# Thinking about getting a planer...



## CaseyForrest (Oct 25, 2006)

Ive never had or used one, but if I get into selling wood, Id like to be able to have at least 2 sides surfaced.

Who all has one, and what do you have?

How do you go about planeing a board? Do those 3 1/4 planers do any good? Id like to get one of the table top planers, will do up to 12" to 13" wide, and 6" thick, but dont have a clue.


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## flht01 (Oct 25, 2006)

The latest issue of Wood #173 November, published by Better Homes and Gardens, has a side by side comparison of the popular table top planers. Let me know if you have trouble finding this issue.

I've got a delta #22-580 13" tabletop but don't have enough personal experience with it to comment. Maybe one of the more experienced users will chime in.


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## bookerdog (Oct 25, 2006)

*rigid 13*

I know they give the rigid 13inch table top planer a good review. Grizzly also has a 12 1/2 inch planer that gets pretty good review and I think the price of the grizzly is only 225.00


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## daemon2525 (Oct 25, 2006)

Casey,
I have a DELTA 12 inch tabletop and have had for years. I could not be happier. At the time it was 399$ and then years later I saw one on clearance for 199$. I could bury my house in the chips that it has made.

I have no exprience with any other brand than a large belsaw, which is obviously more powerfull.

My only complaint is that you are not suppose to sharpen the blades, just use them once (till dull) and then flip them over. Then you are suppose to buy new.

I use to have an uncle with a surface grinder (whatever that is) that would do a good job sharpening them. He is old and cannot help me now. 

I have tried to sharpen them myself and cannot figure a good way to do it, so now I have to keep buying new and it gets expensive.

That is my only complaint.

I take that back.. I have used a MAKITA and the blades were locked by a groove in the blade so that even if you could sharpen them they would not work because then they would be to (narrow)short to clear the roller.
The DELTA blade sits on springs and you push it down with a guage to the correct depth. WHen the blade gets narrower as you sharpen, it does not matter.


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## CaseyForrest (Oct 25, 2006)

Thanks for the quick replies...

The rigid looks nice, as does the Dewalt, and the Delta...

How concerned do I really need to be about either 3 knives over 2? Or 66cpi over 90cpi? Is it really going to make that big a difference that some 100 grit on a sander cant fix?

Also, whats the process of planeing a board? Lets say youve got a 1.5" x 6" x8'.......which side do you plane first? Can you plane all four sides on a table top planer, or do you need a jointer to do the 1.5" sides?


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## dustytools (Oct 25, 2006)

Casey there are several good planers on the market today. If I were going to buy a new one today I would go with the DeWalt especially if I were going to use it a bunch.I have a friend that runs a cabinet shop who just bought one and it is SWEET. Has three cutters versus the two on most lower end planers. Believe me the extra blade makes a lot of difference. Ive got an older model Delta that I would probbably be willing to part with, Trouble is it is so heavy that the shipping would more than likely cost an arm and a leg. Send me a PM if you might be interested.


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## sawinredneck (Oct 25, 2006)

Find Grizzly tools Casey, if you are serious about this, you will kill a table top unit in a week!!!
Andy


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## CaseyForrest (Oct 25, 2006)

Thanks for the offer Dusty...You are probably right, shipping would probably be enough for me to say thanks anyway!!!

I like the Dewalt, but at close to $600 out the door, thats allot of money!!!

I dont forsee myself using it allot, just enough to be able to make a couple hundred extra bucks a month selling wood that would otherwise go in someones OWB.

Ill have to fondle the Delta and Rigid units at HD.


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## daemon2525 (Oct 25, 2006)

1. I cannot tell about 2/3 blades. Mine has two and works fine.

2. You will not need 100 grit sandpaper on anything that comes out of my planer.

3. Yes you will need a jointer for the short sides.Or a nice tablesaw with a Woodworker blade.

4. I start with the ugliest side and get it close to straight and then flip it every other time until one side is perfect, then work the other side until it is good also. I'll bet You'll get different opinions on this one.


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## CaseyForrest (Oct 25, 2006)

sawinredneck said:


> Find Grizzly tools Casey, if you are serious about this, you will kill a table top unit in a week!!!
> Andy



I know what you are getting at...I wont be doing any high production work...Just a few linear feet a week, nothing major.


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## CaseyForrest (Oct 25, 2006)

I guess what I really want to do is be able to remove the chain marks from the slabs after milling. I thought about a belt sander, and I guess that would be allot cheaper.....just that having a planer would be neat!!


