I have a commission to build several interior and exterior hickory doors. I’m having difficulty finding a supplier for 6 & 8/4 hickory. Several suppliers suggested gluing two pieces together to create the disired thickness. Considering the ornery nature of hickory: Is this
a good idea? And if it is, what would be the best way to orient the growth rings?
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Hi Trax
Welcome to breaktime.
You might also try posting your question over at the Knots forum at Finewoodworking. Use the Knots icon at the top of the page.
If you add your general location to your user profile someone may be able to recommend a local supplier for the thicker Hickory
Mike
It's O.k. to think out of the box, Just don't walk off of the plank!
Welcome to BT. If you fill in your profile info it'd help, particularly with location. Click on VaTom to see.
Laminated will be more stable. As you've found, hickory isn't a major commercial wood. You say "ornery". I assume that's due to structural defects in the wood? Doesn't have to be, but that depends on grading and availability. As with any wood, you'd want to orient the grain such that movement of one board would cancel the opposing. Use a structural glue.
I've used a lot of hickory. When I was taking commissions it was my favorite, if a bit hard on cutters. Now I simply like the color. If you're around central Va, I could supply you with 8/4. Kinda heavy for shipping.
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Sweet bench, Tom.
What type of joint where the leg and foot intersect?
With apologies for the hijack....
Thank you Jim. Left-overs from sawing here. Make something or feed the stove. It's where we remove shoes in our mud area. Doesn't usually occupy that high traffic area. The seat's a little shallow, but the slabs weren't all that wide. Other than that, quite comfortable with dining chair ergonomics.
Happy you asked about the joint. Woodworkers who visit have asked if one could really sit on it. The general public doesn't notice. There are 2 #20 biscuits in there. I did a little testing before becoming comfortable with the joint. Didn't stress the bench to failure, so I don't know just how much it'll hold, but no problem with a pair of 200 pounders. The geometry makes for a very stable piece. Gets moved to the dining table when we have company.
Now for the rest of the quiz. Did you notice anything else unusual in the pic? Behind the bench?
PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
"Did you notice anything else unusual in the pic?"
nnnnnnnooo? But I'm still on my first cup of coffee. What? The kitty pictures on the side of the fridge?
"There are 2 #20 biscuits in there."
You gotta be kidding me. What type of glue? It looks as though that's an endgrain-endgrain joint, can't be getting much help from that, but "biscuits"? "...no problem with a pair of 200 pounders."? That's impressive.
Not the kitty pictures. No biscuits for you. (We don't do dog bones here.) That's a blue fridge. Oldsmobile blue to be precise. I distinctly remember offering any color, but the way DW tells it, the choice was Oldsmobile blue or Caterpillar yellow.
Two #20's and titebond. Yup, endgrain, helps not at all. And occupants rarely sit very still for long so it's not static loading. Go ahead, glue one up and break it. Just make certain the biscuit to wood joint is good. If you could put lateral pressure on the joint it wouldn't be very strong. The geometry of the piece doesn't allow that. The back does more than just keeping the occupants upright.
For several years I made a pretty good living in Denver building things that didn't look like they'd work.
One was an 8' wide shelf for LP's, bottom of a backless, ledgerless upper cabinet. Client wanted to see his walnut panelling through the carcase. I used sliding dovetails to attach that bottom shelf to the 4 verticals. Effectively hung the records from the trusses above the ceiling, no connection to the wall at all. Without a back, it flopped a bit when we brought it in. Didn't look like much after installation, being 4/4 stock. Client was more than a little skeptical so we started grabbing albums and loading. Filled it up, 8' solid of LP's while he stood there with his mouth open.
The referrals from them, and future work for them, were wonderful.
Here's a small table we live with. Yup, biscuits. Nobody's sat on it yet, but it's very strong. Occasionally carries several 1.5 bottles of wine. It's the double strength glass I worry a little about. If it ever breaks I'll replace that used window glass with something thicker.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
I'm impressed. Biscuits. Might have to reevaluate my stance on them.
Didn't know you were anti-biscuit. They aren't the be-all, end-all. Just part of the arsenal. Do not replace dovetails or mortise&tenon. Not something I'd use on this thread, hickory doors. Like most things, they have their place.
Last regular employment I had was running a shop for a couple of carps. Upper end houses. They'd never seen a biscuit. After a little testing they decided it was "cheating" but didn't want me to stop. Same guys thought my dovetailing drawers was in outer space, until they spoke with the clients.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
I'm not anti-biscuit. But I've had trouble getting supposed to be matching slots to register as closely as I want and have since sold my biscuit cutter (to Mr PITA).
But just today I found myself in the Rockler store...with a shopping basket in my hand...in front of the wall of Amana router bits and router accessories...looking like the kid with his first view of the penny candy jars at the local soda fountain...and there was a biscuit bit with bearings for the three most common sized biscuits (#0, #10 + #20 maybe?) and I thought, what the hey, I'll give them another try.
Who knows, if this works out I might even get another biscuit cutter.
Sorry for the long overdue response, Tom. My computer gave up the ghost last week and I'm just now getting back to normal life. Have to say, though, it was nice doing a little book reading over coffee break and lunches over the past week. Think I might try a new internet schedule. Riiiiight.
Sorry for the long overdue response, Tom.
I didn't miss it, but thank you. Was sailing until recently. First a smallish Michigan lake where I delivered my mother to her summer home, then Erie on a nice 30'er. Been offline for a week and a half. Missed y'all, but not enough to find a computer.
I've got one of the original Lamellos, the only one I've ever seen offered used. It's tight. You can do the same thing with a wing cutter (guess that's what you saw) and stops, or good hand control of your router. I've done quite a bit of coopering, requiring the infinite adjustment fence, difficult with a router. Shouldn't be any need for more than one wing cutter as I don't change blades for different size biscuits.
I'm also picky about biscuits. No Freuds around here. And as any tenon-like joint, the tenon needs to match the mortise. Heat gun or vise works well. PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
""Now for the rest of the quiz. Did you notice anything else unusual in the pic? Behind the bench?""
Dog has a photo that he wants to sink his teeth on?
I have a solution for that. Kind of loud, but very effective.PAHS Designer/Builder- Bury it!
Jim, thanks for the comment. I'll be useing mortise and temmon joints.I also like the finished look of hickory. Trax.
Trax,
Not sure what part of the country you are in. Hickory was very popular in the South West. Try a google for a door maker in Tucson, Az. If I come across the name I'll let you know.
Mark