Bow UP or DOWN?

[Keith Starosta]

Yeah - "horns down".

Also - you probably already took care of this - but, you're better off if you rough-cut the boards before jointing. I usually go to 1/2" - 1" or so over finished part length, and 1/4" - 1/2" over width. This reduces the effect of the bow & twist on the overall board thickness as you joint & plane.

One last caution...after jointing and planing, stand the boards on edge or sticker them. You want air circulation on all faces.

Laying them flat on a surface like TS will cause them to warp. Or, so I have heard .

I appreciate all the advice, and continued support of the great folks here are The Creek. I was finally able to improve my technique.....in the NINE YEARS since I first posted this question.

[Sam Murdoch]

First off I recommend to everyone who will listen - cross cut every long board to as short as you need + 4" to 6" (depending on how snipe free your thickness planer is). I would rather have 16 door parts at 24" then 32 at at 48" when it comes to the purpose of jointing your stock for flat or straight. More pieces but much less work and much more positive results in the end. Having said that I mostly run the points down with a very light touch ( I don't hold the wood to the jointer bed, I pass it over the cutter knives.) and end for ending as I work the board to get an even full body pass. In some boards you will find that you can only pass over the jointer in one direction or get tear out, but most often these light initial passes to clean the ends is pretty forgiving of end for ending.

I believe that Mel is correct though - that the convex side should be down for best results, but for me boards that are in that much tension are simply rejected. The most often slightly curved boards get jointed and planed on opposite faces in such away and in so many passes as to relieve all the tension. At least this is how I prefer to work. No rules are set in stone. Lots of this is feeling and the sharpness of the cutters, the ease of the touch as you pass over the jointer and the final use of the wood.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I appreciate all the advice, and continued support of the great folks here are The Creek. I was finally able to improve my technique.....in the NINE YEARS since I first posted this question.

Hey - Keith - I spent >9 years learning this stuff. And, most valuable, learning during those eyars how to correct mistakes on-the-fly, or change designs/dimensions on-the-fly to accommodate the mistakes. In fact - I just finished correcting the odd error on some dining table chairs............

The really hilarious part - One would think that any given mistake would be made only once.

But - Nooooooooo.

Carry on.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I run it through the table saw attached to a straight edge.

Correct solution. Your condition, however is crook, not bow. Same concept,different orientation.

[Richard Dragin]

I would like to congratulate Mel Fulks for one of the oldest thread resurrections ever! Crown up, points down. Feed just the ends till it's close. Don't press down too hard on the middle.

[Sam Murdoch]

I had to laugh. I got sucked in too . Oh well, some newcomers might benefit...

[Keith Westfall]

Good advice never goes out of fashion...

[Mel Fulks]

The thread is indeed old,but the topic is always current somewhere.I had worked in custom architectural woodwork about 8 years when I was assigned a job working with Albert,the older lead shop guy,his father had worked there too.I had to make some vertical louvre slats about10 feet long which had to be straight.I looked thru the the pile and determined we did not have enough appropriate wood. When I informed him he went thru and picked 8 or 10 more pcs with a long even bow. He told me to face them convex side down and BOTH sides would start to straighten. News to me. It worked and I have been using that technique, and winning bets with it, for 30 some years. Thanks Albert.

[Jeff Duncan]

Nine years may be about right to feel comfortable enough to try a new technique

I started out using the points down method for several years. Finally having heard the benefits to crown down enough I tried it and have never gone back. A bit more difficult to control stock though, especially for beginners. When I have to teach a new employee I teach them crown up as it's easier for them to handle. Of course then I have to run the 'important' parts myself

good luck,
JeffD