The new 11', laminated yellow pine yoke is coming along. Current totals on time for each step:
Layout and cutting 3 center laminations: 1.5 hours
Handplaning, sanding and glue up of center 3 laminations: 1.5 hours
Drilling bow holes on drill press: 1 hour (probably less, but I started them on the drill press and finished them using a corded hand drill and a forstner bit with an extension. It actually worked pretty well.
Planing and glue up of outer laminations: 1 hour.
Flattening and smoothing the yellow pine 2 by 12's is by far the hardest part of the job. Using a jack plane on each works, but I wasn't as happy with my glue lines as I'd like. I'm sure they are plenty strong, just not as nice as I would like, so I pondered other options.
I decided to run the outer 2 by's through my 13' thickness planer, taking 3-4 skim cuts off of the "glue" side. That worked quite well, as I'd just changed the blades. Spurred by that success, I decided to run the beam itself through the planer to flatten and smooth it as well. How did it work? Surprisingly well.
I have a shop-made outfeed table on the planer, so the beam was supported as it came out and it caused a little snipe (uneven cutting) on the end, but overall it worked well with about three light passes per side.
Hindsight being 20/20, I should have started by running each 2 by 12 through the planer, but that will have to wait for next time.
Now on to the fun work: shaping and carving.
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