▼EXPAND THIS SECTION FOR MORE RESOURCES RELATED TO THIS VIDEO▼ *Links promised in this video:* -US forestry service article: www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/32396 -Jennie & Davis TH-cam channel: th-cam.com/channels/zTfxKT5Xv2TDXjGpGeB0tg.html -More videos on our website: stumpynubs.com/ -Subscribe to our e-Magazine: stumpynubs.com/browse-and-subscribe/ -Check out our project plans: stumpynubs.com/product-category/plans/ -Instagram: instagram.com/stumpynubs/ ★THIS VIDEO WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY★ -Jointer/Planer knives and helical carbide cutterheads from MyWoodCutters: mywoodcutters.com/ *Please help support us by using the link above for a quick look around!* (If you use one of these affiliate links, we may receive a small commission)
@@downhomeonthefarm6464 I don't know how to answer that question. Are you asking me about product availability? Mywoodcutters.com can help you with that.
@@vorshack8968 It's a silly principal, and it will cause you to miss out on a lot of good content. But if it makes you feel good, then you go with it. Have a nice day.
The old-timer I learned this from referred to the voids inside the board as "honey combing" and the cause of it exactly as you explain. The best way to deal with this is to cut it into pieces small enough to fit into your wood stove.
I'm a newby, but I just had 2 chime n. I imagine this is more prevalent now, when the mills r trying 2 catch up on the building materials 4 the new homes promised 2 buyers. The prices r supposed 2 decrease 2 us woodworkers (eventually) . Still waiting. Bad part is they're mowing them down faster than we're replacing them. What 2 do? Don't know. But, we'll pay 4 this n a hugh way someday. All I want is a couple pieces of wood 4 Xmas.
I work at a hardwood lumber mill, and this is something we're always trying to avoid. Our poor kiln tech is constantly fighting the battle against case hardening, trapped moisture, and honeycombing. The sudden uptick in lumber sales is good, but we're constantly riding the fine line between getting wood dried as fast as possible without ruining it. One way I've found to "detect" trapped moisture in a board is to run your hand over the surface- spots with trapped moisture will usually feel unusually cooler to the touch. Plus, a board will often feel heavier than normal in a same-sized piece. Thanks for highlighting this problem, James.
Damn, I got this all wrong. I always go for the heavy one thinking I will make out on "per pound" basis. I thought the wood is better because it was more dense. No wonder they twist after leaving in garage for a while.
If you stack you lumber with wood spacers between the boards every few feet and leave even weight on it, the wood doesn’t move (warp, cup etc) and it continues to dry. I don’t know how this works on a case hardened board, but it seems to help on wood that isn’t fully dry or acclimated to your shops humidity.
@@ipick4fun27 I still pick the heavy DF boards/posts when I'm doing an outdoor project, because at least with that one tree, heavy usually equals significantly harder.
@@ICantStopMakingNoise i bought 10x 20' yellow pine 2x8s; one of the last ones i picked was for sure double the weight. looking at it, it looks filled with resin; smelled way stronger too. I also thought this would be a stronger board; though I really have no idea; certainly is harder
As a mechanical engineer, I've only ever heard the term case hardening being used to describe a process used on steel parts where they're cooked in a furnace while coated with material containing a lot of carbon, so the carbon diffuses into the steel through it's surfaces, giving high carbon at the surface to give a hard but brittle outer surface combined with a lower carbon level at the core of the part, making it more malleable, to allow the part to survive mechanical shock without cracking. I had no idea that the same term was used to describe an attribute of wood though. Thanks for producing this and your many other educational videos.
Imma bout to blow your mind. When making salamis or curing meats we can get problems with case hardening too. In exactly the same way described in the video. Only this kan also lead to spoilage or pathogenic growths
Would other methods of surface level carburization, like nitride bath(quench, polish, quench) also be considered case hardening or is that an incorrect use of the term? Also, some steels air harden at the surface level achieving the same results, would those be case hardened? Or does case hardening refer to the process rather than the results?
@@umdcornholio I was thinking exactly the same thing, but isn't that in the reverse? I'll have to go back to the old video that explained how the stresses work.
Man I am amazed at how much I learn from you James. Seriously this is hands down the best woodworking product knowledge and information channel I have ever seen and I watch a lot of them on TH-cam.
Hey thanks for the shoutout! We think you’re nice enough, too 😉😉 This was an interesting dive into the drying process - we’ll certainly keep it in mind! Thanks for your help!
GREAT video James and kudos for mentioning the fact that "most" lumber suppliers are NOT the culprit, then are the middleman AND be polite. Not just to your lumber supplier but make polite a way of life! !! !!!
Out of all the woodworking channels I have followed for years I have never seen someone explain this! I feel like this should be one of the first things one learns when getting into the hobby.
James, the intelligence of your channel, and of course you, clears things up tremendously. You provide HONEST content, no BS, NO fluff. The channel and people you reference are exactly the opposite. I stopped following because of the dishonesty and only try and follow people who are real and tell it like it is. Keep up the great work, Merry Christmas and stay safe
Even though I last cut a board 18 years ago and I'll probably never do it again, this kind of integral science is fun to learn about. It also explains why the plank that I split into 2 legs is quite literally growing wonky over-time.
