Day 94: Jointing the Bentside Boards

As you may recall, I had cut the poplar boards intended for the bentside lamination lengthwise given the fact that Big Bertha (the old 18" Foremost bandsaw) was a drifter and just wasn't set up for very effective resawing of 12" planks. I planed all down to 3/16" with the goal of reaching 1/2" thickness once everything was in place (2 x 3/16" boards + 2 x 1/16" red oak veneer = 1/2") and then promptly embarked on another lengthy shop reorganization project.

Well, as part of the reorg, Big Bertha has finally left the building, which is a good thing - I had no idea what an imposing presence she really was. Along with this, two of my dudes, Ian and Trey, helped me gut and then reorganize the shop a bit so I no longer feel claustrophic in my Sacred Space. The result is that I can now jump back onto the bentside lamination with abandon.

I jointed the 3/16" boards back together yesterday, allowing them sufficient time to dry throughout the day and am in the process of sanding and card scraping them smooth for the final lamination. It's about time, right?

Part of the deal I made with the cool Craigslist guy who purchased Big Bertha was that I acquired a large, 3" thick piece of live-edged walnut in exchange. This was my idea after listening to him brag about having 10 slabs. I suspect more will come to the shop in the future because my outlay via the sale was only $60 for the piece and he offered to sell me more at that amount. He was happy, I was happy, and, I believe, Big Bertha will be happy in her new home.

So, today I will actually glue the bentside lamination of the two jointed poplar boards. While this seems pretty mundane, it's a watershed moment for me. I just need to get on with things. I've learned so much over the past year and a half, I don't want to lose any of that knowledge by fiddling around too long with shop and tool reorganization. The time to get back to work is Now, and that is precisely what I intend to do.

Until next time...