With very limited space and equally limited budget, I'm filling in the
essential tools for woodworking. As I purchased some materials at one of the
local woodworkers supply stores yesterday I asked the salesman about
jointers and planers. The upshot of our conversation was his recommendation
to use my router with a straightedge for edging and buy a planer. So I did
the later (the Delta TP300).
Now it occurs to me that I cannot face a board -- particularly the 2x6
Doug. fir I'm using for this weekend's project -- without a jointer. Or can
I? I've read that just planning does not ensure two parallel faces, so I
wonder what solutions might be available to me.
TIA,
Rich
Rich Shepard wrote...
> Now it occurs to me that I cannot face a board ... without a jointer.
> Or can I? I've read that just planing does not ensure two parallel faces,
> so I wonder what solutions might be available to me.
Power planers are designed to produce a consistent thickness. That's why
they are sometimes called thickness planers. If neither face is flat,
then the board won't be flat after "planing" with one of these tools.
However, by preventing the board from moving -- rocking or bending --
during its pass through the planer, you can cut a flat surface on one
side. Here's one method for doing just that:
Make a sled from 3/4" sheet stock (melamine is good), as long as your
longest board, plus two inches or so, and as wide as your planer's
capacity. At one end, fasten a thin stop. Use countersunk flat head
screws and attach the stop to the face of the sled, not into the edge.
Make the stop an inch wide or so, and as long as the width of the sled.
It should be slightly thinner than the thinnest finished dimension of the
stock you will be flattening -- you don't want the planer knives to ever
hit a screw.
Place the warped board on the sled, butted against the fence. Use shims
every 4-8" to fill all gaps between the board and the sled. Use masking
or packing tape to hold the shims to the sled. Make sure the shims do not
extend past the edges of the sled. Feed the sled with the board on it
into the planer, fence first. Take light (1/64"-1/32") cuts.
When one side of the board is flat, take it off the sled and plane the
other side.
Good luck!
Jim
Sometines you can get it flat enough on one face with a hand plane.
TonyD.
"Rich Shepard" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 2004-01-01, Jim Wilson <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> >
>From: "Anthony Diodati"
>Sometines you can get it flat enough on one face with a hand plane.
> TonyD.
Every time I get it flat enough with a hand plane.
Due to lack of space, I chose not to get a joiner. Some careful work with a
scrub plane and a jack plane will make a board flat enough to run through the
planer and get good results.
David
remove the key to email me.
J Pagona aka Y.B. wrote:
> Every time I get it flat enough with a hand plane.
Me too.
> Due to lack of space, I chose not to get a joiner. Some careful work with
I don't have room for either one o' them newfangled electrogadgets, and no
money to buy one either. I have to do it all by hand. It can definitely
be done.
--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan <[email protected]>
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/
Yea Of course once you get a good flat side out of the planer, (opposite
your hand planed face) flip it over and clean up your hand planed face.
I have a 6" jointer,but once I had this board, that kicked up a 1/4" about
8" from the end.
I thought now how the hell am I gonna flatten this on the jointer,
Then I thought, "hello" jack plane.
Tony D.
"Rich Shepard" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> On 2004-01-01, Anthony Diodati <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > Sometines you can get it flat enough on one face with a hand plane.
>
> That thought occurred to me. I have an old plane and can sharpen the
blade
> on it.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Rich
"Rich Shepard" <[email protected]> wrote in message >
> My boards are quite flat. I will, however, save your suggestion for the
> warped or twisted ones that I'm sure will make their way into the garage.
> :-)
I've done what you plan to do with good success. That 2 x 6 may have a 1/4"
twist over the 8' length, but when you cut it down to smaller sections, you
may find the twist is really in one small area that can be cut off. Make a
few light passes in the planer and look at the result. If it is shaving off
fairly evenly, flip it over and take a light pass on the other side. That
fairly even also? You are on your way to a good finished board.
The planer is not going to replace a jointer, but with dimensional lumber in
pretty decent shape, you can get by. I've been doing it for a few years,
but do plant to have a jointer this summer.
Ed
[email protected]
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome
Rich Shepard wrote:
>I've read that just planning does not ensure two parallel faces, so I
>wonder what solutions might be available to me.
You are bass ackwards on this. Jointing two faces won't
ensure that both faces will be parallel. A planer will
ensure that both faces are parallel.
I'm only just getting to know my own lunch box planer but so
far I've not had problems using it in lieu of jointing one
face first. Of course this is dependant upon the thickness
of the material, i.e., these planers don't have the muscle
to flatten thicker boards that are cupped. Thin cupped
boards will be pressed flat while under the cutterhead and
will exit the planer with a cup.
Bowed and twisted boards are a whole nuther kettle of fish
and should be flattened on one face prior to planing.
As always there are times that the final design/usage for
the board will also lend itself to holding
bowed/cupped/twisted wood flat/straight/true. This is one
of those things you're better learning via experience and
logged shop hours.
As always, Your Mileage May Vary.
>TIA,
Uh huh.
UA100, wondering when wedding announcements will arrive with
TIA imprinted on them...
On 2004-01-01, Unisaw A100 <[email protected]> wrote:
> You are bass ackwards on this. Jointing two faces won't ensure that both
> faces will be parallel. A planer will ensure that both faces are
> parallel.
I did not clearly express myself. What I've read is that one should run
one face through the jointer then place that down when running the board
through the planer. I did not intend to imply that one should joint both
faces.
> I'm only just getting to know my own lunch box planer but so far I've not
> had problems using it in lieu of jointing one face first.
The board I selected is quite flat and the longest piece is 25 inches.
I'll probably give your method a try.
Thanks,
Rich
On 2004-01-01, Jim Wilson <[email protected]> wrote:
> However, by preventing the board from moving -- rocking or bending --
> during its pass through the planer, you can cut a flat surface on one
> side. Here's one method for doing just that:
Jim,
My boards are quite flat. I will, however, save your suggestion for the
warped or twisted ones that I'm sure will make their way into the garage.
:-)
Thanks for an excellent suggestion.
Rich
On 2004-01-01, Anthony Diodati <[email protected]> wrote:
> Sometines you can get it flat enough on one face with a hand plane.
That thought occurred to me. I have an old plane and can sharpen the blade
on it.
Thanks,
Rich
On 2004-01-01, Edwin Pawlowski <[email protected]> wrote:
> The planer is not going to replace a jointer, but with dimensional lumber
> in pretty decent shape, you can get by. I've been doing it for a few
> years, but do plant to have a jointer this summer.
Ed,
In my case a jointer will have to wait until I move into a larger house.
:-)
Thanks,
Rich