Did I Just Ruin This Chair?

[Derek Arita]

OK...so I went out and purchased about $200 worth of white oak, both plain sawn and quarter sawn, for a rocker that I'm building. When it came to making up the side rails of the chair, the plan called for 1 3/4" x 3" pieces. I didn't have that thickness of quarter sawn and just couldn't get myself to spend the $ for another board, so I took 3, 3/4" boards and glued them together. I then machined this to 1 3/4" thick. Thing is, the plan calls for the glueup to be basically, resawn from corner to corner, forming an angled 3/4" piece...that's why it needed to be 1 3/4" thick to begin with. I'm sure my gluelines will show somehow, but I'm hoping for the best.
Was this a stupid thing to try? Will I end up having to remake the side rails out of solid stock? As it was, the 4/4 stock that I bought, was planed to 1 3/4". After jointing and planing flat, would end up less than the required 1 3/4".

[Wade Lippman]

People don't notice 'flaws' nearly as much as you fear. And if they do notice it they will think its something you worked hard to do.

Of couse I haven't seen it but is probably okay.

[Mort Stevens]

Given the amount of your time you're going to put into making the chair, I would get a board the correct size and make it right.

[joseph dake]

I would not fret over it, I do the same thing. Sometimes glue joints look good in my own opinion. I have made 1 3/4 legs with multiple layers and liked how it looks. I make projects thinking that the small flaw will be a eye sore or a blinking light that says look at me but most people DO NOT know any better so why worry about it.

[Chris Padilla]

Cut into it a little bit and see how you did with the glue lines. Oak is so busy that I doubt you'll notice the glue line unless it is a drastically different color. And even then, perhaps after finishing they'll be more hidden...or perhaps more visible.

[Derek Arita]

Cut into it a little bit and see how you did with the glue lines. Oak is so busy that I doubt you'll notice the glue line unless it is a drastically different color. And even then, perhaps after finishing they'll be more hidden...or perhaps more visible.

Yeah...kinda what I was thinking. I chose some pieces with lots of figure, so that it might help hide the glue lines. This whole thing has me frustrated with just what 4/4 and 8/4 lumber is. The white oak I got was 8/4, jointed and planed, which made it 1 3/4". I thought 8/4 was 8/4, but I guess it's actually 8/4 rough, before machining. Once I square and flatten, it's even less.

[Chris Padilla]

Yes, x/4 is ALWAYS the rough size so after S4S, it'll be thinner than the x/4 size by at least a 1/4" or so.

[Derek Arita]

Yes, x/4 is ALWAYS the rough size so after S4S, it'll be thinner than the x/4 size by at least a 1/4" or so.

Knowing that, what does one do when a plan calls for 1 3/4" finished parts? 8/4 will probably be too thin, once you joint and plane.

[Sam Stephens]

8/4 should finish to 1 3/4" (or more if you're lucky). softwoods a bit less. You said it was already milled. Are the faces not flat and parallel i.e. S2? Why does it need further machining? If you're going to mill it anyways, then get it rough so you can maintain as much thickness as you desire.

IME with other woods, you'll see the board transition aka grain run-out. BTDT, but can't say for certain w/ straight grained oak.

[Charlie MacGregor]

If the piece is relatively free of wind and wane, 1 3/4 should be doable. If not...10/4

[Derek Arita]

8/4 should finish to 1 3/4" (or more if you're lucky). softwoods a bit less. You said it was already milled. Are the faces not flat and parallel i.e. S2? Why does it need further machining? If you're going to mill it anyways, then get it rough so you can maintain as much thickness as you desire.

IME with other woods, you'll see the board transition aka grain run-out. BTDT, but can't say for certain w/ straight grained oak.

I recall being told it was S3S and measured 1 3/4", but even at S4S, it must have moved after initial j/p, becasue it still needed some jointing and planing passes. Those passes made it under 1 3/4".
Your probably right in that I should have looked for the straightest rough white oak I could find. The two lumber yards in my area however, only carried j/p white oak.

[Myk Rian]

Look for 12/4 if nothing else works for you.

[Cody Colston]

The Hal Taylor rocking chair plan calls for an "adder" piece to be glued to the front legs for adding bulk to the leg-to-seat joint and for the later sculpting. Even with similarly colored woods, the adder is visible in the finished leg (at least to me) but doesn't detract at all from the appearance, IMHO. If you used two pieces with similar color and grain, I'd go forward with it. For stock that will finish to 1 3/4" thickness or better, try buying from a sawmill. They can custom saw to any dimension you need such as 5/4 so you don't have to pay for 12/4 only to watch much of your money turn to sawdust. The Hal Taylor rocker plan specifies 2" thick finished stock. I bought the lumber for the first two I made from a sawmill and sawed my own lumber for the last two chairs after getting my own mill.