I don’t have a planer. So when I needed to thickness stock for some custom moldings, I built this attachment for my hand-held power planer that makes quick work of thicknessing stock up to 3 in. wide. First, I built a wooden sled for the power planer to ride in, as shown in the drawing. The body of the plane is supported on the sled’s runners and the sole drops down between them. I made the runners thick enough so that the distance from the bottom of the sole to the bottom of the runners was equal to the desired stock thickness. Two wires hooked through heavy-duty staples on the top of the sled runners hold the plane and sled together firmly.

To use the device, clamp the stock on top of a workbench between the bench’s tail vise and wooden benchdogs. Then set the plane for a good heavy cut and have at it. Be sure to plane the entire length of the stock in each pass, and after a couple of passes, turn the stock over to true the other side. Continue making passes until the runners keep you from removing any more material. As you approach the last pass, the runners will automatically make the cuts lighter, leaving a smooth surface.

Thomas Henke, Covina, Calif.

Fine Woodworking Magazine, October 1990 No. 84

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