I came across this via search from Issue FINE WOODWORKING Jan/Feb 2005 pages 58-61,it shows a jig set up so you can use your Planer as a Jointer. My question is, has anyone done this? Pros Cons. I would build this in a heartbeat if it works, and saves me $800 on buying a jointer. There is a video that goes along with it, and it seems to be real slick; Just wanting to see if anyone built this, used it, kept using it, or said good buy to it and went out and bought a jointer. I have a tiny shop, everthing is fold away or on wheels. If I do buy its a Jet or a Ridgid 6″.
Craig
Replies
I dont have that issue handy but I think it's the one where you have a "sled" that you adjust different points with screws to form the bottom of the board you are "jointing" then you just run it thru the planer? I have a 12 inch jointer but sometimes it isn't big enough so I do something similar but a lot easier, I just take a piece of 3/4'' mdf, a little bigger than the board I want to joint and lay it on a flat surface, my bench, put the board I want to joint on top, slip some shims between the two where there are gaps so it is well supported and run it thru my planer. Takes about five min. and I've had great results. Basically I can joint a 22'' wide board.
The sled is a great solution. I built a shorter version and then an 8 footer. I find it works better than the drugery of pass after pass on a jointer. Also, with most planers running 12 -13" you're saving a lot more than $800. I would encourage you to use the best, most stable materials, not merely available scrap to ensure long lasting results.
I read the article you referred to and built a sled a little more simple in design and have used it quite a lot. I don't have and can't afford a large jointer, and I really think this method is much easier. Just get one side flat take it off the sled turn it over and flatten the other side and then plane to thickness easy and quick.
ZABO
Not really a substitute.
A sled works for getting wide stock flattened using only a planer, but it isn't a substitute for a jointer since the technique can't be used to straighten and square up the edges of boards and it is much slower and typically less accurate than using a conventional jointer when preparing narrower stock.
Will it work? I would say so.. I do it sometimes on my 13 inch? Dewalt 735. I use a carrier sled and hot melt glue some wedges in appropriate places to keep the board from wobbling from the pressure given by the feed rollers. I take very light cuts and mark the surface with the blue chalk that is used for 'snapping' a line as a carpenter would use. A very light dusting with the chalk will do. I brush off the excess. On occasion I will have to adjust a wedge or two. Once one side is flat.. Away you go without the sled for the other side.......
What Mr. White said is true. "but it isn't a substitute for a jointer since the technique can't be used to straighten and square up the edges of boards and it is much slower and typically less accurate than using a conventional jointer when preparing narrower stock." However, I hardly ever have to use my jointer for getting a square and straight edge. I use a another 'carrier' sled to rip a clean edge with my Forrest Woodworker II. I think it is 40 tooth? I do like my old Freud blades better for general work. NOT that the Forrest blade is in any way bad for general work. With my Forrest I use blade stiffeners that cause my saw to vibrate a bit.. I have tried but I cannot find a pair of blade stiffeners that are balanced well. Could be just my saw but I do not think so. I do feel that I get a better cut with the forrest while using the stiffeners.. I think?...
My longest ripping sled will take a 96 inch long board. I also have one for up to 48 inch long boards. The sleds are sort of 'one use' except for the metal 'L' that rides my table saw fence and a flat bar that rides under the far edge (the cut off). The flat bar is the same thickness as the 'L' part. Both are Aluminum. I use Hot-Melt glue to attach the non straight edge board to the metal parts. The glue can be a bit of challenge to let the board free but I almost always surface plane the board after ripping the reference edge. I then rip the other edge using the reference edge against the table saw fence. For short boards I usually just use my junk jointer.. It works well but the 'operator' may be the problem.. AS in me!
shop made solutions in general
I use to be heavily into making any tool, jig, contraption I could for the shop and that is exactly what I did... spend 75% of my time making these things. Then I woke up and realized that is fine if you are into tinkering, but I got into woodworking to build/craft furniture, frames, boxes, etc, not be a full time jig maker. After I got over that spell, and started buying miter sleds, router fences, etc I found the level of accuracy went up, the level of things I actually wanted to make went up and my frustration went down. Sure I spent more money up front, but my time is worth money and I have to spend 25 hours to make and perfect a sled that is 1/2 the price of a precision 6 inch jointer.
Sir.. I differ on your comment. Not that what you posted was wrong in any way.. We all do our own things to get a job finished.
As you stated.. I use to be heavily into making any tool, jig, contraption I could for the shop and that is exactly what I did... spend 75% of my time making these things.
I can make a whatever (if I have what I need on hand) in a less than 1/2 hour.. Almost as much time as dragging out a old tool I hardly ever use ...
I do, however, see your point on this subject... We all have our ways of doing things.. Neither is wrong in my opinion...
Once a Jig/Fixture is made it can be used for many projects in the shop... I have many common tasks that I do and a jig/fixture saves me ALOT of time...
jointing boards
I have a dewalt 735 and I mill all my lumber with the planer alone I took two pieces of melamine sheving and put them together put a small cleat in the front of the jig the sheving will stay flat unlike plywood.rock the board from corner to corner then i use wooden shims and painters tape to hold them in place and run it though the planer.I get flat boards every time.
Planer Sled
Craig,
A number of people report good success with the jig. Really, if you have a planer, for a small investment in time and materials, you can test the idea. I have an 8" jointer. It does ok but it takes up a lot of floor space when not in use, is limited in width and if you have a long board, maintaining consistent pressure and feed rate is a challenge. Usually if you are jointing (surfacing), you are likely thicknessing with a planer. Why not have just one machine to deal with?
The only serious cons I have heard of are:
1) you may need more than one sled. Surfacing a 4' board using a 8' sled is clumsy.
2) depending on how you construct the sled, you can easily reduce the maximum thickness of material you can mill. ie if the planer capacity is 6" and the thickness of the sled is 4.5 "- 5", you will not be able to surface a 8/4 board.
Most folks will surface one face first, then use the table saw to trim the edges to optimize the look and width. You cannot do this with a jointer. It is faster and more accurate to square an edge using a table saw.
Narrow stock presents problems, but there is a limit as to how small a piece you are willing to hand feed through a jointer. Typically, you would dimension a wider board and cut narrow items afterwards - much safer.
Don
Get the JET.
I made a sled based on the one described by Rust, in the size he suggests. It works fine, but I also have a 6" jointer that is much faster and more convenient for stock that fits.
For larger stock I use a simpler approach. If you have a large flat surface for setup, there's no need for the torsion box. Just attach your rough stock with hot glue and wedges to a long piece of MDF that is on a very flat reference surface. Make sure the ends of the stock are well supported. Run this through the planer until you have defined a flat surface on top, then pry it off the hot glue, and plane it parallel.
Handplanes also work surprisingly well, but require a decent bench. Note that with a planer you don't need to thickness with a handplane. You only need to get one side flat enough that it will travel through the planer without rocking or twisting.
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