Wider Boards

[Trackman]

I want to make another candle holder but bigger to hold a larger candle. I have 7 1/2" walnut boards but the bigger holder needs to be 9" wide.

What is the best way to attach two boards or is this not something that is wise to do? Thanks!

[wood-n-things]

Make sure you have two square edges and glue them up.

Look on the end grain and match them so the grain goes in the opposite direction to avoid cupping. If you look at the end grain you will see a patten of a semi circle of the growth rings, you want one board to have a cup shape and the other to have a mound shape of the growth rings. Clear as mud?

When you glue them up and clamp them use cauls to keep them flat and not too much pressure or you will squeeze out too much glue. Just use enough pressure so that you begin to see squeeze out.

A caul is..
Build & Use Clamping Cauls - NewWoodworker.com LLC

or ...
- what is a caul? - Woodworking Online

After about 30 minutes in the clamps scrape off the excess glue as best you can. That will make for easier clean up later. Leave it clamped for at least 2-3 hours or overnight if you have the time.

One other thought is if you have a biscuit joiner those can add stability to the newly formed wider piece.
I hope that helps...

[Trackman]

Thank you very much Mike! I see what you mean by the wood grain going in different directions. This is something I wouldn't have know about. What did we do before the internet? lol

Also the web site for the caul is in my favorites for future use it looks like there is a lot of info there on other topics.

One more question - I have Elmer's Wood Glue is this good or do you recommend another bland?

[wood-n-things]

Elmers is okay. I prefer titebond ll or lll (for exterior uses) but use what you have on hand. Remember glues (yellow) only have about 6 months to a year shelf life and then they become suspect.

[w.2014.h]

A really fast way to get ready for gluing is to plane your boards on end. Rip 3-5" widths and run them through the planer on edge beside each other. This gives you a perfect edge for gluing. This saves me time. Also, if possible, glue the boards when they are thicker than what you need and then plane the laminated boards to a final thickness. This completely hides the glue seems. (chisel off squeeze out to save your planer blades)

[Ramjet]

If using a planer be sure and allow enough wood for the snipe unless you have a newer planer with a lock . I loose about 2" at both ends with an old 12"Delta.

Roger

[ChuckD]

I have found the best way to avoid snipe is to build a sled for your timber to ride on. Mine sticks out at least three feet past the end of the planner, and I keep it there for every thing.

[NHokpic]

Trackman - You got some good advise here if you are working with rough lumber and you own a planer and jointer. If you bought finished lumber, you shouldn't have this problem and go back to the 1st post.

An easy way to find out if your board edges are ready for gluing is to stand your board on the edge to be glued and place a light behind it. You need to do this on a clean flat surface like your dinning room table. Now look under the board. Do you see a lot of light shinning though the table top and the board's edge? If not, glue your boards.

If you need to put a straight edge on you boards but you don't own a jointer, don't panic. Just let the group know and I'm sure we can walk you through your problem. Next step would be to use a table saw if you own one. Just keep talking to us and good luck!

[Trout]

I'm working on some candle trays too and going through to same problem..
my pattern calls for a 8 inch board for a 7 3/4 inch wide candle tray. my problem was that I only have a 7 1/2 inch wide board so what I did was reduce the pattern by 1% to fit my wood...

luckily it only took 1%, any more I would of had to go to a smaller candle and the pattern wouldn't of liked that...

Trout

[sawdust11703]

Just go out and buy a wider board. I just picked up a 12" wide piece of walnut a few days ago from my local lumber yard. Most of the online wood suppliers also carry walnut in 12" wide. Personally I hate the look of boards glued together. I don't care how good you're able to do it. You can still see the seams and difference in grain pattern.