Sheets of Wood???.

[shawnn82]

I needed some help. I am only a CNC hobbyist (dont own a CNC business) and I have made several projects since i got a CNC in 2008. I did'nt really want to venture out into cutting expensive wood sheets until i knew what i was doing. I have only used 24" x 36" pine sheets they sell at your local home centers. My experience with making signs of pine has been some good and some bad but i believe its now time to step up the quality ladder.

I have absolutely no wood working experience prior to the CNC and am finding it difficult to find anywhere sheets of domestic wood in the 24" x 36" size range since i have a shop bot buddy. My first question is, is wood like cherry, maple, oak, cedar, walnut available in that size range? If so where and how can i get it? - I live in Orlando, FLorida
If not, how do i go about gluing up boards of cherry to make the 24" x 32" size. Not all my work is that big, but i am sitting on a request to make a sign that big.

What would be a good speicies of wood to start of with?
I would appreciate all the help i could use as an amateur.

[dana_swift]

Usually you build up wood if you need a lot of width. 24" natural wood is very expensive when you can find it, which isn't often. It also tends to warp badly, so make your own and stop the warping at the same time.

Look up breadboards, and making large glue-ups for table tops etc. I find doing that a very enjoyable part of the building process. There are lots of sites with info on the process.

I use the bot to surface the result of the gluing on both top and bottom sides, then I do any cutting the project calls for. Sanding with a thickness sander or jitterbug removes the tool marks and gets it ready to finish.

You can buy sheet goods in 24x48 in many cases, some with nice finished sides. When I have to buy full sheets to use on my 24 x 34, I have the supplier cut them down if I can. I can get 5 pieces from a standard 48x96 sheet. Make the following cuts:

Cut the 96" length into 36 by 48. Then cut off another 36 x 48. That leaves you with one 24 x 48 (minus two kerfs).

Then cut the two 34x48's in half along the 48" length.

Now you have:
4 of 24x36 (2 extra inches fit nicely on the buddy and help with the vacuum)
1 24x48 Cut one foot off the end of this and now you have 5 project pieces from a single sheet. With an additional 12x24 to use as you like.

Hope that helps-

D

[curtiss]

If you are close to a Habitat for Humanity re-sell store you will find some good material there to practice on for only a few bucks.

I have found a lot of rough sawn oak, maple, old hardwood doors that weight a ton, picture frame material, laminate, mdf, lots of wood for the dollar there...

[coach]

Shawn, have you tried A&M supply?
gills road, orlando. Call Rick, sales rep. 407 810 6698. Tell him you got his number from me.

Dave in Cocoa
Also talk to Jerry or Mike at hardware imagination Tech.407 855 2282

[harold11]

Hey Shawn,

I am not sure if you found a source but I am in Orlando and have a Buddy 48. I have equipment to cut plywood and join solid lumber as well.

[kelly]

Hi Shawn, I have beem hitting the local IKEA store "As-is" section and picking up laminated solid wood countertop materail. It's usually about 25" wide X 30+" long. (1.125 to 1.5" Thick) I also buy the "Logan" counter top in 8' lengths (also available in 4') and cut to size. The US price is about $60 per counter.

Good luck with your projects!

[cabnet636]

i am with curtis, you can scour donation centers and pick up solid table tops cheap!! also for new wood you will not beat a&m prices we use the charlotte branch

[zeykr]

For cedar sign blanks, look at www.perfectplank.com or www.allwoodsignblanks.com.