Thread: Stave core construction...

What's stave core?

It's not a term that I've heard used in Australia - could you describe it please.

Originally Posted by AlexS

It's not a term that I've heard used in Australia - could you describe it please.

You're obviously not a barrel-maker, Alex. Staves are the 'planks' that make up a barrel, so with a little extension, they become the planks of a laminated board. I presume Alan is going to glue his oak face to a laminated substrate.

Anyway, if that's what you're doing, my answer is "risky". If you lay them parallel to the grain of the substrate, you need to be confident they have the same expansion/contraction rates, or seasonal water movement will give you a concave/convex surface. You could hook it up to a needle and have a handy hygrometer!

If you lay them at right angles, you'd really need a similar set at the back as a balance - all getting a bit bulky!

If your design insists the oak be tied down, why not use a good quality ply as the substrate? You'd still have an unbalanced construction, but it should be a bit more stable. If you glued or keyed the oak bits together, you would need very little glue to attach it to the substrate.
Or maybe you could design so you didn't need to glue the oak panel down at all?

Originally Posted by IanW

You're obviously not a barrel-maker, Alex. ?

No, not a barrel maker, but I've done a bit of coopering in furniture etc., so I know what staves are - I've just not heard of them being used as the core for some other type of construction.

If it's as I visualise, I'd be inclined to use some other type of core for the reasons Ian has given.

Alex, your avatar implies a differnt story to above mentioned

Originally Posted by jow104

Alex, your avatar implies a differnt story to above mentioned

I didn't make 'em John, just emptied 'em.