Minor newbie gloat

[Jim Willemin]

There is a small pallet mill down on the other side of the railroad tracks in town, and they appear to dump their scrap in a pile outside the fence. This morning I just happened to drop by and came away with quite a bit of oak, thicknesses 3/4 to maybe 8/4, 4 to 8 inches wide, and maybe two feet long. Dunno what I'll do with it yet, BUT: it's green. I'd like to retard checking as much as I can. I'm gonna store it in the basement, by the shop, stickered, but is there anything else I can do? I'm a little reluctant to dip the ends in wax (SWMBO has this unreasonable aversion to lumber in the kitchen - I can't figure it out...), but if that's what it takes, I'll figure out some way to do it.

[MatthewK]

I could totally be wrong about this but in the Bowyer's Bible series they just use elmers smeared over the endgrain.

matthew ohio

[Toller]

If you don't do anything with it you will have firewood. I have used roofing tar, others use paint.

[Leon]

If you have not used pallets before you may quickly realize that there are tons of nails and staples that break off in the wood. I worked for a company that received an average of 10-12 pallets a week and I finally came to the conclusion that it was best used for fire wood.

[J T]

Sat, Sep 22, 2007, 10:09am (EDT-1) jim***willemin@hot***mail.com (Jim=A0Willemin) doth sayeth: BUT: it's green.

What are they teaching you guys in school nowadays? You're spelling is lousy.

The correct spelling should be: BUT: it's free.

JOAT What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new humiliations?

- Peter Egan

[Dan]

What is the purpose of coating the ends, to prevent it taking on moisture?

Dan

[Puckdropper]

[e-mail] (J T) wrote in news:6615-46F5591A-1906 @storefull-3331.bay.webtv.net:

Free doesn't often mean "free." It means it didn't cost you anthing to acquire. Period. Use of the free item may cost you much more in the long run than spending money on a non-free item.

Puckdropper

[Jim Willemin]

"Leon" wrote in news:wIcJi.10$ [e-mail]:

I know that about actual pallets - this stuff is scrap from the mill that makes the pallets - rough cut hardwoods in little chunks, mostly. I have gotten maple, walnut, oak (mostly for practice turning). This haul was just a lot bigger and nicer than most, with stuff that I think will plane down nicely, if I can avoid checks.

[Jim Willemin]

"Dan" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

As I understand it, it is to force slow even drying. The cut capillaries on end grain basically wick moisture out, and allow the stuff near the cut end to dry from the inside out, essentially, forcing the shrinking wood to split. If it dries from the sides instead of the ends, 1) it takes a lot longer, and 2) the wood shrinks from the outside in, allowing it to retain integrity. I just hope it'll be dry enough to work for Christmas...

[Leon]

Ah, rereading, I see you said scraps. That should be a cool stash.

[J T]

Sat, Sep 22, 2007, 7:29pm (EDT+4) [e-mail] (Puckdropper) doth claimeth: Free doesn't often mean "free." It means it didn't cost you anthing to acquire. Period. Use of the free item may cost you much more in the long run than spending money on a non-free item.

Nah. If it's fee, take it. You can always sort out the small stuff later. If nothing else, give it away. LOL

JOAT What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new humiliations?

- Peter Egan

[Toller]

If you don't coat them the ends will dry before the center. Since wood shrinks as it dries, the only way the ends can shrink when the center doesn't is by cracking. (makes sense if you think about it.) To make it dry evenly you coat the ends so it has to dry through the sides.

[Dan]

Makes sense. There's a place around the corner from me that usually has a huge pile of pallets marked "free". I've always assumed they were just low grade pine. Maybe I'll check 'em out.

Dan

[Robert Bonomi]

Proof: there is nothing in this world that is more expensive than a woman who is free for the evening.

[Bill]

I've found pallets Made from many different woods: Pine, Poplar, Oak, Basswood, Cottonwood (?) - I've even heard of Mahogany and other exotic woods from over seas and South America. It seems that pallets are made from whatever wood is available.

A large pile of pallets can be a woodcarvers gold mine.

Bill

[J T]

Sun, Sep 23, 2007, 2:14pm (EDT+4) [e-mail] (Robert=A0Bonomi) doth sayeth: Proof: there is nothing in this world that is more expensive than a woman =A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0=A0who is free for the evening.

Something like a $1,000 a night call girl, saying she is "free" for the evening, eh?

JOAT What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new humiliations?

- Peter Egan

[J. Clarke]

A thousand buck a night call girl is a bargain--you don't end up wining and dining her for six months trying to get her to put out only to catch her in the sack with some bum.

[J T]

Sun, Sep 23, 2007, 2:36pm [e-mail] (J.=A0Clarke) A thousand buck a night call girl is a bargain--you don't end up wining and dining her for six months trying to get her to put out only to catch her in the sack with some bum.

It would seem that you have a lot more disposable income than I do, and vastly different priorities on what to spend it on.. And, one HELL of a lot more patience.

JOAT What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new humiliations?

- Peter Egan

[J. Clarke]

Nahh, both options are overpriced in my book.