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## daemon2525 (Oct 25, 2006)

> Find Grizzly tools Casey, if you are serious about this, you will kill a table top unit in a week!!!
> Andy



I agree, MAYBE, I do not sell lumber. I just use it for my own use. HOWEVER, I know that I have planed 4 to 5000 board feet with mine. Some of it was pretty ugly. My uncle had a bad habit of making boards that were 1.5 on one end and .75 on the other. With a woodmizer. He ran it dull or too fast or something.

I know very close to how much I have planed because I buy my lumber in 400 board foot units. (about a pickup truck full).

I do not know if 4-5000 board feet is considered a lot. You be the judge.


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## sawinredneck (Oct 25, 2006)

My reasoning for the larger planer is due to the width and length of the boards it will take a toll quickly on the smaller units!
Andy


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## daemon2525 (Oct 25, 2006)

I am agreeing with you. I was just trying to tell how much my unit has produced. For someone who does 1000 bdft per week, I'll give the Delta a couple of months! LOL! 

I'll also agree that my machine is not as happy with 10-12 inch boards as it is with 6 or less. I have had some 12 inch wide water oak that I was just sure was my last board!!! It groaned a little. :hmm3grin2orange:


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## trimmmed (Oct 25, 2006)

daemon2525 said:


> I agree, MAYBE, I do not sell lumber. I just use it for my own use. HOWEVER, I know that I have planed 4 to 5000 board feet with mine. Some of it was pretty ugly. My uncle had a bad habit of making boards that were 1.5 on one end and .75 on the other. With a woodmizer. He ran it dull or too fast or something.
> 
> I know very close to how much I have planed because I buy my lumber in 400 board foot units. (about a pickup truck full).
> 
> I do not know if 4-5000 board feet is considered a lot. You be the judge.



I agree with what you are saying about the 12" Delta, I've had one for for 8 years or better and it has taken all the nasty stuff I've thrown at it in stride.

Casey, a small planer will work fine for what you need, a belt sander is half the price but 10 times the aggravation and 10 times as slow. I'm happy with my Delta, but most of the portable planers have gotten pretty good reviews.

Now to clarify, you just want to pretty up the wood you are selling, i.e. get rid of the chain marks and show off the grain and a planer is perfect for that. That said if you want to make square boards, you would need a jointer and tablesaw as well. A hand held powerplane would be nice for your edges and alot cheaper than a jointer as well as easier to use. I have a Dewalt 3 1/4" that I am *very* happy with.


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## aquan8tor (Oct 25, 2006)

CaseyForrest said:


> Thanks for the offer Dusty...You are probably right, shipping would probably be enough for me to say thanks anyway!!!
> 
> I like the Dewalt, but at close to $600 out the door, thats allot of money!!!
> 
> ...






Although $600 is a lot of money to you, and to me as well, overall it really isnt a lot to pay for a planer. Big units that are wider--say 20-24" are thousands, not hundreds. I've got a friend with a 24" helical cutter XTREMA that I'm sure set him backa few thou. But, Jeff'll probably have it for his lifetime, and will use the hell out of it.


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## Big Woody (Oct 25, 2006)

Here is what I highly recommend.

Nothing like trying to run a decent size board though a small planer and have it moving all over the place.


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## woodshop (Oct 25, 2006)

CaseyForrest said:


> I know what you are getting at...I wont be doing any high production work...Just a few linear feet a week, nothing major.


Casey just understand that those tabletop 12 inch planers, like everything else, have their niche. You can certainly run "a few linear feet a week" through them. Even then though, if that lumber is 12 inch wide rough lumber, the thing is just not going to hold up to that for a long time. The motors in those planers were never designed to take on that kind of a load for any more than the occasional board or two. Also, as was already mentioned I think, if you want to get that rough board to S2S, you will need a jointer also in conjunction with that thickness planer. A planer won't straiten out a twisted board. If you run a twisted board through, it will thickness that board, but it will follow that twist. For truly flat boards with no twist, you have to get one side flat first on a jointer, THEN run it through the planer to make the board same thickness over its whole length. For S4S (where not just 2 sides, but edges also, all 4 sides surfaced), you will then put that planned board back on the jointer to get one good strait edge, and then table saw to rip the board to the same width. Quite an investment in woodworking tools I realize. However, thems the cold hard facts. That's what it takes to turn $2 a ft rough lumber into $6 a ft lumber ready for a woodworking project.


