love the results.  I used the natural design of the flooring and then if I wanted the ornament darker I stained and sealed it.  Worked perfectly.

[gap15102]

What do you do about the routed out grooves on the back of the flooring?

[KarlB]

I've had some Brazilian cherry flooring as well.  I planed it down to 5/8" and 1/2" for ease of cutting.  ( You might try taking some down to 1/4" as well, but you will be planing (i.e wasting) a lot of wood doing that.) 

I plane the bottom side down first to get rid of the grooves, then plane the top to get rid of the finish and to get it down to the correct size.  I will usually pass it through the table saw to take off the tongue and groove as well.

I will usually take off the tongue and groove off the ends as well with a miter saw, but it's not that important for me if I don't.

Karl

[overfifty]

Last year the flooring sub-contractor at one of our sites had to tear out two rooms of 3/4 in. maple flooring as the owner's wife decided she didn't like the color. I snagged as much as I could out of the dumpster, ripped the ridges off the bottom, planed off the topside, and ripped the remainder down to various thicknesses. I've used it in everything from picture frames, to scroll saw projects and re-built the mantel at home... just wish wife took exception to oak flooring that replaced it.

[dirtrider73068]

Why not leave the tongue and groove on it that way can glue it together to get wide pieces for big projects? I have been wanting to get different woods but my limit is I don't have a way to resaw it, unless can find a cabinet shop with a band willing to help me out. I have a box I would love to build for my stepdaughter its a dance box she loves ballet, but it calls for walnut and ash, and I am not good at all with stain. How thick does wood flooring come in? Wonder if could use that prefinished stuff or if it would chip and splinter off?

[Rapid Roger]

[quote author=dirtrider73068 link=topic=15567.msg146443#msg146443 date=1
I have been wanting to get different woods but my limit is I don't have a way to resaw it, unless can find a cabinet shop with a band willing to help me out. I have a box I would love to build for my stepdaughter its a dance box she loves ballet, but it calls for walnut and ash, and I am not good at all with stain.
[/quote]


dirtrider,
Do you have a table saw? If you do, you can re-saw wood up to about 7" wide with a 10" blade on a table saw.  Just set the fence for the thickness (or a touch thicker) and run the board through vertically then flip it end for end and run it through again. Use featherboards to keep the board nice and tight against the fence. then , it can be sanded  smooth or ran through a planer if you have saw marks to get rid of.
I have resawn 3/4" boards down to 1/4" to 5/16" thick allowing for the saw kerf and about 7" wide.
Depending on the thickness of the original board, you can get two or more boards out of one piece and pretty much the thickness that you want.

Rog

[Woodchuck]

I have used oak hardwood flooring for my tool racks, for screwdrivers, pliers, etc. Left the finish on the board and stained any cuts that were made.