I've experienced this numerous times, for many years... I learned it could occur at any time, and the consequences could be burnt wood, or "Very Serious Kickback Issues on the Table Saw!" I never had any idea of the root cause...Case Hardening. After few violent incidents that involved "flying wood," I figured it was a totally unpredictable risk, associated with ripping wood... Always be strong, and be ready "to stall the saw", if the wood, closes on the blade... I'll continue to do this, as my old table saw has no "riving knife." Thank you James for yet another fantastic video! Next time it happens, I'll be smarter! 🙂
If your old saw is anything like my old craftsman 113.x, replace the original start/stop switch with a start/stop paddle switch and move it to the left side of the saw body. Replace the cord while you're at it, it's probably old anyway and not terribly expensive. Doing this allows you to stand safely to the left of the saw and be able smack the off switch with your knee. It works...trust me.
I have my Dad's 70 yo table saw... swapped a bearing or two over the years and still works great! You can make a riving knife pretty easy and I did... I think Stumpy even made a vid tip on it. I found it to be safer than my 60 yo reflexes. lol
Thank you so much for finding and sharing the case hardening test & kiln equalizing procedure from the US forestry service. This is invaluable information that every woodworker needs to understand. I hope you (and team) have a very Merry Christmas!!!
I never knew what caused this. I always assumed that some boards were just inherently “inwardly bound”, and that was why they closed up the kerf and pinched the blade. This is really interesting information…thank you for sharing!
As a humble little french woodworker, I am amazed at how much, from each video, I learn from you.Your subjects are always showed with accuracy, pedagogy (that matters a lot !!) and modération. Thank you James !!
Excellent content. I've failed to recognize this as "a thing." I need to read the forestry products. I've recently purchased a saw mill and I'd like to produce the best lumber possible. Thank you.
What kind of sawmill are you talking about? A single machine for sawing logs or a production sawmill? If you’re a production sawmill, tell us how to get in touch with you!
Thank you for explaining my frustration with scorching wood. I had always thought it was a problem on my end: crooked fence/misparalleled blade or me misfeeding the wood.
ive been working with rough cut hardwoods for 30 years and this is the first ive heard of this (although i HAVE had this issue, many times) we usually just had a guy on the outfeed side wedging the kerf to complete the cuts. and yes, depending on what was being made, warping/shrinkage was sometimes an issue.
I have experienced this off and on for years. Always put it down to weird grain in the wood. Had no idea it could be caused by improper drying. Thanks loads for the video, I now am much better equipped to deal with this issue. Thanks!!
This method of educating about this issue is incredibly professional. But considering it's from you, I'm not surprised to see it. You're on another level, man.
Awesome explanation! I recently had this exact problem with a 1x8 piece of pine I was ripping for drawer fronts for a shop cabinet. I immediately went and bought a new blade from the local big family store…didn’t solve the problem. I finally got the piece cut however, and when I was installing the drawer faces I noticed how badly the ripped edges were cupped! Wish I knew this then.
I've totally experienced the same issue you were describing and showed in J&D's video, but had no idea what was causing it. This makes a lot of sense and I appreciate you explaining. I too thought it was my saw, but I couldn't trace the issue by measuring my saw alignments and fine tuning the blade and fence. Thanks for another wonderful education.
You are awesome! I had this exact problem and spend hours researching. I tried a bunch of solutions. The result was a lot of time and energy and no resolution, until your video ... I've been setting up a wood shop in my garage and just had a bunch of cheap construction 2xs for building tables and shelving etc. The binding blade and smoke was so discouraging ... to have this problem as I am learning and just setting up! The problem "improperly dried lumber" is mentioned in a number of articles but without a good explanation, kind of useless to a novice. Of course the natural response is to assume I am doing something wrong. Thank you! ..and thanks to Davis for the question.
Wow i learn so much from every single one of your videos. Thanks for the great content and it really helps me to relaxe at night just because of how you are, your not hyped up yelling and screaming and showing your power tools with real volume you lower the volume and talk over the clip which is really appreciated, by not just me I'm sure but everyone who watches. Keep it up
I was aware of the concept of case hardening but the advice on how to use this information along with a practical test and documentation to get your money back is priceless! Great info Stumpy!
For what it's worth, they should also check the table saw fence alignment. Best to be a couple thousandths out of parallel with the back of the fence veering away from the blade. Just a couple thousandths but it makes a huge difference once blade runout, a bit of case hardening, etc. is considered.
It wouldn't hurt to check, but I've had the same thing happen, and it was definitely not the saw. I was ripping a hardwood floor board, and it completely stalled my saw. I finished the cut on the bandsaw, and by the time I was done the two pieces of the board were bowed apart more than an inch in the middle. The pinching force on the blade is similar to the force it takes to squeeze the bow flat once the pieces are cut. I always assumed it was just weird grain causing tension in the wood. Flooring is usually a lower grade than wood used for furniture making, so the grain isn't necessarily straight.
