How Much Waste Do You Consider Okay?

[Rick500]

Curious to know what you guys think about this:

I ordered a nice piece of black limba from my regular supplier, and when it arrived, I noticed there was a check about 3 inches from the edge, all the way through the thickness of the board, and about 10 inches down its length. It was a 48" x 10", 8/4 piece. Obviously, this is enough to call about a partial refund or exchange. (Which I did, and we worked out a more than fair arrangement, no problems.)

But I just got another piece from someone I've not ordered from before, 60" x 11", 8/4, and there's a check through the thickness of the board, right down the center, length of about 6". Would you call about that or just cut it off? I'm on the fence about it.

[Woodenspoke]

But I just got another piece from someone I've not ordered from before, 60" x 11", 8/4, and there's a check through the thickness of the board, right down the center, length of about 6". Would you call about that or just cut it off? I'm on the fence about it.

If was ordering by phone or online I would expect to have all defects listed or told to me. Now 6" is s certianly not a major flaw. Depends if you can cut around it. If you were going to loose 8" anyway off the end of the board then I would not mention it and move on.

[Rick500]

Yeah, that was my initial thought as well.

Whether I can cut around it or not, depends on what I end up using the board for. It's just short of being wide enough to make one-piece bodies. I can rip it into two pieces--one 7" wide and one 4" wide, and get three body blank halves from the wide piece (I have a few other pieces I can make another body blank half from) and two neck blanks from the narrow piece; I'll have to do some creative layout with templates and see how I can maximize the yield without the check running into one of the body blank halves.

[Woodenspoke]

Yeah, that was my initial thought as well.

Whether I can cut around it or not, depends on what I end up using the board for. It's just short of being wide enough to make one-piece bodies. I can rip it into two pieces--one 7" wide and one 4" wide, and get three body blank halves from the wide piece (I have a few other pieces I can make another body blank half from) and two neck blanks from the narrow piece; I'll have to do some creative layout with templates and see how I can maximize the yield without the check running into one of the body blank halves.

Exactly

[Narcissism]

Hmm. I was once denied a piece of figured bubinga because he knew I wanted to make a guitar out of it, and not a table. "You'll be cutting away too much of the wood for anyone to appreciate its beauty. If you were making a coffee table, then I'd give it to you, but you really don't seem to care enough about this piece for me to sell it to you."

...

Its a freakin' piece of wood, not a magical trophy. *shrugs* I bet it wasn't that pretty anyway.

[erikbojerik]

Hmm. I was once denied a piece of figured bubinga because he knew I wanted to make a guitar out of it, and not a table. "You'll be cutting away too much of the wood for anyone to appreciate its beauty. If you were making a coffee table, then I'd give it to you, but you really don't seem to care enough about this piece for me to sell it to you."

...

Its a freakin' piece of wood, not a magical trophy. *shrugs* I bet it wasn't that pretty anyway.

Hehehe - I'll wager that the economy has turned that guy's viewpoint around 180°....

Even with a perfect piece, if the end is rough (i.e. not recently cut since being out of the kiln) I will lob 2" off the end just to be safe. But I have also been known to hand-select a piece with some end checks, if the figure is what I'm looking or AND I can work around it.