Wood preparation
Enough 8/4 wood should be available for completing your design. Measure the amount of linear board feet you will be needing off of the full scale template to be sure. It is best the have your wood thickness planed all at the same time to the same thickness (i.e. 1-7/8") so that a piece of wood from any board will match in thickness, this is especially important for stack lamination areas. Any pieces which are going to be edge glued onto another piece in order to make a wider slab must also be jointed squarely, 90 degrees, on the side. When wide slabs of wood are unavailable, more edge gluing must be done to make the widths you need. Sometimes it is recommended to use a biscuit joiner when edge gluing the planks, slabs and boards, I almost never do this. If a lot of wider boards must be made up, go ahead and joint the longer boards and then edge glue them as needed, otherwise, only joint and edge glue as is needed while you go.
Using the template, you can figure out where you
are going to get your parts from, always start with the bigger
needs first. As you work, smaller scraps will appear which will be used
on the narrower or smaller parts. Always try to have the grain
of the wood running the long way on the piece you are making. The grain direction is a matter of constant vigilance, think strength and ease of carving.
Note: Parts which are to be laminated or stacked together should have a similar grain direction otherwise you
will run into some frustrating carving. The grain direction can change, but it should not be
in a contrary
sense, that is, where you will be hitting end grain.