First, check (& correct) alignment of the saw blade axis to the table’s miter slots. Mine was off, I had fiddled with the fence alignment but couldn’t rip a long board without binding and burning. Saw the tip about aligning the blade on one of the Saturday morning woodshop shows. Checked mine and found it was out of alignment and one of the trunnion bolts was loose from the factory. After getting the blade squared away the fence alignment fell right in.
Honestly, I think they are more a marketing TH-cam channel than a woodworking. They are making way more money from their marketing/business private group than their cutting board business.
I have been wood working for decades and experienced this problem many times before and had no idea this specific cause, and that it is preventable by the manufacturer. I just tried nugging through it best I could and still had poor results. Thanks for sharing this.
This was an excellent explanation to a problem in wood that I previously attributed to "this piece has some weird tension in it". Now I know why, so thank you!
Huh, I've definitely experienced this before but i always thought my fence wasn't square or something like that. This is great information thank you for sharing
I didn't even know this was a thing, but I've experience this before! I was trying to cut short bars out of cheap pine for a DIY wooden toboggan and my hand rotary saw kept getting caught and stopping no matter how carefully I tried to cut it. I blamed it on it being battery-powered and/or my hand being unsteady and/or my jigs being off, but this offers a different explanation. Very cool!
Well this gave me a lightbulb moment! I started out by pinching bits of firewood from my dad's pile and cutting it down, and it was always a real slog to rip cut with a hand saw, this explains why, and also means I should probably keep an eye on that first box I ever made
I've never seen this explained; this makes so much sense. I've seen this when dealing with cheap construction lumber a lot and figured it was just the cost of buying cheap (which it is but now I know *why* it does what it does).
Ran into this quite a number of times over the decades and always wondered what caused it. Had people claim the blade was dull even if it was new. Thank you for the explanation. :)
I've seen case hardening happen more than a few times. Thanks for putting a name to it. I see it mostly in alder sometimes in maple and oak. I have cut a board and watched it curve up as I ran it through the saw, like an 1"+ curve on a 8' board.
I had a kerf close in on a board while cross cutting with a circular saw. I thought it was just me but this explains a great deal. Thanks for sharing this.
Thank you! I cut up a bunch of 2x12s to make raised garden beds with a circular saw last year, and the kerf closed and pinched the back of the circular saw blade crosscutting most of them. I never understood what I was doing wrong.
Great information. I seem to learn a lot on your channel. Great shout out to the old Forest Products Laboratory! It is a gold mine of technical data on EVERYTHING wood, and it is all public domain information.
3:34 It's amazing that you can see the inward pinching immediately, just from the cut you took out with a bandsaw, and then even more so after you chiseled out the inner piece. I'm familiar with these kinds of internal tension/compression stresses from plastics and metallurgy, it's cool to see a coherent explanation for how they effect woodworking as well.
I tried for years to figure out why my table saw caused me problems. I thought it was me. It wasn’t until I saw a video on this channel telling me to check the alignment of my saw blade as well as the fence. My blade was off a couple of thou front to back, and my fence more than couple of thou front to back opposite the blade. On their own a a few thou isn’t gonna matter much, but the compounded difference were a 64th plus on the heel and a 32nd on the toe. So every board no matter how careful I was at measuring, came out crooked, and burnt. Thanks for some more great content stumpy nubs!
I wish I had known this 20 years back. I have experienced this many times and couldn't understand what was happening. Live and learn. Thanks for the info.
I’m blown away! I never though that the problem I dealt with last fall was this. The lumber I used was red oak and it fought me tooth and nail. Every cut burned and pinched on the table saw and for the life of me I though I was just doing something wrong. I saw everything you said to look out for, complete separation in the middle of the boards, cracks and boards twisting instantly after ripping. Thank you for this video. What an absolute eye opener!
As an old flooring installer of hardwood flooring, I never learned this method for checking moisture content. Thank you! Just picked up a stack of ash for a project as I begin expanding my woodworking skills. I'll definitely keep my eyes peeled for the 6/4 boards that I'll be milling. Thank you!
I'm exactly the kind of person you'd never think you'd see in the shop... a metalworker XD But I stuck out the awkward phase, and the past year has been so amazing; you've taught me so much. Thank you to everyone at the shops, and who helps you realize this journey of education. I am entirely certain you've saved many many fingers, mine included
This!!! I’ve experienced this on more than one occasion ripping a 2x4 into 2x2’s and thought it was my old crummy job site table saw. Now I know! Thank your!
After I buy lumber I like to skim plane it with the thickness planer, taking about an 1/32" off each day for a few days to help release tension as it acclimates to my shop. I did this because I didn't know I could return lumber. Thanks!
