In order to be useful for woodworking, a piece of wood must be of a uniform thickness, flat and smooth on all sides, and square (i.e. each of the six sides is perpendicular to one another). Achieving these three goals composes the milling process. Once the lumber has been milled, it then must be dimensioned, where each piece to be used in furniture is cut to the appropriate measurements.

Rough sawn lumber (above) in need of flattening and smoothing. Note the warping along the edge. The engraving from Roubo (below) demonstrates the various ways that lumber can warp and twist.

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The flattening begins with a jack plane with its blade set for an aggressive cut. Working perpendicular to the grain, the major peaks and valleys are removed. This produces coarse, splintery shavings.

Next, a jointer plane is used (above) with its blade set more conservatively. Its long body ensures uniform flatness over the entire surface as the plane is moved parallel to the grain. Note the wispy, fluffy shavings. An 18th century menuisier flattens a board with a jointer plane (below).

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Finally, a smoothing plane is used parallel to the grain (above). Taking the thinnest shavings, it removes any marks left behind from the previous two planes and ensures a glassy, smooth surface.

The milled board on left compared with its original, rough-sawn state on the right. The planing process is repeated on all sides and done carefully to ensure squareness and uniform thickness.

Once the board is milled, each piece must be dimensioned. This is achieved using a panel saw that cuts along the grain.

To efficiently saw down a board’s length, the longer the saw the better. Gravity is an important aid. Demonstrated in both pictures, a near vertical angle is best for this type of sawing.

Next: Cutting the Joinery