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## Sawyer Rob (Oct 25, 2006)

I have a 20" Newel and a 13.5" Rockwell.....

For homeowner use, a bench top planer will last a while, but if you really are going to sell lumber, you better set your sights a LOT higher than that! Bench top planers work at a snails pace, and are VERY noisy too....

My brother took the cutter head berrings out of his BT planer, planeing rough sawn lumber in less than a years time... He now has a full size planer...

Rob


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Oct 26, 2006)

I've had the 13" Ridgid planer for over 5 years. I can say it's a good machine for it's intended purpose... and then some. I've planed thousands (yes, thousands) of LF of #2 SYP 1x- (soft but full of rock hard knots) as well as numerous hardwoods in mine and it still functions as well as it did when new. I have also used the Delta 12.5 and DeWalt 13" planers and both are good machines as well, especially the Dewalt. For the occasional flattening of a few boards, I can say a bench top planer will work just fine. You can easily build a jig that will make one function like a jointer to flatten one side then run the board normally to take it down to the desired thickness. Then a straight edge, a good circlesaw and a steady hand is all you need to make "poor mans" S4S. It does work, I've done it. If you have a table saw and/ or jointer, that's just icing on the cake.


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## Marc1 (Oct 26, 2006)

CaseyForrest said:


> Ive never had or used one, but if I get into selling wood, Id like to be able to have at least 2 sides surfaced.
> 
> Who all has one, and what do you have?
> 
> How do you go about planeing a board? Do those 3 1/4 planers do any good? Id like to get one of the table top planers, will do up to 12" to 13" wide, and 6" thick, but dont have a clue.



Casey, if you want to sell wood, your customers will buy your wood if they like the quality/price of the boards and not for how well or otherwise they are dressed. The cabinetmaker will machine the wood at his own specification.

Also as noted by others, planing a board is achieved with two separate machines. A Jointer first to have one face and one side stright and the thicknesser or like you call it a planer to make the thickness eaven. 

Lumber strightener planers are huge machines with 50 or more HP and several heads and motors in order to do the operation in one pass.

You can dress your own boards at home but you will need two serious machines to be able to do this consistently and particularly the jointer will have to be large and powerful and possibely have it's own power-feeder. Don't forget it is the most dangerous machine in the workshop.

There is no easy way to strighten a board with only a planner unless you want to build a very strong and perfectly stright table extension on both sides of the machine only to achieve a very slow an poor result.

If you decide to buy woodworking machines, forget the one that are designed for hobby or home use ( in my opinion), and try to find older commercial machines. Those are designed to take a lot of punishment and with a bit of work will last you a lifetime, and are not necessarily dearer.
Look for a woodshop that closes down. There is a huge amount of second hand machinery available in the US, and the older machines have little value


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## CaseyForrest (Oct 26, 2006)

WOW, lots'o' responses!!!!

I appreciate all the input.

I don't think Id be using the planer to take twist or cup out of a board. I haven't had to many boards twist or cup, so either I'm lucky, or havent found the right wood.

Just want to pretty up the two wide sides, remove the chatter marks.

Time really isn't an issue, but I have been accused of having ADD. Maybe a belt sander would take to long. 

TRIMMED....you mentioned you have the Dewalt 3 1/4 planer, does that come with some kind of fence? Say after you get the top or bottom planed, it will allow you to line up with the planed side and make the edge square? Or is it better to plane the top, then square up the sides with a circular saw? I realize a table saw would be better, and a jointer even better. I do have a piece of uni-strut Ive been using as a fence for my circular saw, and works pretty good. I am confined on space more than anything. I don't have any room to put something where I can use it right there. Everything I have needs to be taken out and set up to use.

Marc1, good point on most wood workers just want rough dimensions.


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## flht01 (Oct 26, 2006)

CaseyForrest said:


> ...
> 
> TRIMMED....you mentioned you have the Dewalt 3 1/4 planer, ....



I started to ask TRIMMED to comment on using the 3-1/4 as well but didn't want to show all my ignorance at once and didn't want to hijack the thread.


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## woodshop (Oct 26, 2006)

Marc1 said:


> Casey, if you want to sell wood, your customers will buy your wood if they like the quality/price of the boards and not for how well or otherwise they are dressed. The cabinetmaker will machine the wood at his own specification.