This is fascinating! I've known about "reaction wood" for a while, but I always thought it was caused by internal stresses due to twisted grain; I'd never known about case hardening. OTOH, this vindicates my propensity to procrastination. I had a pile of lumber sitting around for close to a year waiting for me to get around to the project; when I needed to resaw one of them, it went smooth as butter and left a nice baby-smooth surface :)
Hi Stumpy. I love your videos. It’s worth noting that case hardening occurs as the surface of the wood dries from green to 25% - weather in a kiln or not. Wood that is air dried also case hardens if it dries too quickly. Kiln operators attempt to control the temperature and humidity of the environment in which the wood dries to create optimal conditions for consistent (slow and steady) drying. However, kiln operators cannot control all the variables and sometimes wood does whatever it wants.
I cannot thank you enough for this video. I buy my hardwood from northland lumber.. While I drive 100 miles each way I believe the prices are reasonable AND they have excellent products…no knots or other defects, very little warpage etc I have never had an issue with case hardening. But I am buying ash from aperson who has just started his milling and operation…so I will share this information and help him help me.
The majority of lumber I've gotten in the last year or so has had this problem, appreciate the video as I couldn't figure out why every board I ripped kept pinching the saw blade.
Great explanation for a problem I've seen many times over the years. My first thought, that the blade and fence were not parallel, was never verified. Then I was left scratching my head in frustration.
Well I learned a lot. I have had this happen but had no idea why. Thanks at least now I know why and what to look for. This is the most informative channel on u tube.
This, answers so many questions I had. Long story short, I made a DIY table saw with a hand circular saw and every board I tried to rip bogged down. Couldn't get more than a foot into any board before it got bogged down.
I just experienced this with a batch of hard maple, thinking it was just the way the wood was. I had heard it was from tension as a result of the tree being bowed. Nice to know that's not the case, that it's the drying process. Thanks for the information! And a Merry Christmas to you!
Thank You S.N. Your explanations are so important to woodworking beginners ! right where it's so needed, 'The Fibres/Grain structures'... So glad your around mate !
I can't tell you how much this helps me understand what I am dealing with right now. I bought white oak lumber from a friend that runs his own mill. I am using it to build my first bench. So far the warping has not been real bad, but the lumber has pretty bad checking and splitting. I'm filling with epoxy where it is the worst. I've had to do a lot of planing and will have more to do after the top is glued up. It's all still salvageable. Thank you for the info, now I have a better idea of what to look for when I'm buying lumber.
▼EXPAND THIS SECTION FOR MORE RESOURCES RELATED TO THIS VIDEO▼
*Links promised in this video:*
-US forestry service article: www.fs.usda.gov/treesearch/pubs/32396
-Jennie & Davis TH-cam channel: th-cam.com/channels/zTfxKT5Xv2TDXjGpGeB0tg.html
-More videos on our website: stumpynubs.com/
-Subscribe to our e-Magazine: stumpynubs.com/browse-and-subscribe/
-Check out our project plans: stumpynubs.com/product-category/plans/
-Instagram: instagram.com/stumpynubs/
★THIS VIDEO WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY★
-Jointer/Planer knives and helical carbide cutterheads from MyWoodCutters: mywoodcutters.com/
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What is the latest info on the Byrd and Luxcut cutterheads for Dewalt 735s?
@@downhomeonthefarm6464 I don't know how to answer that question. Are you asking me about product availability? Mywoodcutters.com can help you with that.
I downloaded the US forestry service article, but the diagram in it doesn't look the same as the one you show in the video. Is it the right one?
Can this problem be avoided if one cuts ones own lumber and dries it in a solar kiln?
@@vorshack8968 It's a silly principal, and it will cause you to miss out on a lot of good content. But if it makes you feel good, then you go with it. Have a nice day.
The old-timer I learned this from referred to the voids inside the board as "honey combing" and the cause of it exactly as you explain. The best way to deal with this is to cut it into pieces small enough to fit into your wood stove.
@@raphaelklaussen1951 great advice for the future but doesn't help you deal with the garbage in your shop
I'm a newby, but I just had 2 chime n. I imagine this is more prevalent now, when the mills r trying 2 catch up on the building materials 4 the new homes promised 2 buyers. The prices r supposed 2 decrease 2 us woodworkers (eventually) . Still waiting. Bad part is they're mowing them down faster than we're replacing them. What 2 do? Don't know. But, we'll pay 4 this n a hugh way someday. All I want is a couple pieces of wood 4 Xmas.
U don't want to burn treated wood either
@@dscritter614 Please write in English and avoid "textspeak". It's annoying.
@@fractode : The textspeak is annoying, but it _is_ English.
I work at a hardwood lumber mill, and this is something we're always trying to avoid. Our poor kiln tech is constantly fighting the battle against case hardening, trapped moisture, and honeycombing. The sudden uptick in lumber sales is good, but we're constantly riding the fine line between getting wood dried as fast as possible without ruining it.
One way I've found to "detect" trapped moisture in a board is to run your hand over the surface- spots with trapped moisture will usually feel unusually cooler to the touch. Plus, a board will often feel heavier than normal in a same-sized piece. Thanks for highlighting this problem, James.
Damn, I got this all wrong. I always go for the heavy one thinking I will make out on "per pound" basis. I thought the wood is better because it was more dense. No wonder they twist after leaving in garage for a while.
