Milling boards into 4 square lumber
Most home centers only sell finished boards, lumber that has been planned to remove the rough finish left from sawing at the mill. This lumber is sold in finished sizes so a 2x4 is actually 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches. This can be a huge time saver for anyone using this stock but it also comes at a price. Finished boards is more expensive then rough stock and can make a larger project very expensive. Your wood working plans will show sizes as rough or finished so be sure to check before buying boards.
Like all things you have to pay more for finished boards as opposed to rough lumber. In same cases this can be substantial. So it only makes sense to try and get lumber that is rough. This is lumber that is fresh off the mill. It has not been planed to a finished size and the surface isn't smooth like finished lumber.
Step 1: Cut your boards to rough length
The first step I take to to rough cut the stock to length. The length is a rough dimension. This way I only have to plane the stock I am preparing to use and avoid wasting other stock. I simply use a circular saw and a combination square to make the cuts. The ends do not need to be perfectly square since I will have to trim them to the finished length I need.
Be sure to cut out any loose knot or check from your boards. They can break loose while planning and cause an injury.
Step 2: Truing one face
Analyze the lumber to determine the direction of the
grain and whether there is cupping. It is best to place
the cupped face down since it will sit better on the
jointer table.
Set your jointer to remove only 1/32" at a time. This will make it easier to pass the lumber through the cutter and your jointer will not have to work as hard. Keep making passes until the rough surface has been removed and the face is perfectly flat.
Step 3: Square one edge
Adjust the table on your jointer so it is exactly 90° to the table. Again you have to look at the grain of the wood and feed the board through so the direction of the grain is coming out of the wood. This will give a cleaner surface and avoid tear-out.
Keep feeding the stock through checking after each pass with a speed square to make sure the edge is square to the first face you planed flat.
Step 4: Rip to the rough width
Now that I have a flat face and one finished edge I can run the lumber through my table saw to rip it to the rough width. You want to make this width 1/16"wider then the finished dimension shown on your plans. Set the fence so it is square to the blade and the blade height should be 1/8" higher then the thickness of your stock. Rip the board to width. Now I go back to the jointer and clean up that edge, removing all the saw marks from the table saw and making it 90° to the finished face.
Now your board should have two finished edges parallel to each other plus are square to one face.
Step 5: Planning the other face
The final step is to plane the final face flat and true and make it parallel to the first. This is best done using the thickness planer.
To plane the second face I use the thickness planer. It will plane down this face to my desired thickness and make it exactly parallel to the first face I planed on the jointer. I set my thickness planer to remove 1/16" at a time. It is important to measure your stock and determine the thickest point. Sometimes rough stock can vary in thickness and you shouldn't assume it is a specific thickness. Place the finished face down on the thickness planer table and continue to feed it through the planer until you achieve the thickness you need.
Conclusion:
By following the 5 steps above you will get beautiful square finished lumber at a lower price. This does take some time but the freedom to have dimensions of lumber that aren't available at the lumber store is a nice. Most woodworking plans that you purchase will also have advice on how to complete the plans and what tools work best for making certain cuts.
Always remember to read and follow the directions that come with your power tools. This will provide safety information as well as tips and techniques on how to use the tools more effectively.
