Hi Jon P. and Jim H. and all others who are so inclined. The oak wood I got was not junk but bought from my Woodcraft store. I sliced the oak rip wise into 1&1/8" slices and glued them with titebond(lots, no glue starving here as I had run out all over the place nor did I over clamp the conglomeration). So the piece overall was 1&1/8" thick with the slices between 3/4" and 1" each by 6" square I left in my clamps 2 days and planed the surfaces level on my planer. The face grain of the wood has now become side grain on the top and bottom surfaces.The grain of the wood rings are not all going in the same way. When the piano was placed on it the cup cracked along a glue joint. I removed the weight before the crack went all the way through. Conclusions I came to. tite bond is certainly not indestructible. Side grain of oak is not as hard as face grain for this application. Oak dull cutting tools much faster than poplar. Having patience is learned easier when you have more than one project going at the same time. There are other things to do. I made and stained my third poplar (solid) yesterday and stained all three. I went to the WoodCrafts store yesterday and bought some solid mahogany and solid cherry as well as a bottle of padding lacquers for the cups.Today that will go on. If this trio is successful I will do a set in solid cherry and then mahogany(what prices>) and then trying a 2 piece horizontal lamination of mahogany and cherry and see what happens . James Grebe R.P.T. of the P.T.G. from St. Louis, MO. USA, Earth pianoman@inlink.com May I listen as well as I hear.
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