If you stack you lumber with wood spacers between the boards every few feet and leave even weight on it, the wood doesn’t move (warp, cup etc) and it continues to dry. I don’t know how this works on a case hardened board, but it seems to help on wood that isn’t fully dry or acclimated to your shops humidity.
@@ipick4fun27 I still pick the heavy DF boards/posts when I'm doing an outdoor project, because at least with that one tree, heavy usually equals significantly harder.
Would bringing a moisture meter to the lumber yard help detect case hardened boards?
@@ICantStopMakingNoise i bought 10x 20' yellow pine 2x8s; one of the last ones i picked was for sure double the weight. looking at it, it looks filled with resin; smelled way stronger too. I also thought this would be a stronger board; though I really have no idea; certainly is harder
"Don't tell them you learned this on TH-cam. That won't help your cause."
Truer words have rarely been spoken.
As a mechanical engineer, I've only ever heard the term case hardening being used to describe a process used on steel parts where they're cooked in a furnace while coated with material containing a lot of carbon, so the carbon diffuses into the steel through it's surfaces, giving high carbon at the surface to give a hard but brittle outer surface combined with a lower carbon level at the core of the part, making it more malleable, to allow the part to survive mechanical shock without cracking. I had no idea that the same term was used to describe an attribute of wood though. Thanks for producing this and your many other educational videos.
Me too. Always thought of case hardening in metallurgical terms.
You learn something everyday!
Also, the process he describes is very similar to how Prince Rupert Drops get their properties.
Imma bout to blow your mind. When making salamis or curing meats we can get problems with case hardening too. In exactly the same way described in the video. Only this kan also lead to spoilage or pathogenic growths
Would other methods of surface level carburization, like nitride bath(quench, polish, quench) also be considered case hardening or is that an incorrect use of the term? Also, some steels air harden at the surface level achieving the same results, would those be case hardened? Or does case hardening refer to the process rather than the results?
@@umdcornholio I was thinking exactly the same thing, but isn't that in the reverse? I'll have to go back to the old video that explained how the stresses work.
Man I am amazed at how much I learn from you James. Seriously this is hands down the best woodworking product knowledge and information channel I have ever seen and I watch a lot of them on TH-cam.
Well said
I learn every time
This guy has to be one of the most knowledgeable on here.
I second that.
Hey thanks for the shoutout! We think you’re nice enough, too 😉😉
This was an interesting dive into the drying process - we’ll certainly keep it in mind! Thanks for your help!
Definitely have noticed an uptick in this issue due to short supply and rushing to fill demand. Thanks for the tip on how to check before milling!
I call it Covid lumber.
Construction grade stuff is even worse than it was before.
"Don't tell then you learnt about it from a TH-camr."
BEST advise from a TH-camr!
James is just the best on the internet for wood working education.
So well educated and a good teacher.
Just the best!
I’m so glad I watched this. I’ve found the odd board that had hidden cracks inside and I couldn’t understand why. Now I know 😀
A good thing to know. But internal checking can occur naturally also, not just from incorrect drying...
Same here in white oak, mysterious internal cracks
GREAT video James and kudos for mentioning the fact that "most" lumber suppliers are NOT the culprit, then are the middleman AND be polite. Not just to your lumber supplier but make polite a way of life! !! !!!
Out of all the woodworking channels I have followed for years I have never seen someone explain this! I feel like this should be one of the first things one learns when getting into the hobby.
I've enjoyed the numerous helpful tips over the years but man, this one takes the cake. Incredibly helpful, thank you!
James, the intelligence of your channel, and of course you, clears things up tremendously. You provide HONEST content, no BS, NO fluff. The channel and people you reference are exactly the opposite. I stopped following because of the dishonesty and only try and follow people who are real and tell it like it is. Keep up the great work, Merry Christmas and stay safe
Even though I last cut a board 18 years ago and I'll probably never do it again, this kind of integral science is fun to learn about.
It also explains why the plank that I split into 2 legs is quite literally growing wonky over-time.
Appreciated the Forest Service pdf. And your demo and explanation…new info for me.
I've experienced this numerous times, for many years... I learned it could occur at any time, and the consequences could be burnt wood, or "Very Serious Kickback Issues on the Table Saw!" I never had any idea of the root cause...Case Hardening. After few violent incidents that involved "flying wood," I figured it was a totally unpredictable risk, associated with ripping wood... Always be strong, and be ready "to stall the saw", if the wood, closes on the blade... I'll continue to do this, as my old table saw has no "riving knife." Thank you James for yet another fantastic video! Next time it happens, I'll be smarter! 🙂
A nice little trick is to not stand directly behind your saw while operating it. Stand slightly off center, that way any kick-back won't hit you
If your old saw is anything like my old craftsman 113.x, replace the original start/stop switch with a start/stop paddle switch and move it to the left side of the saw body. Replace the cord while you're at it, it's probably old anyway and not terribly expensive. Doing this allows you to stand safely to the left of the saw and be able smack the off switch with your knee. It works...trust me.
