Preparing rough lumber into four square boards

When you go to your home centers you are likely only able to get finished stock that is four square, meaning both edges and both faces are at 90° to each other. This is also why a 2x4 is actually 1-1/2 x 3-1/2 inches. Determine if the wood working plans you are using show the rough or finished sizes so you know if you need to adjust the dimensions.

Like all things you have to pay more for finished boards as opposed to rough stock. In same cases this can be substantial. So it only makes sense to try and get boards that is rough. This is lumber that is fresh off the mill. It has not been planed to a finished size and the surface isn't smooth like finished lumber.

Step 1: Cut your stock to rough length

The first step I take to to rough cut the stock to length. The length is a rough dimension. This way I only have to plane the stock I am preparing to use and avoid wasting other stock. I simply use a circular saw and a combination square to make the cuts. The ends do not need to be perfectly square since I will have to trim them to the finished length I need.

It is important for safety as well as aesthetics to remove and loose knots or cracks from your boards at this point as well.

Step 2: Truing one face

The first step I take is to plane one face to make it flat and true as well as remove all the rough surface left from the milling. To do this I use a jointer. Set the depth of cut to 1/32" and inspect the wood to see if the piece is cupped. I also look to see which way the grain is running since this will make a difference to the direction I can run the board through the jointer.

Set your jointer to remove only 1/32" at a time. This will make it easier to pass the lumber through the cutter and your jointer will not have to work as hard. Keep making passes until the rough surface has been removed and the face is perfectly flat.

Step 3: Square an edge with the face

The next step is to square one of the edges and make it 90° to the face I just planed flat. Once again I will use the jointer for this. I set the jointer fence so it is exactly 90° to the table. Once again I determine which way the grain runs so I can pass the board through the jointer the right way. Just continue to pass the board through until the edge is clean with no rough wood or other defects.

Keep feeding the boards through checking after each pass with a speed square to make sure the edge is square to the first face you planed flat.

Step 4: Rip to the rough width

Now that I have a flat face and one finished edge I can run the lumber through my table saw to rip it to the rough width. You want to make this width 1/16"wider then the finished dimension shown on your plans. Set the fence so it is square to the blade and the blade height should be 1/8" higher then the thickness of your stock. Rip the board to width. Now I go back to the jointer and clean up that edge, removing all the saw marks from the table saw and making it 90° to the finished face.

At this point your stock will have two edges parallel to each other and square to one face.

Step 5: Planning the other face

The next step is to true the last face and make it parallel to the first and square with the two edges. This is done at the thickness planer.

To plane the second face I use the thickness planer. It will plane down this face to my desired thickness and make it exactly parallel to the first face I planed on the jointer. I set my thickness planer to remove 1/16" at a time. It is important to measure your stock and determine the thickest point. Sometimes rough stock can vary in thickness and you shouldn't assume it is a specific thickness. Place the finished face down on the thickness planer table and continue to feed it through the planer until you achieve the thickness you need.

Conclusion:

Many of the woodworking plans that you use will have tips and advice that will help make it easier to complete that specific project. They also often recommend certain tools they use to make the cuts. This is a big help especially for those with less experience. The 5 steps above are easy to follow and can save you a bunch of money by helping you avoid finished lumber at the lumber yard.

Always remember to read and follow the directions that come with your power tools. This will provide safety information as well as tips and techniques on how to use the tools more effectively.