Teardrops n Tiny Travel Trailers

by **Miriam C.** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 11:45 am

I am resurrecting this because I tried today to get it to work and had a problem.

I made a sled to hold my wood and put a sacrifice board to back the cut piece. The problem I had with the 1x2 (3/4) is that halfway up the teeth kept breaking off during and after they were sawed. I am not sure if it is because the cheap wood. :roll:

or the thickness. I was cutting every inch and the sled worked great but the pieces fell off anyway.

Joseph,
How did you get it to work?
Thanks
Miriam

by **tonyj** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 1:00 pm

I am assuming you are using a sled on a tablesaw. Are you pulling the sled back thru the blade after making the cut? If yes, remove the cut piece before pulling the sled back through. If that isn't the cause, maybe the grain pattern in the wood. All that kerfing is the reason I decided to cut the curves instead of kerfing.

by **madjack** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 1:04 pm

Auntie M, are you saying the wood kept breaking off...if so your cut was too deep or you were cutting with the grain instead of against it...I hope you didn't mean the saw teeth were breaking off :shock:

madjack

by **Miriam C.** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 2:15 pm

MJ The kerfed peices were breaking off dead center.

Tony
I think I have enough time and little experience so the kerfing (if I can get it right) will be easier for me.
Yes I was pulling it back through :oops:

I was also using a ripping blade. Bother in law says use a plywood blade. :oops:

Way too deep for the blade width.

I took some 1x2 and 1x3 and my small cut off corners and made a sled so I could clamp the wood to it and not cut my fingers off. All so controls the debth. Works great. I will get a picture of it if I can.

Aunti M

by **madjack** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 2:27 pm

A M...sounds as if you are cutting to deep...the blade type really doesn't make a diff here neither should pulling back thru, it can only cut as deep as your adjustments allow...try a shallower cut, leaving AT LEAST an 1/8th" or better....if kerfing ply, try leaving at least some of the SECOND ply and if cutting solid wood, make sure you are cutting across the grain and not with it...
madjack

by **Miriam C.** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 3:30 pm

Thanks Mad Jack,
You may be right. I put this on the scanner and the wood may be destined to splint there too. The light shows a crack that isn't real visible with the eyes.

I will try again with some I cut from a 2x6.
Aunti M

by **tonyj** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 3:59 pm

Looks like that 1st cut (with the knot on the outer edge) would have failed when you tried to do the bend. It would have broken right there. Looks to me like the grain was the main culprit.

by **madjack** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 6:40 pm

ahhhh haaaa, now I see (said the blind man)...the crack in your board is the main culprit here(that is why we luv da pics)...to be succesful in what your doing you will need wood with a good clear grain...and whtch out for those knots...the one in question(on the edge above a kerf) could cause a failure at that point...
madjack

by **Miriam C.** » Mon Jul 10, 2006 10:32 pm

Cool. Nice to know my tech. was good. :thumbsup:

this poor piece of board has really been through it. It has practiced screws, nails, countersink, jig saw and now kerfing. Soon to be retired.

So what kind of wood does one get when one (or two) wants good clear wood?

Cause I haven't seen anything real nice lately.

Thanks Guys
Aunti M

by **Micro469** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 3:24 pm

Miriam C. wrote:Cool. Nice to know my tech. was good.
this poor piece of board has really been through it. It has practiced screws, nails, countersink, jig saw and now kerfing. Soon to be retired.

So what kind of wood does one get when one (or two) wants good clear wood? Cause I haven't seen anything real nice lately.

Thanks Guys
Aunti M

Hi Miriam, I used 1x2 select pine for my boards. I kerfed them at about 1 1/2 inches apart on the second side. The first side I did it about 3/4 to 1 inch apart and found the kerfs didn't meet.(used it anyway). I filled the kerfs with glue and used nails around the edges on my floor to hold it in position, then built the other "sticks" (as Ira calls them) around the frame to hold them in positon. The first frame took me all last monday, the second frame took me about 3 hours. I used the first frame as a clamping base for the other side, so they came out the same(almost). When I weighed them, they both weighed 19.5 Lbs.

by **Miriam C.** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 6:54 pm

Thanks Micro,
I was really impressed with your frame. :applause:

I am off to a real lumber yard to find a real piece of select pine. Maybe a bunch. I am guessing this won't work for the hatch side. :roll:

Thanks all for answering. I hope to get this right next time.

BTW- Micro if you have a picture perhaps you could post it for posterity.

Aunti M

by tk » Tue Jul 11, 2006 7:57 pm

Miriam,

The kerf bending I've seen and done has always been in hardwoods (I've used the technique with walnut and oak.) For structural members, like I think you're doing, you might try poplar. While poplar is splintery for a hardwood, softwoods are even more so. Also, you will reduce some of the tear-out if the workpiece is wider it is than thick. Just my two cents.

tk

by **Micro469** » Tue Jul 11, 2006 8:18 pm

Miriam C. wrote:
BTW- Micro if you have a picture perhaps you could post it for posterity.
Aunti M

??? You want to see my Posterity????

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