@@danieljw1342 Excellent tip
@@danieljw1342 Very right
I have my Dad's 70 yo table saw... swapped a bearing or two over the years and still works great! You can make a riving knife pretty easy and I did... I think Stumpy even made a vid tip on it. I found it to be safer than my 60 yo reflexes. lol
Thank you so much for finding and sharing the case hardening test & kiln equalizing procedure from the US forestry service. This is invaluable information that every woodworker needs to understand. I hope you (and team) have a very Merry Christmas!!!
I never knew what caused this. I always assumed that some boards were just inherently “inwardly bound”, and that was why they closed up the kerf and pinched the blade. This is really interesting information…thank you for sharing!
As a humble little french woodworker, I am amazed at how much, from each video, I learn from you.Your subjects are always showed with accuracy, pedagogy (that matters a lot !!) and modération. Thank you James !!
I have experienced this and never heard it explained so plainly. Thank you and God Bless.
Excellent content. I've failed to recognize this as "a thing." I need to read the forestry products. I've recently purchased a saw mill and I'd like to produce the best lumber possible. Thank you.
@@furtim1 I'm in NC, but do travel to Georgia to visit family near Augusta... :)
What kind of sawmill are you talking about? A single machine for sawing logs or a production sawmill? If you’re a production sawmill, tell us how to get in touch with you!
Thank you, I really learned something with this episode and I've been a finish carpenter and wood worker for over 60yrs. Great show!
Wonderful information. Technical, on point, practical. THANK YOU
Thank you for explaining my frustration with scorching wood. I had always thought it was a problem on my end: crooked fence/misparalleled blade or me misfeeding the wood.
As with most things in woodworking, and life…. Rushing doesn’t end up saving time in the long run.
Thanks for the info, James.
ive been working with rough cut hardwoods for 30 years and this is the first ive heard of this (although i HAVE had this issue, many times)
we usually just had a guy on the outfeed side wedging the kerf to complete the cuts. and yes, depending on what was being made, warping/shrinkage was sometimes an issue.
An exemplary presentation: clear, thoughtful, articulate, and thorough. Thanks!
This is the single best piece of information about wood problems I learned in the past year. Thanks so much!
I have experienced this off and on for years. Always put it down to weird grain in the wood. Had no idea it could be caused by improper drying. Thanks loads for the video, I now am much better equipped to deal with this issue. Thanks!!
This method of educating about this issue is incredibly professional.
But considering it's from you, I'm not surprised to see it.
You're on another level, man.
Awesome explanation! I recently had this exact problem with a 1x8 piece of pine I was ripping for drawer fronts for a shop cabinet. I immediately went and bought a new blade from the local big family store…didn’t solve the problem. I finally got the piece cut however, and when I was installing the drawer faces I noticed how badly the ripped edges were cupped! Wish I knew this then.
Low quality raw materials dumped on the market are a scourge that could plague everyone for years. Thanks for bringing awareness to this.
Fascinating. I've heard of case hardening in steel. I did not realise that this could happen in wood of all things!
case hardening is a good thing in steel. totally different from case hardening in wood.
@@kenbrown2808 the general effect seems to be the same, though the mechanism is different (cooling vs drying), as is it's desirability
Man, I learn so much watching your channel! Really appreciate all the work you put into educating and keeping people safe!
I've totally experienced the same issue you were describing and showed in J&D's video, but had no idea what was causing it. This makes a lot of sense and I appreciate you explaining. I too thought it was my saw, but I couldn't trace the issue by measuring my saw alignments and fine tuning the blade and fence. Thanks for another wonderful education.
This is super helpful and explains some issues I’ve had on hardwood in the past.
Your videos have made me a better woodworker. Thank you!
An excellent source of information. Every single time I watch any content here, I laugh or learn and sometimes both. Thank you so much for everything.
glad that someone is talking about this. i'm a certified kiln for teak wood and when i left my replacement did that when a full truck load
I recently purchased some red oak that had some of these voids. Great explanation of the cause. Great video.
Gotta love Stumpy Nubs man. Thank you for putting out such great information for years!
You are awesome! I had this exact problem and spend hours researching. I tried a bunch of solutions. The result was a lot of time and energy and no resolution, until your video ... I've been setting up a wood shop in my garage and just had a bunch of cheap construction 2xs for building tables and shelving etc. The binding blade and smoke was so discouraging ... to have this problem as I am learning and just setting up! The problem "improperly dried lumber" is mentioned in a number of articles but without a good explanation, kind of useless to a novice. Of course the natural response is to assume I am doing something wrong. Thank you! ..and thanks to Davis for the question.
Wow i learn so much from every single one of your videos. Thanks for the great content and it really helps me to relaxe at night just because of how you are, your not hyped up yelling and screaming and showing your power tools with real volume you lower the volume and talk over the clip which is really appreciated, by not just me I'm sure but everyone who watches. Keep it up
I was aware of the concept of case hardening but the advice on how to use this information along with a practical test and documentation to get your money back is priceless! Great info Stumpy!
