Custom Wood Millwork

While I have the capability to rip my own strips and have wood working experience, I reckon the searching, ability to utilize cutoffs, and my lack of expertise in selecting wood and evaluating substitutes should compensate for getting it done professionally.

Dino

 

Sometimes hiring it out is the most efficacious thing to do.

 

there is no magic in selecting wood, there are some guidelines for grading rules but it amounts to this: tighter the grain the stronger, the less run-out the stronger, the less amount of defects (knots, sap pockets, etc) the stronger. The grading rules simply add points for each feature, adjusting for size and location of each defect. As the points add up it moves to the next category.

All this means for you is to select the best, most defect free part of the plank for the highest loaded members, and use the rest for non-critical frame elements. You can also do a simple strength test by putting the cut members across two saw horses side by side and push down on each (or use a weight), the stronger ones will deflect less. Than you can match their stiffness and strength in pairs for gunwales. This is what was done for thousands of years of boat building, and it can certainly work for you now.

It is a learning process and part of the fun. the more you hire out to others, including selection of the wood, the less you learn and the more you pay.

 

Yes it's part of the building experience. I was amazed once when attending a gliding competition in Germany. One of my assignments was to bring back a 4" X 8"X 20ft aircraft quality stamped pine board. One of the organizers assigned me a helper and we drove off to the nearest lumber yard. He spoke a few words to the owner, briskly walked with me in tow to the Pine rack and helped himself to a selection. Walking back to load the piece into the glider trailer I asked him what about the stamp? He reached into his pocket, pulled out a stamp and signed off the lumber. I saved a few hundred dollars that day just by being in the right place at the right time.

Since then clear Baltic Pine for spars has become scarce to the point that old wrecks are selling at a premium for the salvageable wood. The board I brought back to Greece was never used for the project it was ordered for, but has been used to restore or repair 3 aircraft with some still left over.

Dino

 

It's not wasted time if you need what you're doing.