VERY good point... woodworkers and woodshops for the most part don't WANT you to finish that board S4S. They want to do that themselves in their controlled environment. Wood moves with the weather, and a perfectly flat smooth S4S board one day will likely have a very slight twist or cut once you take it into a different environment, diff temp, diff humidity etc. So it's a mute point talking about you getting equipment to do that if you want to sell lumber. 

I concur with Aggie about a jig that you can mount that rough board to and get that first flat side on the thickness planer, and thus do without a jointer (sorta). American Woodworker mag I think it was, had an article a while back about that. It's basically a large cradle you attach the board too and then push that whole thing into your thickness planer. I was thinking of building one myself for wide long boards because my jointer is only 8", and I find myself ripping down wider boards on the bandsaw if they have slight twist, just so they fit on my jointer for that first side. The flip side is (no pun intended), unless that board is pretty twisted, you can often get away with just the thickness planer doing both sides on wider boards, especially if you only need a relatively short board. 

Gee... a woodworking thread on AS... cool.


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## Husky137 (Oct 26, 2006)

All good suggestions. I assume from reading your past posts that you don't have a kiln, so S2S or S4S won't really add any value to the air dried board. Woodworkers buy rough for a reason. Handymen buy S4S. The place I use to buy hardwood (not anymore thanks to an LT40) sold it rough,kiln dried, with the guarantee of one straight edge.

I've done several thousand BF on a delta bench top, but after nine years I think she may be cooked. It had been a while since I used it and I'm pretty sure that the motor is running backwards now. I'd really like a 20" machine but that will have to wait until I build a barn to make it really useful.


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## del schisler (Oct 26, 2006)

*planer*

the RIDGID 13" planer is a good one It is the only one that has a lock down on the head to prevent snipe on the end of the planed wood The cost is not that bad eather and you get a extra set of blades also Mine is very good My nickel worth del


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Oct 26, 2006)

I wish I had taken pictures of the sled I used to flatten a 20" wide pecan slab on my drum sander last week. I don't have a permanent jig for this because it would take up a lot space, I have the need for one just a few times a year and because I make my temporary sleds fit the piece I'm flattening. Basically all you need is a flat, semi-rigid base (3/4" plywood works) to attach to the rough board to and shim up the gaps in between. With out pictures this is hard for me to explain but it works very well. You won't set any speed records with it but you'll get the job done.


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Oct 26, 2006)

CaseyForrest said:


> TRIMMED....you mentioned you have the Dewalt 3 1/4 planer, does that come with some kind of fence? Say after you get the top or bottom planed, it will allow you to line up with the planed side and make the edge square?



The DeWalt planer I have only has only a cheesy little edge guide. I wouldn't call it a fence at all but I have made a jig to clamp the tool in and use it like a very small jointer (back in my broke college student days). It wasn't the easiest or fastest thing to use by far but it worked for small stuff. You would be better off with a criclesaw for full length boards.


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## Sawyer Rob (Oct 26, 2006)

You really don't need a "sled" to straighten boards through the planer without a jointer. It helps to have a tablesaw though 

Just lay the board on a flat surface, and then saw (on the TS) two strips from a STRAIGHT board that are a little wider than your crooked board and just as long.

Lay the strips along each side of the crooked board and hot glue them to the board holding the board from rocking.

When you plane the board the feed rollers/cutter head will ride on the strips and plane them along with the high spots off the board.

Also a board can be flattened with a router and a jig too.... very easy, just takes more time than a dedicated machine.

BTW, many furniture/cabinet shops not only buy all S2S lumber, they also buy all of there stile and rail lumber cut to width too.... They are very picky about what they buy too and it's next to impossible to compete with the big boys that supply them..

I agree with the others though, to do it "right" you need a good jointer and a decent planer....

BTW, i've always read that the most dangerous machine in a woodshop is the SHAPER!!

Rob


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## wagonwheeler (Oct 26, 2006)

If all you're trying to do is clean it up - since others will thickness/joint later for thier own use, a thin cut w/ the portable and edging w/ a t/s should be fine. 

If you've got a good router & table you can edge it w/ that.

HD wasn't too good about keeping blades in stock for the Rigid for a while but I think they've fixed that. 

The Rigid has a good warranty, too...might be handy if you start getting busy!

Chaser


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## wagonwheeler (Oct 26, 2006)

Sawyer Rob said:


> BTW, i've always read that the most dangerous machine in a woodshop is the SHAPER!!