For what it's worth, they should also check the table saw fence alignment. Best to be a couple thousandths out of parallel with the back of the fence veering away from the blade. Just a couple thousandths but it makes a huge difference once blade runout, a bit of case hardening, etc. is considered.
It wouldn't hurt to check, but I've had the same thing happen, and it was definitely not the saw. I was ripping a hardwood floor board, and it completely stalled my saw. I finished the cut on the bandsaw, and by the time I was done the two pieces of the board were bowed apart more than an inch in the middle. The pinching force on the blade is similar to the force it takes to squeeze the bow flat once the pieces are cut.
I always assumed it was just weird grain causing tension in the wood. Flooring is usually a lower grade than wood used for furniture making, so the grain isn't necessarily straight.
Yep, first thought I had. Seems like his board is getting pinned between the fence and blade.
First, check (& correct) alignment of the saw blade axis to the table’s miter slots. Mine was off, I had fiddled with the fence alignment but couldn’t rip a long board without binding and burning. Saw the tip about aligning the blade on one of the Saturday morning woodshop shows. Checked mine and found it was out of alignment and one of the trunnion bolts was loose from the factory.
After getting the blade squared away the fence alignment fell right in.
That was my first thought too
Honestly, I think they are more a marketing TH-cam channel than a woodworking. They are making way more money from their marketing/business private group than their cutting board business.
I have been wood working for decades and experienced this problem many times before and had no idea this specific cause, and that it is preventable by the manufacturer. I just tried nugging through it best I could and still had poor results. Thanks for sharing this.
I had this happen when cutting down some wood a while back, now I know why. Always love how much you can learn from youtube
Extremely helpful explanation. Thank you!
James, you consistently know what you are talking about and present it in an even and understandable way. Thank you so much!! Jim
This was an excellent explanation to a problem in wood that I previously attributed to "this piece has some weird tension in it". Now I know why, so thank you!
I have never even heard of this, thanks! Great info and very easy to explain with that forestry service link.
Huh, I've definitely experienced this before but i always thought my fence wasn't square or something like that. This is great information thank you for sharing
Yet another five-minute SN video, with years of information. Thanks!
I didn't even know this was a thing, but I've experience this before! I was trying to cut short bars out of cheap pine for a DIY wooden toboggan and my hand rotary saw kept getting caught and stopping no matter how carefully I tried to cut it. I blamed it on it being battery-powered and/or my hand being unsteady and/or my jigs being off, but this offers a different explanation. Very cool!
Boy did I learn this the hard way, great job of pointing this out to your viewers. You do an amazing job of educating
Well this gave me a lightbulb moment! I started out by pinching bits of firewood from my dad's pile and cutting it down, and it was always a real slog to rip cut with a hand saw, this explains why, and also means I should probably keep an eye on that first box I ever made
I was one of those commenters on the video you mentioned. This was fantastic information and I had no idea. Thank you!
Wow I had no idea. Thank you James.
This is so helpful and I really appreciate the education here. 👍
I've never seen this explained; this makes so much sense. I've seen this when dealing with cheap construction lumber a lot and figured it was just the cost of buying cheap (which it is but now I know *why* it does what it does).
You explain everything so clearly, its a pleasure to look at yout videos! Congratulations and thanks
And now I know! Once again Stumpy taught me something
This explains a lot.
Why i had issues with some commercial boards, but the ones i sliced and seasoned myself, never.
Thanks
Been using wood for twenty years. Experienced this condition many times but didn't have a label for it. Thanks for this!
Ran into this quite a number of times over the decades and always wondered what caused it. Had people claim the blade was dull even if it was new. Thank you for the explanation. :)
I don't know what your background is but you are very knowledgeable on all things workshop. Thank you for sharing .
I just had this happen trying to rip some 2x’s and thought I did something wrong, thank you for a crystal clear explanation.
I've seen case hardening happen more than a few times. Thanks for putting a name to it. I see it mostly in alder sometimes in maple and oak. I have cut a board and watched it curve up as I ran it through the saw, like an 1"+ curve on a 8' board.
Never heard of this. I know about the 2x4 clamping on my blade but didn’t know this was the cause. Thanks James!
I had a kerf close in on a board while cross cutting with a circular saw. I thought it was just me but this explains a great deal. Thanks for sharing this.
Thank you! I cut up a bunch of 2x12s to make raised garden beds with a circular saw last year, and the kerf closed and pinched the back of the circular saw blade crosscutting most of them. I never understood what I was doing wrong.
Great information. I seem to learn a lot on your channel.
Great shout out to the old Forest Products Laboratory! It is a gold mine of technical data on EVERYTHING wood, and it is all public domain information.
3:34 It's amazing that you can see the inward pinching immediately, just from the cut you took out with a bandsaw, and then even more so after you chiseled out the inner piece. I'm familiar with these kinds of internal tension/compression stresses from plastics and metallurgy, it's cool to see a coherent explanation for how they effect woodworking as well.
