wjbelknap

Use Higtron's guide. Rip your thin stock before you cut to length so you have a way to get it clamped in the guide beyond the length that needs to be cut (the clamp interferes with the saw at the ends). If you don't have long enough wood to do that, add pieces of same thickness under the guide and clamp as close as you can and still finish your cuts, you'll need to add pieces under the guide anyway on the side away from the cut to insure it sits flat and gives the vertical angle of cut you want.

Thanks for the comments, folks. These branches definitely have reaction wood, although the mesquite seems to be remarkably stable (at least over the few months I've been playing with it). I'm hoping to hear from someone who has actually used it, especially milling from logs. Thanks again.

We put natural cork insulation panels on one wall of the living room in our first house. These were about 2'x3'x1 1/2", dark brown, looked cool, smelled a little funky. However, an unintended consequence was that it made the room look like it had been shortened by about 4'. Something they probably teach in design school, but we had no idea!

Wood is very strong in compression along the grain, so to support the weight the posts don't have to be very big (if the grain is straight - a very big if). However, you need to be concerned about twisting forces induced by the connections under the stresses of a child (often children) swinging and bouncing and all the other things they will do besides sleeping on the bed. So, don't size your posts with just the dead weight they need to hold up in mind. This doesn't give you any numbers, just a suggestion of what to look for. Bruce Hoadley's Understanding Wood would give some engineering help. Some measurements at a furniture store would give some practical idea. Do look out for checking and other defects that could compromise the integrity of the posts. By all means do the project, it is so gratifying to build for a need.

Clear Vue Cyclones has reopened. Their products are designed with the Wynn filters in mind. Anyone thinking of using something that does not capture nearly all 1 micron and larger dust should peruse Bill Pentz's site. Do yourself a favor and don't screw up your lungs.

I've been given the bole of a 9" diameter mesquite tree. Should I just paint the ends, or should I do that and cut it in two lengthwise to dry? I live in Boulder City, NV , e.g. hot and very dry ( would you believe 4% RH somtimes?). I'd like to use it to cut ~ 1/8" thick flitches for veneering. I've already found out with some smaller pieces that it is tough to get consistent flitches. I watched one three inch diameter branch yield several inches of straight cut, a bow to the left for a few inches and a bow to the right for a few more as I attempted to cut a straight line through a curve in the branch and a major knot.

I don't have help to offer, but I do encourage you to save and use the plum. I recently got most of a dead plum, since I live in the Mojave Desert it was nearly dry. While most of the center of the main trunk is punky, the outside few inches, and some good branches have yielded beautiful wood. The attached picture shows an example from one of the branches, about a 5 or 6 inch diameter one. I used three flitch cut boards, bookmatched to cover a speaker ( finally replacing the missing original glass top).