I don't mean to sound insensitive or something, but is decent wood that dear to you guys? I simply can't find enough scrollsaw projects I need to cut to even keep up with the offcuts I make doing other woodworking. I've got about 3 plastic tubs of small pieces of poplar, oak, cherry, purpleheart, jatoba, monkeypod, maple, all kinds of odds and ends. If you can check with a local woodworker's guild and talk to some guys that make larger projects, you could probably find someone to donate a bunch of the off cuts like i am talking about. I have a 15" spherical head floor planer, & I would be afraid to put something like the platters through it. Not worth the risks to me. Now I wouldn't hesitate to run them through the drum sander. If they screwed up in there, no harm no foul.
Well now Bill you got me thinking a bit after reading your post. I have a couple of reasons for getting the most out of my wood (esp. the exotics).
One is for the challenge of it. I am always squeezing the tube of toothpaste to get the last bit of it. My shampoo sits upside down for quite a while to get the last out of the bottle. I've been known to shake a bottle of ketchup quite hard to get the last of it. (Yes, my Mom taught us to add a bit of water!
) And finally at lunch I clean my yogurt container so well with a spoon, you'd think I used a finger! So what I'm saying it's fun to see how far the wood will "stretch".
Another reason is cost. Right now I buy very little wood. My finds at Goodwill is my first purchase of hardwood of any kind in quite a long time. I got quite a bit of rips out of one piece that will make a number of key chains, ornaments or letter openers, etc. I have been given purple heart, yellow heart, walnut, and redwood burl as well as others. I would never have bought them on my own considering the price. Other woods I've scrapped from work so again free. I haven't sold any of my work so I can't re-coup my purchases if I were to buy wood. (When I do sell my work, it will be priced as if I did buy the wood so I'm not unjustly undercutting others who have purchased the wood.)
I also like to see my small key chains in as many species as I can put together. It looks neat seeing all the different looks the species give. (Unfortunately I will have a hard time parting with some of them.
)
Well sorry for being long winded, but you did make me think of my motives and I appreciate the chance to examine them!
Hey Karl, Here is what I do when I need to plane stock that is shorter than the distance of the rollers. first you need to have parallel sides, you can do that on the band saw. Rip some cleats approximately the thickness of the board you want to plane. The cleats need to be longer than the distance between the rollers. I usually make them about 12" to 18" long. I glue them to the board with a hot glue gun, placing the board centered between the cleats. Now you have a long board to run through the planner. after you are done planing, just break off the cleats and you are good to go!
Thank you Dan for the advice. I'll try that
I will say I also have a large belt sander at work. I used the band saw, joiner, table saw and belt sander this morning to take one of my finds and got a number of boards out of it!
Karl
