[THE GITS]

To proceed we need to machine our timber to the correct dimensions straight and true. For this we can use a surface planer and a thicknesser, I have my own basic machine but this service can be found at most lumber yards or workshops. First we must use the surface planer to flatten one face of each strip of wood, we can see this again in the photographs below (again guards have been removed for photograph). When one face of each piece is straight and true we now use the thickness planer to machine our pieces to accurate dimensions. At this stage we leave one piece of Teak at 20mm thickness and machine the other 2 and Purpleheart to 12mm.

We may now think that at this point that our surfaces are satisfactory, unfortunately this is not the case as the rotary blades of the planer leave a slight rippled surface that needs to be dressed further. To do this we use a bench plane, when set to remove a whisper thin shaving the first couple of passes over the machined timber will remove small strips that form part of the peaks of the finely rippled machined surface. When we get a long thin ribbon shaving running the whole length of the timber we are good for our gluing surface. This should only take 3 or 4 passes, when done we proceed to dress all the other surfaces of the 12mm thick timbers.