I tried for years to figure out why my table saw caused me problems. I thought it was me. It wasn’t until I saw a video on this channel telling me to check the alignment of my saw blade as well as the fence. My blade was off a couple of thou front to back, and my fence more than couple of thou front to back opposite the blade. On their own a a few thou isn’t gonna matter much, but the compounded difference were a 64th plus on the heel and a 32nd on the toe. So every board no matter how careful I was at measuring, came out crooked, and burnt. Thanks for some more great content stumpy nubs!
You explain everything very clearly just as a father or grandfather would. I think you give best tips on woodworking subject here on YT.
thanks again Stumpy I have been woodworking for a lot of years and I still want to learn
more . Keep it up. Julien
I wish I had known this 20 years back. I have experienced this many times and couldn't understand what was happening. Live and learn. Thanks for the info.
You are spectacularly gifted at explaining. I'm not a woodworker at all, but your videos are incredibly interesting and educational.
I’m blown away! I never though that the problem I dealt with last fall was this. The lumber I used was red oak and it fought me tooth and nail. Every cut burned and pinched on the table saw and for the life of me I though I was just doing something wrong. I saw everything you said to look out for, complete separation in the middle of the boards, cracks and boards twisting instantly after ripping. Thank you for this video. What an absolute eye opener!
Konečně opravdu přínosné video na TH-cam. Děkuji.
👌👌
This was, as usual, extremely useful. I think understanding wood and how it behaves is key to making projects that will last.
As an old flooring installer of hardwood flooring, I never learned this method for checking moisture content. Thank you!
Just picked up a stack of ash for a project as I begin expanding my woodworking skills. I'll definitely keep my eyes peeled for the 6/4 boards that I'll be milling.
Thank you!
Wow!!!! I'm so amazed at the knowledge Stumpy has, and shares with us!!!!!! Thanks for all the great info James!!!! I really appreciate all you do!!
I'm exactly the kind of person you'd never think you'd see in the shop...
a metalworker XD
But I stuck out the awkward phase, and the past year has been so amazing; you've taught me so much.
Thank you to everyone at the shops, and who helps you realize this journey of education.
I am entirely certain you've saved many many fingers, mine included
This!!!
I’ve experienced this on more than one occasion ripping a 2x4 into 2x2’s and thought it was my old crummy job site table saw. Now I know! Thank your!
Any time you post a video I know it will be informative. Thank you.
After I buy lumber I like to skim plane it with the thickness planer, taking about an 1/32" off each day for a few days to help release tension as it acclimates to my shop. I did this because I didn't know I could return lumber. Thanks!
This is fascinating! I've known about "reaction wood" for a while, but I always thought it was caused by internal stresses due to twisted grain; I'd never known about case hardening. OTOH, this vindicates my propensity to procrastination. I had a pile of lumber sitting around for close to a year waiting for me to get around to the project; when I needed to resaw one of them, it went smooth as butter and left a nice baby-smooth surface :)
Hi Stumpy. I love your videos. It’s worth noting that case hardening occurs as the surface of the wood dries from green to 25% - weather in a kiln or not. Wood that is air dried also case hardens if it dries too quickly. Kiln operators attempt to control the temperature and humidity of the environment in which the wood dries to create optimal conditions for consistent (slow and steady) drying. However, kiln operators cannot control all the variables and sometimes wood does whatever it wants.
This is something I have never heard of and just experienced the other day as well as many times over the years. A+++!
I cannot thank you enough for this video. I buy my hardwood from northland lumber.. While I drive 100 miles each way I believe the prices are reasonable AND they have excellent products…no knots or other defects, very little warpage etc I have never had an issue with case hardening. But I am buying ash from aperson who has just started his milling and operation…so I will share this information and help him help me.
The majority of lumber I've gotten in the last year or so has had this problem, appreciate the video as I couldn't figure out why every board I ripped kept pinching the saw blade.
Great explanation for a problem I've seen many times over the years. My first thought, that the blade and fence were not parallel, was never verified. Then I was left scratching my head in frustration.
You are full of knowledge and wisdom my friend. Thank you for sharing!
Well I learned a lot. I have had this happen but had no idea why. Thanks at least now I know why and what to look for. This is the most informative channel on u tube.
Best use of 5 minutes this month. Thanks.
This, answers so many questions I had.
Long story short, I made a DIY table saw with a hand circular saw and every board I tried to rip bogged down. Couldn't get more than a foot into any board before it got bogged down.
I just experienced this with a batch of hard maple, thinking it was just the way the wood was. I had heard it was from tension as a result of the tree being bowed. Nice to know that's not the case, that it's the drying process. Thanks for the information! And a Merry Christmas to you!
Thank You S.N.
Your explanations are so important to woodworking beginners ! right where it's so needed, 'The Fibres/Grain structures'...
So glad your around mate !
I can't tell you how much this helps me understand what I am dealing with right now. I bought white oak lumber from a friend that runs his own mill. I am using it to build my first bench. So far the warping has not been real bad, but the lumber has pretty bad checking and splitting. I'm filling with epoxy where it is the worst. I've had to do a lot of planing and will have more to do after the top is glued up. It's all still salvageable. Thank you for the info, now I have a better idea of what to look for when I'm buying lumber.