Friend of mine has a 3hp 220v Shop Fox shaper...that thing is spooky and will just about choke his dust collector on big cuts...

Chaser


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## Woodsurfer (Oct 26, 2006)

Yay! A woodworking thread!  

FWIW I have a 15" 3HP brute of a planer that will chew up hardwood all day. 

I assume we are talking about hardwoods here, not construction grade or boards destined for a floor or barn... I agree with Marc1 and Woodshop that a typical woodworker hobbiest will not want his boards planed. More than likely they will cup and twist somewhat after the cleanup planing and need to be redone. They won't be the thickness he wants. Some species get dark exposed to air and light, complicates things when mixing freshly planed with older stock. Even ripping a flat board can produce two curved boards as the internal stresses do their thing (so you rip it rough and then get to straightening). Freshly prepared wood needs to be used fast or it gets unstraight quickly .. Pretty much every woodworker has a jointer and planer and is glad to surface his stock exactly as he wants.

One idea to help sell the wood to these kind of customers: belt sand a small area to show off the grain, that's of major interest. Also highlight how it was cut (plainsawn, quarter, etc.).


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## bookerdog (Oct 26, 2006)

*grizzly go505*

Casey if you want to get started without the big expense. Go for the grizzly go505 12 1/2 inch planer. Its a portable jobsite planer and is built heavey duty. It also has 1/8 inch knives instead of 1/16 inch. Amazon.com has it for 225.00 and if you buy before Oct 31 you get 25.00 off. For what you what to do this would be a good way to start and see how it goes for there. I have one and am very happy with it.


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## oldsaw (Oct 26, 2006)

Casey, I have the Delta 580 as well. Nice unit, and would probably work great for what you are trying to do.

I would like a big 15"+ job too, but don't have the cash or the space.

Mark


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## Big Woody (Oct 26, 2006)

*straightening boards*

Biggest problem with rough sawn kiln dried lumber is not the planing issue. It is to straighted one edge so you can run it against the table saw fence to cut to the desired width. 

If you don't have an expensive ripsaw, then this is the real deal:

http://www.festoolusa.com/ProductDetails.aspx?ProdID=561188&id=1

Get the 8- 10 foot guide rail. I have used it for two white ash bedroom floors.

Awesome.

Plus its German just like Stihl:sword:


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## bookerdog (Oct 26, 2006)

*EZ guide*

You can also get a ez guide system without the big expense. You just attach a plate on the bottom of your circular saw and it runs right down the guide.


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## trimmmed (Oct 26, 2006)

CaseyForrest said:


> ............
> 
> 
> 
> TRIMMED....you mentioned you have the Dewalt 3 1/4 planer, does that come with some kind of fence? Say after you get the top or bottom planed, it will allow you to line up with the planed side and make the edge square? Or is it better to plane the top, then square up the sides with a circular saw? .



No it doesn't come with a fence, but you can make a "shoe" for it to sit in that could do that. I think after planing the face, snapping a line and cutting with a circular saw would be just fine for what you want to do. A guide is even better.


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## CaseyForrest (Oct 26, 2006)

Lots of good information.

I agree on not wanting to dimension the boards, just clean up the cuts to show off the grain. I think a belt sander will do that nicely.

Last night I spent about 30 minutes with a Porter Cable random orbit sander. Took awhile to get the chatter marks out, but it worked, with 100 grit. I think a belt sander with 60 or 40 grit would get it done quickly.

In any event, Im off to the HD and Lowes to fondle some machinery.


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## CaseyForrest (Oct 26, 2006)

trimmmed said:


> No it doesn't come with a fence, but you can make a "shoe" for it to sit in that could do that. I think after planing the face, snapping a line and cutting with a circular saw would be just fine for what you want to do. A guide is even better.



OK, Ill take a look at the 3 1/4 planer tonite too.

I do use a home made fence for taking the live edges off my slabs now. No reason it wont work for edging too.


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## woodshop (Oct 26, 2006)

Sawyer Rob said:


> Lay the strips along each side of the crooked board and hot glue them to the board holding the board from rocking.
> 
> BTW, i've always read that the most dangerous machine in a woodshop is the SHAPER!!


HEY now Sawyer Rob... next time I need to flatten a wide board that is too big for my jointer I think I will try that. Sounds a lot quicker than rigging up a sled with shims to hold that board. Most time taken would be waiting for the hot glue gun to heat up. Thanks for that tip.

