Replies

1. 
   DennisS | Oct 28, 2002 06:19pm | #1

   I took two pieces of 3/4" MDF laminated together to make a sub bed for my planer. Screwed a short piece along the trailing edge to serve as a hook to keep it from sliding under the machine with the work piece and contact cemented some slick finished plastic laminate to the surface to reduce friction.

   To eliminate snipe I use another piece of MDF to carry the work pieces through the planer along with some waste pieces at least 4" longer than the work pieces fastened to the leading and trailing edges of the workpiece. I fasten these waste pieces with screws well countersunk below the max. depth of cut. These waste pieces serve to engage the feed rollers well in advance and behind the work piece in order that all the snipe occurs on them instead of the finished board.

   If this isn't clear or you don't get a better verbal description let me know and I'll take a photo to illustrate.

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

1. 
   jcutrer | Oct 29, 2002 07:19pm | #2

   thanks for the info-sounds like a good solution-what about dimensions?-a picture would be greatly appreciated-thanks again for any info

1. 
   chrislowery | Oct 29, 2002 11:54pm | #3

   I'm having the same problem with the same planer.I've built the tool the manufacturer suggested but I find it will not remain fixed at the correct elevation no matter how slow, or how carefully I feed the boards.A photo would be a huge benefit.

2. 
   DennisS | Oct 30, 2002 05:38am | #4

   Actually, I lied. My sub base is made from a piece of 1 1/8" or so poplar door frame material that I scrounged off a job. The thickness isn't all that important, that it be flat and quite stiff is. Width should be to suit whatever you're planing. Ideally I suppose one would build one the full with of the planer but I just worked with what I had on hand since I was working with fairly narrow stuff.

   See attached planer subbase image.

   The carrier for dealing with snipe is shown in the image no-snipe. The two pieces with the "X's" would ordinarily be screwed to the carrier board ahead of and behind the work pieces (there are three example work pieces in the image). Needless to say, the screws are countersunk *well below* the planned depth of finished cut! I was really nervous about intentionally passing things like screws through my planer but .... so far so good. I only use this approach when working with a bunch of small pieces that will be glued up for a segmented turning of one kind or another. I built the sub base initially to allow planing stock to a thinner dimension than the machine would allow without it. Like 1/8" strips for laminating into coopered glue-ups for cannisters, etc.

   The carrier with the scrap pieces for and aft of the work pieces take all the snipe from the machine. By the time the good stuff gets into the act, the cut is flat and true. Same holds for when the setup exits the machine.

   This is not something I originated: It was explained to me by some woodwork pros on a job some time ago plus I've seen it illustrated in a couple publications - probably been in FWW as well.

   I think we have to recognize that these machines work well and are quite a bit of bang for their buck. But I'll go to the mat with anyone, including a DeWalt rep, that says you can plane with 0 snipe on them. You just have to work around the limitations of the machine and its design.

   Dennis in Bellevue WA

   [email protected]

   
2. 
   jeffn7 | Oct 30, 2002 06:42pm | #5

   I've made a variety of these sleds/jigs for everything from extending the in/outfeed table to sleds that I used for planing angled mouldings. Basically, any number of designs will work fine, the objective is to create a bed that runs continuously from the in to the out side. Screwing some cleats on the underside to prevent the sled from getting pulled through the planer is a good idea.

   I prefer MDO, the paper surface is durable and doesn't offer much sliding resistance, and it won't mark the material I am planing.