Correcting Wood bowing

[watabeast]

I just took the laminated wood out of the clamps and i was wondering how to tell if the wood is bowing within the time i took it out and when i start working on it, also how to correct the bowing

thanks guys.. :friday :blackeye

 

[jayke]

well. look down the wood with one eye on all 4 sides. n if its bowing it would go to one side or something. or you could put it on a flat surface. and then if it is perfectly straight no bow. if that's what you mean?
and to correct the bow run it threw the table saw. or bandsaw or what ever .

hope it helps
jayke

 

[watabeast]

Yup, thats what I meant, Thanks

 

[jtkwest]

it really depends on how straight you reallywant it to be. i am a carpenter for 18years, so i deal with stuff like this all the time. the best tools to do this are in larger woodworking shops, tools like: a jointer, and a thickness planer. WITH these tools even a newbie can have great results, with a little patience. but you probably dont have access to these large shop tools.in my opinion, having a truly straight AND square barrel is not only necessary, but is super important! of all the things that you will be doing on this gun, this one may prove the hardest of all. here is my advice: take your rough barrell to a cabinet shop, and pay the guy to "true" it for you. period. THEN you can start. and learn as you go and such. but with this one thing, it may be better left to professionals. if you do decide to try it, you will need something TRULY straight to guage the piece with. i like to hold a newish ,(not bent at all) 6 ft level ,(2 meter) up against my piece and hold them up to the sun, and use the light that comes through the crack in between, to slowly work it straight with a bosch power planer. and VERY sharp newish hand planes, when two sides, are square, i run it through the thickness planer to make all sides parallel and square. this is NOT easy. i've seen a couple homemade guns by people, that were crooked, in my opinion. to them, they were straight., so, part of it is subjective to the person making the gun as to "HOW" straight it ever really is. still:" i would take it somewhere and pay someone30$us to square it up for you. its like 15 minutes work in a shop. it will take you hours, IF you ever get it done, it is likely to look like a banana.,(no offense) its just not an easy thing to "learn as you go", with. i buy my teak laminate stocks already staightened now. it costs extra 35$ per barrel. but i save about 2.5 hrs per gun, so it is well worth it to me.

 

[blaiz]

it really depends on how straight you reallywant it to be. i am a carpenter for 18years, so i deal with stuff like this all the time. the best tools to do this are in larger woodworking shops, tools like: a jointer, and a thickness planer. WITH these tools even a newbie can have great results, with a little patience. but you probably dont have access to these large shop tools.in my opinion, having a truly straight AND square barrel is not only necessary, but is super important! of all the things that you will be doing on this gun, this one may prove the hardest of all. here is my advice: take your rough barrell to a cabinet shop, and pay the guy to "true" it for you. period. THEN you can start. and learn as you go and such. but with this one thing, it may be better left to professionals. if you do decide to try it, you will need something TRULY straight to guage the piece with. i like to hold a newish ,(not bent at all) 6 ft level ,(2 meter) up against my piece and hold them up to the sun, and use the light that comes through the crack in between, to slowly work it straight with a bosch power planer. and VERY sharp newish hand planes, when two sides, are square, i run it through the thickness planer to make all sides parallel and square. this is NOT easy. i've seen a couple homemade guns by people, that were crooked, in my opinion. to them, they were straight., so, part of it is subjective to the person making the gun as to "HOW" straight it ever really is. still:" i would take it somewhere and pay someone30 to square it up for you. its like 15 minutes work in a shop. it will take you hours, IF you ever get it done, it is likely to look like a banana.,(no offense) its just not an easy thing to "learn as you go", with. i buy my teak laminate stocks already staightened now. it costs extra 35$ per barrel. but i save about 2.5 hrs per gun, so it is well worth it to me.

I agree with jason here as well although here in hawaii a 6 pack of Heineken and some ahi poke would be plenty to pay most guys for the 5 minutes it will take to send it through a jointer and square up two sides. Once you have two square sides the rest is easy. You can just run it through your table saw, insuring that your "trued sides are against the table and fence for your first cut. I suggest using a feather board to insure the stock stays against the fence nicely.

