Why Feather Edge?

[Wendelspanswick]

Working out the logistics of adding a tilting bed to my mill for feather edge and it occurred to me what is the advantages of using feather edge over parallel boards?

You get a marginal increase in the volume of boards from a butt but I can't think of any other benefits?

[Richard 1234]

Makes the fence lighter for 1

[IVECOKID]

Try making a fence panel with parrellel boards .....awful and they just don't sit!

Also you get a natural weather sill when used for cladding

 

Ste

[openspaceman]

Working out the logistics of adding a tilting bed to my mill for feather edge and it occurred to me what is the advantages of using feather edge over parallel boards?

You get a marginal increase in the volume of boards from a butt but I can't think of any other benefits?

 

I always assumed it was to mimic the previous method of making pales by radially cleaving a log.

 

You still occasionally come across old cleft oak paling and round here it would have been made by Astolats, they had several blokes cleaving oak to make paling and shingles before the first world war according to Ron Mould who seemed to own the company when I knew him, he had started working for his grandfather.

 

It just goes to show that the quality of oak thinnings in those days was far higher than you see growing in the woods today.

[wills-mill]

Try making a fence panel with parrellel boards .....awful and they just don't sit!

Also you get a natural weather sill when used for cladding

 

Ste

 

I've just moved over to having the kit for tapered featheredge after a decade cutting plain boards. Still can't really see the fuss, over the years we've put up plain cladding alongside featheredge and there's no visual difference to speak of.

 

I can see your point down at a closeboard level, but I've also seen plenty of cladding failures from featheredge supplied with a really skimpy weak edge, so sometimes it isn't the bees knees.

 

Every larch lap panel out there is made with a parallel board and they don't seem to be that unpopular.

[wills-mill]

I always assumed it was to mimic the previous method of making pales by radially cleaving a log.

 

I think that's right in part, it's a hangover from cleft boarding.

[agg221]

For cladding, so only one face will be exposed, there are several advantages. The first is yield - assume you want a 3/4" bottom edge, parallel sawn it takes 3/4" of timber to make a board whereas feathered to 1/4" you need 1" plus saw kerf to make two boards. Assuming a 1/8" kerf, in a 20" cant that means the difference between 35 boards and 26 boards.

 

Feather edge lies flatter, so it drains better and should last longer. Lying flatter also decreases the size of the corner cappings - the 'stick out' of flat boards as above would be just over 1.5" whereas feather edge will be just over 1". It also keeps weight down which decreases loading and means smaller fixings. It also puts the thickness where you need it, on the bottom edge without compromising lifetime.

 

Practical experience of installing it, it is also much easier to get a tight lap as you easily deflect the 1/4" edge to conform to the profile of the thicker edge and close the gap.

 

Alec

[Stubby]

For cladding, so only one face will be exposed, there are several advantages. The first is yield - assume you want a 3/4" bottom edge, parallel sawn it takes 3/4" of timber to make a board whereas feathered to 1/4" you need 1" plus saw kerf to make two boards. Assuming a 1/8" kerf, in a 20" cant that means the difference between 35 boards and 26 boards.

 

Feather edge lies flatter, so it drains better and should last longer. Lying flatter also decreases the size of the corner cappings - the 'stick out' of flat boards as above would be just over 1.5" whereas feather edge will be just over 1". It also keeps weight down which decreases loading and means smaller fixings. It also puts the thickness where you need it, on the bottom edge without compromising lifetime.

 

Practical experience of installing it, it is also much easier to get a tight lap as you easily deflect the 1/4" edge to conform to the profile of the thicker edge and close the gap.

 

Alec

 

Sums it up for me !

[Ilnumero]

I often use parallel boards for fencing around my place.

 

The type of 6 inch featheredge that my local timber merchant supplies is about 10mm thick at the thick end and sometimes down to a sliver at the thin end and is not terribly rhobust.

 

I cut boards at 6" x 3/8" or sometimes 7/16 (11mm) so the thickness at the overlap is about 22mm which is quite acceptable. It's easy on the mill as I just use the normal linear scale and lower 1/2" each cut to give 3/8 (10mm) boards.

 

Perfectly acceptable and far quicker than using any kind of tilting jig, imo.

[Big J]

I've been asked by one of my customers for feather edge. As such we'll be buying a horizontal resaw in the new year to produce a lot of feather edge. I have been askedf or it now and again in the past, but have not been able to cut it. With the promise of over 100 cubic metres a year, it makes the machine cost justifiable.

 

I do like feather edge myself, and would probably use it for cladding if I produced it.