Thanks Del. I'll have to check that out. I quit my subscription to Wooden Boat about the time I found termites on my Folkboat drydocked in my backyard a few years ago. I would have to say that I had an OK time of planing my first panel. I learned that you really do need to identify the preferred planing direction for each flitch before glue-up, and don't give yourself too much thickness to plane. Besides that, if you have a good jack, jointer and smoother plane with very sharp blades you can do a pretty darn good job. I spent a lot of time putting a slightly rounded edge on my smoother plane. That allows me to get a shaving tissue-paper thin, and the edges taper down to nothing. That way when you take a swipe across the panel, you leave no edge markings on the wood - truly results in an invisible plane pass. Fun stuff. I'll have to read this article though. Thanks. Terry Farrell ----- Original Message ----- From: "Delwin D. Fandrich" <pianobuilders@olynet.com> To: <pianotech@ptg.org> Sent: Thursday, May 01, 2003 1:06 PM Subject: On the slope... >From time to time the subject of gluing up soundboard panels in the small shop comes up. One of the difficulties encountered is that of machining the finished panel smooth and flat to some particular thickness. This process is exacerbated by a characteristic of spruce (well, all woods to some extent--it's just a bigger problem in spruce) called "slope." When trees start to grow as seedlings they do so with a severe twist, as much as 45º in some trees. They do this for survival--their tiny little trunks do not yet have the strength to withstand the ravages of wind and storm. Or the occasional stomping of an otherwise friendly grizzly. This twist gives the little tree trunk the flexibility it needs to survive and grow. Over the years this twist straightens out and, ideally, the tree grows straight and true. Often, however, this twist will reverse itself just a bit giving rise to the characteristic of slope in lumber cut from the tree. In most species commonly used by man for his various endeavors this is not a serious problem. It is, however, a serious problem for the woodworker attempting to hand-plane a glued-up spruce panel. All of this introduction is to say that there is a good article on the subject in the current issue of WoodenBoat Magazing (#172--May/June 2003). Written by an instructor at the Northwest School of Wooden Boat Building in Port Townsend, Washington, it deals mostly with white oak being prepared for steam bending but the principles apply to all woods Del Delwin D Fandrich Piano Designer & Builder Hoquiam, Washington 98550 USA 360.532-2563 360.532-6688 pianobuilders@olynet.com
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