Replies

1. 
   mrles | Nov 16, 2002 09:41am | #1

   Forest girl

   I've did this before without any problem with oak and pine, in fact I did some pine today. My boards were already as close as I could get to the same width on my tablesaw. I took light cuts no problem.

   My Delta 12" planer sets in a box 8' long this gives me over 3' of table on each side of my cutters so I don't have a snipe problem. I don't know your set up  but if snipe isn't a problem it should be alright.  

   God Bless and Good Luck

   les

2. 
   SgianDubh | Nov 16, 2002 10:18am | #2

   You can only gang pieces together safely in two circumstances, fg.

   1. If you have divided feed rollers that will accomodate different thicknesses of material. If you have a single feed roller it will only grab the thickest piece leaving the thinner parts loose on the bed and liable to kickback as the knives make contact-- a very nasty experience in a thicknesser-- it'll break your fingers or hand with ease if you have your hand behind the kicked back part.

   2. You can gang the parts together and clamp them at the trailing edge, and the clamp passes under the cutters along with the pieces, thus emulating a single piece of timber. This, if done correctly should be safe, but you are more than likely using a steel clamp which passes under the fast moving cutting edges of the block, and this is certainly something of a psychological barrier for me.

   I tend to prefer to feed one piece at a time through machines with a single undivided feed roller system--which is what you machine has, but I'll use the clamp trick judiciously when it will help. Slainte.

   Some stuff I've made.
1. 
   forestgirl | Nov 16, 2002 07:44pm | #3

   Sgian, I can't tell you how glad I am that I posted my question and you saw it and provided this information!!!!!!!!!  I never would have thought about kickback in this situation, and I almost didn't post the question, thinking it was too elementary.  Some of the pieces are, say, 1/16"+ thinner than others.

   ". . .and this is certainly something of a psychological barrier for me."  Me too.  I guess the reason I felt the need to gang the pieces up is that since they're each so narrow, it seemed there would be a better base -- totally an intuitive thing.  I wonder if double-sided tape would work?  Too time-consuming.  Also, I could send fewer pieces through, and use a plastic spring clamp or one of those yellow "Quick Clamps".  I'll fool around with it this morning.

   Thanks again.

   forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)

   Edited 11/16/2002 11:46:05 AM ET by forest_girl

1. 
   BG | Nov 17, 2002 03:38am | #4

   FG,

   I'd strongly suggest you use c-clamps or the like and make sure all the pieces are flush on the bottom side.  I never do more than 2-4 " of stock pieces at a time...and feed them kinda cockeyed through the planer.  Works well but is nerve racking....

2. 
   SgianDubh | Nov 17, 2002 03:46am | #5

   In essence, fg, your problem is that narrow stock is forced down hard by the thicknessers various hold down devices, either side of the cutter, and in big machines this downward pressure can be so strong that the pieces are tilted off square, and the cut is also, as a consequence, off square from the wide faces. You are planing two inch wide stuff by 1/2" thick, and it could easily be forced over a degree or two from square, even with your wee dinky lunchbox planer that you have-- what is it? A Dewalt, or a Delta, or something like that?

   You can gang stuff together as discussed, but here's another trick. Make up a false bed that sits on top of your thickness planers real bed. Trap it with a block of wood at either end that sits just beyond the rollers. Machine up a piece of wood about 3/4" thick X about 1-1/2" wide X the false beds length and glue and screw it from end to end on the false bed. Machine up another piece of wood about the same dimension as the first. Place the narrow edge of the stock you want to machine on edge on the false bed next to the fixed end to end piece. Place the second piece of wood alongside to the piece you are aiming to machine. Cramp this second piece in place at either end to form an upside down tunnel or inverted U shape.

   Now just plane away. The main disadvantage of this method is that you only utilise one wee strip of the irons leading to wearing just this spot, but some ingenuity can let you move the false base from side to side. Add the thickness of the false bed to the dimension you want, e.g. the false base is 3/4" thick, and you want to cut 2", set the machine to 2-3/4". Polish the false bed too to ease the part you are thicknessing along it. Slainte.Some stuff I've made.

3. 
   UncleDunc | Nov 17, 2002 09:12am | #6

   I haven't used or even seen one of these, but imagine a planer sled with a stout fence on each side and a lip on the trailing end. You could put multiple pieces on it, make sure they're all seated firmly, and clamp them to one side with pairs of opposed wedges between the stock and the fence on the other side. Clamping force limited only by the strength of the fences. Easy to make with no blade eating screws.

1. 
   forestgirl | Nov 17, 2002 09:40am | #7

   Great minds think alike!  I was envisioning wedges also.  I think eventually, I'll want to build one of these.  For the immediate project, because I'm already running behind, I think I'll simply take the time to carefully joint the larger pieces until they match the smaller ones.  I sure am glad to get all this input though -- certainly don't need a broken hand or wrist to make things more difficult!forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl   ;-)