I agree that the shaper is the most dangerous machine in a woodshop. Very unforgiving (not that most other power tools are). Tons of power concentrated in a little shaper cutter spinning thousands of rpms. Catch a knot the wrong way, or feed the piece without any hold downs or featherboards, and you potentially have a wooden "bullet" fired from your machine at over 100 miles per hour. 

btw, for the record as per originally asked by the man who started this thread, I use a rather standard 3HP 15" thickness planer. The Grizzly version of it goes for about $800. Jet, Delta, ShopFox... they all come from the same factory in Taiwan with minor differences. Mine is now 15 years old, and you can't really wear them out unless you're a high volume production shop running 24/7 non-stop. You will need at least a 650cfm dust collector hooked to the 4 inch dust port. I fill a 55 gallon drum with sawdust in less than an hour of nonstop usage.


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## CaseyForrest (Oct 26, 2006)

Thanks for the info WS, that does help my decision.


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## Adkpk (Oct 26, 2006)

I use a 12" delta. For edges I use a snap line and my circular saw. Very profesonal. If I need more done to a board I drop by my brother's. If I leave something in his shop for long enough he will at some point do more to it than I could ever image.


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## woodshop (Oct 26, 2006)

For those interested in that "sled" idea that was mentioned earlier, here is one of many designs, and a little info on exactly what it does.

http://www.woodworkingtips.com/etips/2006/10/27/ws/

I like sawyer robs hot glue strips to side of board idea... can't wait to try that. Sounds like a quick and dirty solution that would work if the glue held, and you didn't take huge passes.


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## CaseyForrest (Oct 26, 2006)

OK, well, I didnt take the plunge. I got to thinking in the store, after wondering how and where Im going to store a planer when Im not using it.....I decided to just get some 40 and 60 grit paper, and keep using the sander I have now.

I did, however, figure out a solution to my initial issue of not being able to clearly see the grain....Ill just take pictures of the wood as I mill it, and number each piece. Cheaper and easier than planing and sanding.

I want to throw out a HUGE thanks to all of you that offered up ideas, and thoughts. 

Also, Im all for a Wood Working forum, or possibly an extension of the Milling forum.


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## stonykill (Oct 26, 2006)

I HAVE OWNED 2 PLANERS. THE 1ST WAS A BELSAW 12 INCH, 220 VOLT, SERIOUS MACHINE. I REPLACED IT WITH A BENCH TOP RIGID AS THE BELSAW NEEDED A TOTAL OVERHAUL. I HAVE PLANED THOUSANDS OF FEET OF LUMBER WITH THE RIGID. IN SOFTWOOD I CAN PLANE TO 12 INCH WIDE WITH LITTLE SLOWDOWN. BIRCH AND MAPLE IS SLOW GOING AT 12 INCHES WIDE. THE PLANER WILL ONLY ALLOW A 1/4 TURN OF THE WHEEL A PASS. TO KEEP THINGS IN PERSPECTIVE, THE BELSAW WAS NOT MUCH BETTER ON THE SAME SIZE BOARDS OF HARDWOOD. THE TROUBLE WITH THE BENCHTOPS IN MY OPINION IS AS SOMEONE ELSE STATED, THE BLADES ARE TROW AWAYS, AFTER FLIPPING IT ONCE. 
I EDGE MY OTHER 2 SIDES WITH A ROUTER AND A STRAIGHT PIECE OF ANGLE IRON. I CLAMP THE ANGLE IRON TO THE BOARD TO BE TRIMMED, USE A STRAIGHT BIT ON MY ROUTER, AND RUN THE ROUTER UP AGAINST THE ANGLE. FOR ME THIS GETS STRAIGHTER EDGES THAN MY JOINTER EVER GOT, SO GOOD I SOLD THE JOINER, AS MY SHOP IS TO SMALL AND CLUTTERED TO BEGIN WITH. :rockn:


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## trimmmed (Oct 26, 2006)

This is a damn good thread, alot of good ideas!  Nice job guys


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## woodshop (Oct 26, 2006)

stonykill said:


> I CLAMP THE ANGLE IRON TO THE BOARD TO BE TRIMMED, USE A STRAIGHT BIT ON MY ROUTER, AND RUN THE ROUTER UP AGAINST THE ANGLE. FOR ME THIS GETS STRAIGHTER EDGES THAN MY JOINTER EVER GOT


Stony please don't take offense, but if a router/strait bit run along a strait edge got you straiter edges than your jointer, there was something misaligned or defective on your jointer. Maybe the outfeed not alligned with the knives? That would give you an untrue edge among other things.


