warped,cupped and twisted lumber

[ScRaPLeR]

Ok guys I have a question for all you pro's out there, to wit , how do I get the most out of my lumber without jointing and planeing away so much on boards that are warped, cupped and twisted. Before you answer let me briefly explain the present method to my madness.

1. To straighten the initial edge of a board I first attach the board to a known straight board, and putting the straight board against my table saw fence, slice the least amount off opposite edge of my new board. If the new lumber is only slightly out on one edge I simply use my 8" jointer until it is straight.

1. If the board is badly warped across say the entire 6, 8 or 10 foot length, I cut the board into half to lessen the warp or twist. If badly cupped I slice the boards into 8" wide sections to fit my jointer.

2. Next depending upon the amount of cup curl or twist left I will either use my table saw with a 12" flat board stood on edge against my fence and start slicing off small face pieces from my new board until the cup or twist is gone or if only minor problems I will once again use my jointer like a planer to make small passes to flatten board.

1. my last step is my planer which I set up to take 32" inch passes until the board is dimensioned, then I change my planer setting to Finishing mode for the final passes on both faces.

using the above steps I still average only about 85 to 90 usable board feet out of every 100. So my question is this, what am I doing wrong/ is there a better way or finally am I all screwed up. Thanks for taking the time to read this mess and hopefully answer.

[George]

SNIP Make a habit of crosscutting things only an inch or two longer than the length required. Makes a lot of boards straighter. Of course, you'll have the good sense to take the better for longer, rather than wasting your time trying to get twist out of a 4 or 6-foot board.

Only other thing to add is that a bit of judicious work with a scrub or jack plane can be better than jointing a face six times to flatten.

You don't need a straight edge to plane, so why bother? Straighten when the faces are parallel.

[Battleax]

If you're getting that percentage of usable why do you think you're doing something wrong? You resaw twisted lumber (if you must) any way you see fit with the tools at hand.

[Doug Miller]

You can't be doing too much wrong, if you're getting that kind of yield. Your procedure sounds OK. The only suggestion I can make, other than the obvious one (buy better lumber), is to use a bandsaw for ripping twisted boards instead of a table saw. Ripping warped lumber on a table saw is just *begging* for a nasty kickback sooner or later.

[Wilson]

[Toller]

Are you serious about this? Salvaging 85% of seriously distorted wood is darn good; so shooting for better is a fool's errand. Unless the wood is expensive, it can't be worth the work you are putting into it; and if it is expensive it shouldn't be so distorted.

[Guess who]

I wa given I can't say [or I'll be hanged here for sure] how many board feet of oak and cherry. most wasn't bad at all, but some was as you suggest. There is usully no way to get 90% out of that unless I first cross-cut it into tiny pieces. However, I did salvage some with the techniques you mention. There is a tehnique mentioned in this group for glue-tacking a twisted board to a flat bit of solid MDF and running that through the planer. I count my losses, and with the original gift come out way on top. The rest will keep the fire going in the coming winter.

[ScRaPLeR]

Thanks for all the advice guys. To further what has already been said, let me tell you some ot this lumber is quite expensive and was ordered from woodworkersresourse.com for a hefty price and shipping fee. I have spent a lot of time milling this lumber only to end up with stuff that is 5/8" thick when it started out as 4/4 or 13/16. The majority of problems I seem to have getting more salvage is with the cupped stuff, i.e. warped from side to side rather than from end to end. I do also use my grizzly resaw bandsaw to resaw as needed but even with a good bandsaw it is tough to maximize my b/f of wood. Thanks again for all the input and advice, you guys know you stuff.