Welcome aboard Brown, glad to have you here.

Where are you located at?  How large sticks of mahogany are you looking for?

I have no source locally for mahogany, have never looked for it.  It may be available in Atlanta or mail order if I were to look for it.

For furniture species it would depend upon the style I was after.  I have done several Shaker style in pine; and I have done several Mission (or Arts & Crafts) in oak - and usually red oak at that.  Those woods are easily obtained and reasonably priced for my level and interests.  For plywoods I have oak & birch readily available.

I sure don't have that problem any more. Now I got to much wood.

I built a band saw mill...

Because I want to know for myself, but also because it might help, how do you guys all glue your wood together to make laminated boards?

What glue are you using for this? I might need to do this for a few things, but I'm leery because I want a strong bond to make even stronger lengths where necessary.

 

Are you asking about face or edge laminations?  Any end grain involved?

On 10/8/2019 at 11:09 PM, Gene Howe said:

Are you asking about face or edge laminations?  Any end grain involved?

Edge laminations. Making a glue-lam sheet.

I figure this might be important as time rolls by and some wood gets harder to find. We may need to be gluing smaller pieces together to make wider pieces.

If I was doing end grain I'd be more inclined to use a finger joint.

Once the edges are square, and the boards or sticks are the same thickness, I lay them out so the grain is all running the same directions and are pleasingly matched. Then, they are placed on pipe clamps, whose pipes have been taped so as to not allow contact between the glue and the metal. It's wise to have the clamps you'll need already prepared. Then I stand the materials on edge on the pipe clamps and apply the glue. Lay them back down and clamp the two clamps semi tight. Then, go to each end of the glue up, insuring the board members are even across the glue up. Using clamps to bring them even, if necessary. Then, add more pipe clamps or F styles if long enough. I can usually slide a few of the F Styles under the glue up as well as across the top, to alternate the clamping pressure.  Finally, I tighten all the clamps. I'll often, depending on the length of the glue up, add a couple more Pipe clamps from the top and, spaced evenly between the ones underneath.

Hope this helps.

I've always said the first third of any project is taking long skinny boards and making short fat boards.   The second third is cut to final size and do joinery, and the third is finishing.  (Varies on project, but it's a rough rule of thumb).

 

I am lucky enough to have both Woodcraft and Rockler almost across the street from each other (though I don't know that I've ever bought wood from either), a large local hardwood distributor with a retail store, and a very large mill that is almost two hours away but will deliver to my door when they have a truck headed to town (I assume they won't just deliver one or two boards, but I'm usually ordering a few hundred dollars of plywood and the same amount of hardwood.   There's another small mill that's not that far away that when you go in, you ask for a species and grade and they pull out a skid of that wood, let you sort out the pieces you want, measure it and discount down by obvious defects, and if you want will straight line rip, run it through their giant planer and run it through their sander.  Comes out ready to use for just a few cents more per b.f. as soon as you cut to size.  Oh, there's a third small mill that is even closer and is in a guy's barn.   Sheep are grazing outside.   But they are a well-known supplier that will ship to you.    A friend of mine runs a few hours out to Amish country and buys his wood there.    

I have usually had either a pickup or van that I can haul lumber in the back of and off-and-on (when I have not necessarily had either) an open trailer (currently 5x10).  I bought the current one when I moved homes 3 years ago and called it my "hillbilly moving van."    If you don't want to buy one, rentals are cheap and get yourself a hitch package.

 

I guess there's something to be said for living east of the Mississippi.   I worked with a guy from Minnesota years ago and he said he was surprised that when there was land that was not regularly cultivated or mowed, trees would start growing on it.

 

 

Edited November 4, 20196 yr by kmealy

1 hour ago, kmealy said:

A friend of mine runs a few hours out to Amish country and buys his wood there.    

Sounds similar to here, except the folks near here are Mennonites.

Might be picking up some prefinished cherry cutoffs from a flooring job that someone donated to the local restore.   They're getting tired of having it sitting around  (no takers) and i'll probably overload the car a couple of times this week and try to find a place to stash it in the garage before SWMBO gives me ...um, grief. 

On 10/7/2019 at 9:51 PM, 1fizgig said:

What glue are you using for this?

I use Titebond II for everything that is not put outside.  For outside stuff Titebond III.  For furniture stuff I have started experimenting with Hide Glue, the advantage being it can be heated up and taken back apart.  That does not mean it is easy.  Never try to use it having not given yourself a few small attempts.  Neighbor had shall we say a disaster.  

Like WBBN, TB II or TB III depending on the environment. TightBond has a hide glue, too. Supposedly, with the sam properties as the messy kind.