How can I cut pine shelves to size?

Question

I've ordered some custom pine shelves to fit into an alcove. Due to poor communication, they are 1-2 mm too long to fit.

What is the best way to cut them down to size? They're 5cm(~2") thick and 22cm(~9") wide (90cm (~35") long).

I live in a flat (apartment), so I have limited space to cut wood inside and get dust everywhere. I have a multitool and was considering either using that to sand it down to size a few mm outdoors, or buying a wood plane and using that to reduce the thickness (though i don't currently have a bench to clamp it to), not sure what is the easiest approach.

Answer 1

A couple of swipes with a block plane, which is an extremely apartment-friendly tool - low cost, quiet, makes shavings, not dust.

For not-very-extensive work such as this (or even more extensive work) plenty of apartment-dwellers get by with an appropriately protected coffee-table, desk, or kitchen-counter as a working surface. For just planing off the edge of a board, all you really need is a stop to hold the board in a way that you can plane all the way to the end. That "stop" could be the other boards set against a wall or across a doorway opening.

Edit, now that you have clarified the issue to be length rather than width:

A block plane is still good, but a low-angle block plane is better for end-grain, you'll need to cross the "sharpness - no, really, sharper than that!" part of your education sooner rather than later. Sharp planes work very well. Dull planes don't work at all.

Study up on "scary sharp" and buy some sandpaper and either a stone threshold or a scrap of plate glass; Unless a stone countertop or similar hard flat surface is already available...

The side you are planing towards should be supported very close to the end you are trimming off (so it does not splinter as you exit the wood.)

Answer 2

Between the two tools you mentioned (a multitool and a plane) the plane would give the best results.

You don't necessarily need a bench to clamp the workpiece to, a kitchen countertop with an overhang may work just fine, but I would be cautious about tightening a clamp against a granite or other stone countertop, as too tight may crack it. A kitchen towel between the wood and countertop would help cushion and hold the piece.

Answer 3

Just as an alternative: See if there is someone with a tablesaw available somewhere. The more professional shops can probably do this in one pass, or max 2.

It'll be extremely quick, straight and apartment friendly.

You could just call around and offer a small compensation (some companies might want a financial compensation, some might do it for some good cookies in their coffee break).

If you dont know anyone, you could use Makerbook.io*, which is a site that is intended for cases like this (albeit a bit more significant jobs); you can rent a little shoptime to make use of their machines.

_{* I am in no way affiliated, nor do I have personal experience with their service.}

Answer 4

5cm thick is about 2”. That’s a lot of material on end grain. If you can do it outside, a grinder or belt sander would speed things up.

Answer 5

You mention a multitool and plane, but you don't have the plane yet -- you'd have to buy it. If you're willing to go out and buy a new tool, a pull saw seems perfect for the job. Maybe even a bit cheaper than a plane. For one-time stuff like this the amount of "dust" created is not that much. This involves some propping to steady the board, as others have mentioned, then a couple minutes of steady hand-eye coordinated strokes.

Answer 6

If I understand correctly, you need to shave down the end-grain on the hidden edges of the shelf. You can do it with a really sharp block plane but if you've never used one before, you are probably going to struggle and possibly damage the wood.

Instead of a block plane, I would recommend a rasp plane like this one:

These are relatively inexpensive and easy to use. It's like a cheese grater. It doesn't take much effort, even on end-grain. I've used these to shave off the top of doors that are rubbing the frame. They are a little messier than a block plane and leave a rougher finish but if the shaved edges are hidden, that seems not to be a concern.

Start at the corners and work inward. Once the front and back edges are the right length, you can work the middle in any direction. Working at a slight angle to the piece can help speed things up.

Answer 7

Jigsaw?

If the ends of the shelves are hidden against the alcove wall, I'd use my jigsaw. You can shave off 1-2mm, by using the oscillating blade as a powered rasp rather than a saw. The "cut" won't be as pretty as using a plane, but there again, with cross-grain planing there's danger of breaking a splinter off the long edge. You can clamp a piece of wood across the shelf you are working on as a guide to cut/rasp a better straight line than following a pencil line. But there again, how straight are the alcove walls?

Dust? Work outdoors, or connect the jigsaw to a vacuum cleaner. I don't use the vacuum attachment much, because dust always sticks to the transparent blade shroud and makes it impossible to really see what the blade is doing. Maybe it's just my particular model of jigsaw.

This suggestion definitely only for cross-grain or a board material. For slightly reducing width along wood grain, most definitely use a plane. Better finish, and no dust.

Answer 8

Using a block plane on end-grain is difficult and has a tendency to cause splitting. Try a surform grater device.

If possible practice on some old wood - end-grain only.

Consider cutting into the alcove to avoid wood cutting, if this is possible.