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## stonykill (Oct 26, 2006)

woodshop said:


> Stony please don't take offense, but if a router/strait bit run along a strait edge got you straiter edges than your jointer, there was something misaligned or defective on your jointer. Maybe the outfeed not alligned with the knives? That would give you an untrue edge among other things.


none taken, but I find it difficult to feed a 10 foot long board thru a jointer and keep it perfectly straight the entire way. also I find my way faster, one pass and I'm done.I always look for the fastest way, its the only way to make a living.:rockn:


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## Sawyer Rob (Oct 26, 2006)

> I find it difficult to feed a 10 foot long board thru a jointer and keep it perfectly straight the entire way.



Most folks don't have a big enough jointer to joint long boards. I can do a 10 footer with my 8" Rockwell, but i have to be carefull on long boards...

Rob


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## wdchuck (Oct 26, 2006)

Planer in my playroom is the DeWalt 12" , had it 10 years now, there's a local guy that sharpens my blades, I keep two sets, one to use while the other is getting sharpened or I use the duller one when 'first passing' rough stock of unknown origin, crating grade. The only time I had to repair this planer was after trying to clean paint off some very old millwork, (recycle,reuse), I didn't know what would happen at the time, burned the belt, $12 later, all set.

I couldn't guess on how many board/linear feet of hard/soft lumber have been through it, no complaints.

I have edged lumber with this planer, just send multiple boards through pressed together, at the same time, works well.


I like the idea of using the angle iron and the router, edging with a circular saw is pure entertainment for onlookers, more waves than the ocean. My jointer is only a 4" BT Delta, should have bought a floor type aircraft carrier instead. 

Ya knowww, they have these smaller drum sanders that would do what you want, and much quicker too, available at home centers everywhere.

Saving up for a better tool never brings regret. Good luck with your (fun)research.


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## Marc1 (Oct 27, 2006)

woodshop said:


> .................
> I agree that the shaper is the most dangerous machine in a woodshop. Very unforgiving (not that most other power tools are). Tons of power concentrated in a little shaper cutter spinning thousands of rpms. Catch a knot the wrong way, or feed the piece without any hold downs or featherboards, and you potentially have a wooden "bullet" fired from your machine at over 100 miles per hour. ............
> 
> .



Yes the Tupi, or shaper as you call it, is certainly dangerous and if we would be talking about the one I had until recently, a 70 years old 1000 pounds of cast iron, 30"x30" table 5HP 4 inch shaft and home made cutters shaped on the grinder from recycled truck springs....now that was some piece of work, it sounded like a Lycoming engine with a broken propeller. 
Todays shapers have this beautiful smooth multiple cutters that cost $200 each, power feeders, anti-kickback, vacuum chip suckers... only the air condition is missing....the poor old jointer did not change a bit and is just as dangerous as it was 100 years ago. 
The only possible improvement is the power-feeder. I love it. If you ever fit one, you will never again want to push and struggle stock over your jointer with the corner of your eye on the spinning cutters.

The cradle and the straight edges are both good home made solutions to straighten a board at home, but they are only OK to finish up a short piece, slowly slowly.

A drum sander would probably do a good job on rough cut boards but they don't come cheap and they need a real good vacuum system. I would still go for an old obsolete one ton 25" museum piece with the longest possible table.


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Oct 27, 2006)

Marc1 said:


> A drum sander would probably do a good job on raw sawn boards but they don't come cheap and they need a real good vacuum system. I would still go for an old obsolete one ton 25" museum piece with the longest possible table.



I have a Delta 31-250 drum sander I use for flattening occasionally but only when the board won't fit in my planer. It's difficult to use for wide boards but with some practice you can flatten boards up to 36" wide. Anything over 18" wide requires a sled and anything over 5' long is a challenge to say the least. As Marc1 said, they aren't cheap ($1000+) but mine has paid for itself several time over. Sure beats flattening by hand.


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## aggiewoodbutchr (Oct 27, 2006)

Sawyer Rob said:


> You really don't need a "sled" to straighten boards through the planer without a jointer. It helps to have a tablesaw though
> 
> Just lay the board on a flat surface, and then saw (on the TS) two strips from a STRAIGHT board that are a little wider than your crooked board and just as long.
> 
> ...



