Red Herring, Fish tail
I took on a series of 4 hardwood decks that would be ultimately incorporated into a bookshelf. The design of this board was inspired by multi-layered pun. This is a red, herring bone patterned, fish tail board (In retrospect it seems overly silly, I know). Despite its contrived origins, this was my favorite board of the batch. I had never tried a herring bone long board before. It required some more advanced glue ups to keep the strength needed for a long board,.
Required Resources: 8 hours, $50
Size: 8" x 36" x .0.625"
Materials: Walnut, Yellowheart, Padauk
Finish: Minwax Natural Stain, 3 X coats Oil-Based Semi-Gloss Polyurethane Aerosol
Tools: Table Saw, Miter Saw, Laser Cutter, Orbital Sander
New Techniques:
Herring Bone Pattern: Most of the boards I completed before this were either monolithic or strips that ran parallel to the major axis of the board. The herring bone was a bit of a departure. While not entirely different in execution, herring bone required making a special glue up jig that allowed for even pressure along the length of the glued strips, but also allowed for a stagger in the strips preserved material. The maple rib down the center was not just decorative; the face to 45 degree end grain joint is significantly stronger than the 45 to 45 joint. Gluing the two herring bone sides together at the center would have created a weak joint that I wouldn't be comfortable sending someone out to ride on,
Lessons Learned:
Padauk: The Red Plague - The red wood used in this board is called Padauk and it is heinous to work with. No, it doesn't check when planed like zebrawood, nor does it tear out on the table saw like bird's eye. It actually "machines" rather nicely. But, when sanded or sawed, paduak produces a super fine, almost noxious saw dust that gets everywhere. After only 2 minutes with the orbital, the shop becomes hazy with padauk dust and without a respirator you may find yourself amidst a coughing fit. When the dust settles, it leaves a red patina on every surface in the room. And no not just the top of horizontal surfaces like most hardwood dust. Padauk dust is so fine that static buildup on the floor, on tables, the walls, even ceiling draws it cling. Finally, when sanding a piece with mixed woods, the red paduak saw dust grinds into the other woods. If you you have paduak adjacent to a light colored wood in a project, be prepared for the light wood to be forever stained with a pink-orange tinge. Yes, properly finished paduak is stunning, but is it worth?
