28 replies to this topic

[Vekta]

I got good news and bad news. The good news is I found a place to score some free hardwood. I got:

Brazilian Cherry


Ipe


Walnut


Birch


...and a random piece of oak about half the size of these I didn't take a shot of.

Here is the thing though. They all have these annoying grooves of various sizes on the backs of the samples.





I have A ) sandpaper on a flat board and a ton of elbow grease and time or B ) an ancient Random Orbital Sander. Before I start messing with this wood I wanted to see if anyone had any better idea on how to deal with these that might yield a better outcome.

Edited by Vekta, 01 February 2012 - 09:33 PM.

[BIG PAPA]

Do you have access to anyone w/ a thickness planer...? A planer would make quick work out those grooves after a couple of passes through the machine.

[Vekta]

BIG PAPA, on 01 February 2012 - 09:35 PM, said:

Do you have access to anyone w/ a thickness planer...? A planer would make quick work out those grooves after a couple of passes through the machine.

Unfortunately no. I thought about trying to find a place that I could pay to have something like that done but seeing as I just dropped $108 on my college text book that'd be kinda rough.

[M_J]

...groovy, man

[Charles]

Go to a second hand store and see if you can find a plane ... These days everyone has power tools, so these old planes can sometime be had very cheaply. That is what folks used to smooth boards before thickness planers came to be common items in home workshops. They look something like this:




Another option is to get a decent wood rasp. Then use the rasp to "draw file" the planks. Basically you just lay the rasp cross wise to the length of the plank and push/pull it sideways along the block. Here is a video of draw filing an engine block:



A rasp will cut down the wood pretty quickly. Then finish the job with sandpaper as usual.

Yet one more possibility is to make a lamination. Just glue and clamp a couple of those planks together with the gooves to the inside. Then do your board cut. Fill in the exposed grooves at the edges with wood filler or epoxy putty and call them artistic decorations.

Just a few suggestions ..........

Cheers ...... Charles

Edited by Charles, 01 February 2012 - 10:11 PM.

[Vekta]

The draw file method looks promising. I know I got a stack of files laying around.

[JLS:Survival]

Thanks for the "good news" I saw the website on one of the samples in the picture, just ordered soem for myself

[Vekta]

JLS:Survival, on 01 February 2012 - 10:24 PM, said:

Thanks for the "good news" I saw the website on one of the samples in the picture, just ordered soem for myself

Ah yes, the website. I was hoping it was visible in the photos. I'm not sure if I'd get into any trouble for linking it or not so I didn't. I was really surprised how fast I got the wood and all the ones that were listed as "5 inch" are just big enough to squeeze one slingshot out of.

Edited by Vekta, 01 February 2012 - 10:30 PM.

[JLS:Survival]

Very cool I cant wait for my samples!!

[Vekta]

JLS:Survival, on 01 February 2012 - 10:39 PM, said:

Very cool I cant wait for my samples!!

I only waited 1 day for mine. Super fast. They even sent me a notice telling me when they would drop them off.

[JLS:Survival]

WOW, what a good find, actually how did you stumble upon that site

[Vekta]

JLS:Survival, on 01 February 2012 - 10:43 PM, said:

WOW, what a good find, actually how did you stumble upon that site

It was a move of desperation.

I ran out of the usable parts of the solid Red Oak board my dad found for .50 cents. The Maple ply I have is pretty bad, lots of voids. I typed "free wood samples" into google and started visiting websites. Paydirt.

Pick 5 free samples, free shipping. No questions asked. No credit card required.

Edited by Vekta, 01 February 2012 - 10:53 PM.

[JLS:Survival]

Awesome find, and great thinking, I cant understand how I didnt think of that, sometimes the easiest things are right in front of you waiting to be found

[Rayshot]

Good wood.

Now put yourself in the shoes of the business that is spending money on samples, assuming your intentions are on par with their good will of free samples to potential customers. Would you want a free for all, for the samples you are paying for?

Try just letting them know what the intent is, and see whether they send it. Maybe they will and then; no harm no foul.

Edited by Rayshot, 01 February 2012 - 11:07 PM.

[Vekta]

Rayshot, on 01 February 2012 - 11:05 PM, said:

Good wood.