Thanks Rob, I had forgotten about that trick. Used it last night.


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## woodshop (Oct 28, 2006)

stonykill said:


> ... but I find it difficult to feed a 10 foot long board thru a jointer and keep it perfectly straight the entire way. also I find my way faster, one pass and I'm done.I always look for the fastest way, its the only way to make a living


Good point stonykill... I too have a hard time getting a long board through my jointer. Gets unwieldy and tough to keep on the same plane from one end to the other even on my 8 inch Grizzly. In that case I agree an angle iron/router approach would work better. Then I guess the problem in my shop would be finding a perfectly strait angle iron, or any strait edge that long that was truly strait.


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## trimmmed (Oct 28, 2006)

stonykill said:


> none taken, but I find it difficult to feed a 10 foot long board thru a jointer and keep it perfectly straight the entire way. also I find my way faster, one pass and I'm done.I always look for the fastest way, its the only way to make a living.:rockn:



Good point! A longer board used on a shorter bed jointer, can sometimes get smaller faster than straighter :censored: 

I used a router table, straight bit with top bearing and a few templates to make the back slats and curved parts in these chairs. The jointer would have been much slower, less accurate and not so friendly on the curves


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## CaseyForrest (Oct 28, 2006)

Nice chairs Dave.


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## Marc1 (Oct 29, 2006)

Yes a long board particularly if wide an heavy is not easy to plane on your own on the jointer ( actually called planner )
However there is no need to resort to the Router only because the thing is heavy. One or two simple roller support, leveled accurately will do the trick just fine. 

I personally prefer to use a support table I built just for that purpose. It is exactly the same hight then the fixed table of the jointer. I planed a lot of very long 8"x1" boards destined for skirting boards by myself, no problem. Just keep the table extension clean and rub it with some paraffin.

Nice chairs, which timber did you use for them?


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## woodshop (Oct 29, 2006)

Nice adirondack chairs trimmed... I too am curious what you made them out of. Maybe poplar since it takes paint so well? Or something a little more rot resistant like eastern white cedar?


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## woodshop (Oct 29, 2006)

Marc1 said:


> Yes a long board particularly if wide an heavy is not easy to plane on your own on the jointer ( actually called planner )


So marc1... down in Austrailia they call a jointer a planer? Curious what do they call a thickness planer then?


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## Marc1 (Oct 29, 2006)

Yes that is a funny reason for confusion sometimes particularly with shop attendants who are not woodworkers and just recite what their supplier says.

A planer is a planer, if it aids in making good joints, well then so be it 

A thicknesser will do just that, thickness your timber.

If we go back to the origins of the planer (jointer) it use to be a sort of giant hand plane turned upside down and one would push the stock up and down over the blade. Now we call a hand plane a plane, so the grand dad of the planer ( jointer) was a plane.

How did the thicknesser become the planer and the planer turned into a Jointer, well...that I surely cannot answer 

And so walk into a tool shop in OZ and ask for a planer and watch the faces.


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## trimmmed (Oct 29, 2006)

woodshop said:


> Nice adirondack chairs trimmed... I too am curious what you made them out of. Maybe poplar since it takes paint so well? Or something a little more rot resistant like eastern white cedar?




They are made from eastern white pine, there are only 4 points that actually have ground contact, the two main supports and the front posts. Those were ewp as well, but they were brought in to the pressure treating plant and cca treated. Most of the parts, were the drops/cutoffs from the lumber yard, and the same lumber yard had to get the treating done for me, the pressure treating place wouldn't deal with me direct. I also ran a few in western red cedar, but they had to be screwed together, each hole countersunk, each screw stainless, and they became prohibitive in cost.


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## woodshop (Oct 29, 2006)

trimmmed said:


> They are made from eastern white pine, there are only 4 points that actually have ground contact, the two main supports and the front posts. Those were ewp as well, but they were brought in to the pressure treating plant and cca treated.


When I built my picnic table out of eastern white cedar, I took the time to put a few inches of osage orange at the bottom of each leg. Osage orange is about the most rot resistant wood God made. My table has sat in mostly wet soil for 10 years now, and those legs where they sit in the soil are still as solid as when I first made them. 

Being a woodworker making product for sale though, I understand completely about cost of materials and time into the piece. You often can't get that out of the sale, so you find ways to get the job done, and done right, but cheaper.


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