This is a jig made by a guy on another forum, I have one similar that I use for tapering my stocks. You can also use it to true up your stock. Be sure to use STRAIGHT plywood as your stock will end up only as straight as the plywood edge.

Where in hawaii are your from?

 

[watabeast]

from oahu, east side

 

[jtkwest]

nice jig. i especially like the curved hold down thingies.they solve the problem of how to clamp the board down. how much you tapering those edges? i want to do something like that but the straight boards are SOOO much easier all the way around to work with. i have been toying with the idea of ADDING curved pieces to my square stock, to make it tapered, or just adding in general, instead of taking wood away to make it curvy. if i am to make a curvy gun, the starting dimensions will be huge compared to the finish tapered dimensions. with all that waste, that is why i am thinking of adding. i am going to do some very low profile rails on this mid handle i am making now. full length rails with weight, just not very wide. i am thinking of using 1"x 1" mahogany strips on either side, then shaping them down, withcurves and such. the gun in question is VERY narrow at 1 1/8" wide there is only a 1/16" of wood left outside the line release pin. i looked at my old riffe comp 1s, that gun is only 1 1/8" wide also,with very little wood left on the line release pin also, and that gun is ok. this is the north american teak stock i was given as a demo, that is why the dimensions are so narrow, i'll tell you what though: this thing FEELS great! the narrow barrel just feels good

 

[jtkwest]

this is my jig for cutting straight tracks. it is all aluminum parts of sliding doors and french door jambs, left over in my construction yard at work. i gave up 15 lobster tails for the pieces to my boss. the first two pics are old . the one on the right is current

 

[JCooke]

Here my .02$

I use 1 inch mahog, cut 2 1/2 inch strips and what ever length, split them into two 1/2 x 2 1/2 strips, and set them in the furnace room for 2-3 months...bone dry, Then plane them down just so there is no saw blade marks, about 3/8th. Sit them in the furnace room for another month, get all the movement out of them.....and theres allot. Now I have two 8 foot angle iron steels 2 1/2 x 2 1/2, clamp one upside down so it just sit on the table( like a upside down "L") lay plastic down over it. Get all the lams I need and start epoxying them every side thoroughly and lay them in a desired stack, lay plastic over them so the epoxy so it doesnt grab anything. After that lay the second angle iron right side up (L) on top and sandwhich them together flat and clamp every 4-6 inches apart. make sure the angle irons face the same direction for clamping purposes. Do not true up the left to right movement as it lays that can be cut from the hardened blank after drying just 2 small clamps and as little preasure to clean up the really bowed stuff, not more than a 1/4 inch.(i have found trueing the bow that way is too much for the lams to correct themselves) And i discovered angle iron is extremely true if on a reasonable flat surface and real easy to eyeball,shim,and straighten. After 24hr unclamp. Agian let sit for a few weeks somewhere warm and dry for any possible movement. Next start cutting the crap off, I table saw it till no more epoxy goop is showing then plane it down flat. Planer doesnt like epoxy!!!
At this point there shouldnt be too much correction, Should be able to clean up and bow with a hand planer at this point or a sanding block. AlsoI have found that certian sides of my delta planer can produce different planeing characteristics. Left side will take more from the left side of the lam, right side more from the right, dead nuts center-even cut both sides. A twist.....i feed it at a small angle, say the right front is high and the rest good...Ill feed the right side in 2-3 inches to the right of center and angle it so the rear enters in the center after it feeds itself.

IMO the barrel doesnt have to be dead true within reason ( 1/8"ish max), its the shaft track that I feel is the key. IMO

Sorry if this is a little sloppy had a another 14hr day.

Jason

 

[jtkwest]

IMO the barrel doesnt have to be dead true within reason ( 1/8"ish max), its the shaft track that I feel is the key. IMO

Sorry if this is a little sloppy had a another 14hr day.

Jason[/quote]

THATS what i'm saying! that is why i dont favor a router table, since the track will follow the contour of the outside of the gun. the track is only as straight as the outer dimensions. my jig uses a rail to slide down, keeping it perfectly straight. i could cut a laser beam straight track in a barrel that was twisted like a banana.

 

[watabeast]

Thanks for everything, the wood is pretty straight after a week or so, so i dont think i will need to correct it, but thanks for the help