Now put yourself in the shoes of the business that is spending money on samples, assuming your intentions are on par with their good will of free samples to potential customers. Would you want a free for all, for the samples you are paying for?

Try just letting them know what the intent is, and see whether they send it. Maybe they will and then; no harm no foul.

Good point.

They made the offer though.

No questions asked (Really didn't ask any ) No credit card needed. They have my address on file since I had to use it to order so I'm assuming I can't order anymore samples. I don't plan to either. Had they asked I would have said "For a project not related to the installation of flooring" or something to that effect.

But, like I said,they didn't ask...anywhere.

[mattardel]

You might also try your college's wood shop. Most have excellent shops and tools, and some instructors let you in for free. I know of colleges with good ones, and others with terrible ones, some requiring you take a woodworking class to gain entrance. But if all you need is to use the planer a bit, they'll likely not have a problem with letting you use the facilities.

[JLS:Survival]

mattardel, on 01 February 2012 - 11:31 PM, said:

You might also try your college's wood shop. Most have excellent shops and tools, and some instructors let you in for free. I know of colleges with good ones, and others with terrible ones, some requiring you take a woodworking class to gain entrance. But if all you need is to use the planer a bit, they'll likely not have a problem with letting you use the facilities.

Good idea!

[JLS:Survival]

Vekta, on 01 February 2012 - 11:16 PM, said:

Rayshot, on 01 February 2012 - 11:05 PM, said:

Good wood.

Now put yourself in the shoes of the business that is spending money on samples, assuming your intentions are on par with their good will of free samples to potential customers. Would you want a free for all, for the samples you are paying for?

Try just letting them know what the intent is, and see whether they send it. Maybe they will and then; no harm no foul.

Good point.

They made the offer though.

No questions asked (Really didn't ask any ) No credit card needed. They have my address on file since I had to use it to order so I'm assuming I can't order anymore samples. I don't plan to either. Had they asked I would have said "For a project not related to the installation of flooring" or something to that effect.

But, like I said,they didn't ask...anywhere.

I agree!!!!!

[Imperial]

well vekta, it seems that u and i shop at the same place. ive even gotten the free hardwood samples at home depot for making small b.b. plinkers. i didnt feel so bad after seeing that the samples are thier cut-offs. anyways, on mine i used a palm sander that i have . that jasper is good wood . the slingshot in my avatar is the jasper sample i got from the same place as you did .

[wombat]

heheh yeah I had an opportunity to pick up some flooring too. but those bloody glue groves put me off. If you sand or plane them away, then you've lost your thickness. I've been thinking about it for awhile and I was going to try gluing a 3mm hardwood dowel into the groove, that just leaves the top of the dowel to sand down and hopefully you'll end up with some interesting stripes on the catty. Anyway nice choice of wood and good luck with whatever you decide.

[Vekta]

wombat, on 02 February 2012 - 12:58 AM, said:

heheh yeah I had an opportunity to pick up some flooring too. but those bloody glue groves put me off. If you sand or plane them away, then you've lost your thickness. I've been thinking about it for awhile and I was going to try gluing a 3mm hardwood dowel into the groove, that just leaves the top of the dowel to sand down and hopefully you'll end up with some interesting stripes on the catty. Anyway nice choice of wood and good luck with whatever you decide.

I only measured the Brazilian Cherry so far but it's very close to 3/4". It's hard to tell exactly how close because the glue line doesn't have a totally flat line to it. The glue line on the others are much more shallow.

Edited by Vekta, 02 February 2012 - 01:23 AM.

[Imperial]

why not just cut the tongue off and glue it in the groove ? ( sounds so pervy )

[Karok01]

Yep, I agree with the guys above. Planing is your best bet. You'd waste more sandpaper than the slingshot would be worth if you used sandpaper. Check a flea market, I can bet you'll find a planer for cheap as long as there is a tool booth. Also, maybe long wood rasps would work, but those can be as pricey as a new planer. Check a flea market, you'll find one 5-10$ though you may need to sharpen the blade. That's fairly easy though as planing blades only have a single bevel. Good luck.

[Jesus Freak]

Hope the best for you, I cant really help!

[MeatMechanic]

Don't lose the thickness , fill the groove use a hard wood dowell or match the profile , then sand down just the dowell , the you will have some cool strips running thru you wood . MM