A successful woodworker needs to know how to stabilize board for planing. It is preferable to make the workbench functional in all ways you can. Dealing with lightweight woods such as poplar can sometimes bring problems when performing finishing tasks. The last thing anyone wants is to keep disengaging the planer while adjusting the wood.
To secure the wood for the planing, the wood structure needs to be fostered. This is where wood stabilization comes in handy. It is significant to find acrylic resin as it helps in filling up the cellular spaces in the wood. As a result, your board ends up being weighty hence stable on the bench. The process of removing moisture should be applied as well. Using an oven for this task is key for the curing process.
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Inspect the Wood Structure
Before anything else, take note of the type of wood you are dealing with. The guiding principle should be focusing on the structures of cellular spaces and density per unit volume. Some woods with high natural oil content may bring some problems with the absorption of resin.
Exotics such as rosewood and teaks lay in this category. The last time I worked with denser woods such as walnut and beech, the resin hardly gained any entry into the structure. However, if dealing with porous boards, then you can be sure of success.
Find the Right Stabilizing Resin
It is common to see people picking acrylic resins for the procedure. The question is, which properties do we look at when choosing these chemicals? Aim for the pre-catalyzed acrylic resins which are heat-activated. I find it efficient with all types of wood hence use it often. Another valuable option is going for the stick-fast resin. This is due to its fast ability to fill up the spaces in the structure.
It may be a great idea to not settle for the generic brands in the market as you hardly know about their performance. Some of them are dissolved in acetone which can be flammable. At times, this poses a risk to the vacuum pump.
The Stabilization Procedure
The first thing I find significant is focusing on the end-size of the board I want to do planing. It is helpful as you save a lot of resources and time. I once stabilized blocks well but later had to cut them into the specific pieces I needed. This took me long before having blocks ready for the sanding.
Thus, take the measurements and make the dimensions closer to the size you want. Consider drying the board well and if possible, make it 100% moisture-free. At this stage, putting the wood pieces in the oven is necessary. Through this, you provide maximum room for the resin to occupy the grain structure of the board.
Dip the blanks in the acrylic resin in the chamber and do the sealing. This is where you power the set vacuum generator. After a short time, there will be a formation of foam which is an indicator of air displacement in the wood structure. You are almost done with stabilization after this stage since what you need is proper curing of the wood through baking.
The stabilization of a board before planing is significant as it makes it denser. This is because the cellular spaces are filled with the resin. Your boards will, therefore, be much stable on the bench when doing the finishing work.
