Almost all woodworkers hate to throw away short lengths of twisted or warped wood. But sending these boards through a thickness planer usually doesn’t eliminate the problem the wood only gets thinner. However, by temporarily securing the deformed board to a carrier surface with wedges and hot glue and then sending both carrier and board through the planer, you can rescue the board.

For the carrier, I prefer two 3/4-in. layers of glued-up medium density fiberboard (MDF). I mount a warped board to the carrier using 50-cent sized dabs of hot-melt glue at the low corners. Then, every 6 in. or so, I wedge shims under the board and secure them with hot-melt glue. The wedges support the edges of the board and prevent it from rocking while in the planer. After the glue has set, I send the assembly through the planer to flatten the top side. Then I separate the board from the carrier, scrape off the glue residue and plane the other side.

James R. Myers, Dallas, Tex.

Fine Woodworking Magazine, December 1992 No. 97

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