Thickness Planers - How Thin??

Canuck · 08-26-2008, 11:42 PM

I have a DW735 planer that I have primarily used to thickness plane down to 1/4"-3/4" lumber. The depth turret is graduated down to 1/8th" It would seem to me that at that height, the knives are getting awfully close to the planer bed. As thin as I have planed is 1/4".

Has anyone ever thickness planed down to an 1/8" and would it be wise to use a planer sled if you need stock that thin? (No. I haven't talked the LOML into getting a drum sander..............yet! ....Have been watching Travis Porter's thread and don't think I am ready to risk that request just yet!!!

)

Just curious.

Thanks,

Wayne

toolferone · 08-26-2008, 11:53 PM

I would use a sled for 1/8 inch stuff. With a long sled you should not have any snip issues either and you can double stick the piece down for extra support. Melamine works well for planer sleds.

Sanders Woodworking · 08-27-2008, 12:24 AM

I would use a sled too. I have planed down below 1/8" but used a flat board wider and longer than the piece I was planing. I just out the piece on top of the board and ran it in 1/32" increments.

gator · 08-27-2008, 08:32 AM

I have a DeWalt 733 and have/do plane down to 1/8". I use a sled but instead of double stick tape, I glued (glued not nailed) a strip of wood width wise across the top of the leading edge. This serves as a stop for the workpiece. I started it at about ¼" thick and as the workpiece planed down, so did the stop. It still works well at a little under 1/8" thick. This set-up also works well with short pieces. I recently had occasion to plane some 3/4" thick pieces that were 5-7" long. Lined them up end-to-end against the stop and went to town.

The one thing to look out for is figured, knotty, gnarly, or otherwise, sensitive wood. If it gets too thin it will have a big tendency to crack, split, come apart, shatter.

George

Bigdog72 · 08-27-2008, 09:08 AM

Originally Posted by gator

I have a DeWalt 733 and have/do plane down to 1/8". I use a sled but instead of double stick tape, I glued (glued not nailed) a strip of wood width wise across the top of the leading edge. This serves as a stop for the workpiece. I started it at about ¼" thick and as the workpiece planed down, so did the stop. It still works well at a little under 1/8" thick. This set-up also works well with short pieces. I recently had occasion to plane some 3/4" thick pieces that were 5-7" long. Lined them up end-to-end against the stop and went to town.

The one thing to look out for is figured, knotty, gnarly, or otherwise, sensitive wood. If it gets too thin it will have a big tendency to crack, split, come apart, shatter.

George

George,

Could you post a picture of your sled? I can't visualize what you have done.

DavidF · 08-27-2008, 09:51 AM

I do the same as George, I have a simple sled with a back stop or the piece can come zooming back at you! I would also agree that either double stick the piece down or make it at least 6" longer than you need, because eventually an end will catch and break off or at best get horribly chewed up.

gator · 08-27-2008, 09:57 AM

Just a piece of ¼" luan cut to the width of the planer bed. It could be any material, melamine, BB Ply, MDF or whatever. A ¼" of wood (if I recall correctly, poplar in this case) glued (no metal attachment method) across the top of the leading edge. This acts as a stop for the workpiece as the sled/workpiece is fed through the planer. As you work the thickness of the workpiece down below ¼" the stop gets thinner but still works (as you can tell from the pics, it is really thin now and still works).

George

DavidF · 08-27-2008, 10:01 AM

Originally Posted by gator

Just a piece of ¼" luan cut to the width of the planer bed. It could be any material, melamine, BB Ply, MDF or whatever. A ¼" of wood (if I recall correctly, poplar in this case) glued (no metal attachment method) across the top of the leading edge. This acts as a stop for the workpiece as the sled/workpiece is fed through the planer. As you work the thickness of the workpiece down below ¼" the stop gets thinner but still works (as you can tell from the pics, it is really thin now and still works).

[IMG]file:///C:/DOCUME%7E1/GEORGE%7E1/LOCALS%7E1/Temp/moz-screenshot.jpg[/IMG]
8/medium/1

George

Do you mean "on the leading edge" George? Mine is on the trailing edge to stop the pieces being pushed back by the cutting force of the blades...

gator · 08-27-2008, 10:05 AM

Don't know about your planer, but the DeWalt rotates toward the front of the planer thus pushing the workpiece forward against the stop and pushes the sled and workpiece through the planer. Yes, on the top of the leading edge.

George

DavidF · 08-27-2008, 10:15 AM

Originally Posted by gator

Don't know about your planer, but the DeWalt rotates toward the front of the planer thus pushing the workpiece forward against the stop and pushes the sled and workpiece through the planer. Yes, on the top of the leading edge.

George

Now you've got me confused George! I have the dewalt and yes, the blades rotate towards the front of the planer (infeed) against the direction of movement so surely the forces are towards the front (infeed) of the planer? so my stop is on the trailing edge of my sled. I have to say that most of the time I just use an MDF piece to raise the bed of the planer that DOESN'T go though the planer and that has a stop on the UNDERSIDE of the trailing edge (towards the infeed side) so that the feed rollers don't pull it through. But for parts that seem to slide backwards then I put them on a sled with the stop on the top on the trailing edge and send the whole thing through as though it was one piece with the thin stock on the top.

This sounds like a discussion over a pint moment

gator · 08-27-2008, 10:40 AM

David -

I think that this is a semantics problem. Your sled stays fixed, in effect a part of the bed, in which case the stop would be on the bottom trail edge to keep the sled from going forward. With mine, the sled and the workpiece go forward as if one piece, thus the stop on the top leading edge to keep the workpiece jam up against the stop pushing the sled through with the workpiece.

George

DavidF · 08-27-2008, 10:50 AM

Originally Posted by gator

David -

I think that this is a semantics problem. Your sled stays fixed, if effect a part of the bed, in which case the stop would be on the bottom trail edge to keep the sled from going forward. With mine, the sled and the workpiece go forward as if one piece, thus the stop on the top leading edge to keep the workpiece jam up against the stop pushing the sled through with the workpiece.

George

A, ha! I see what you are saying now, Your front stop is to enable the feed rollers to feed the sled through, my back stop (on the sled that goes through the planer) is to stop the pieces being flung backwards by the BLADE rotation. In reality I guess there might be a need for a stop front and back? On yours, the piece "could" catch and come backwards and on mine the pressure from the feed rollers on the piece before the reverse forces by the blades kicks in, could slide the piece forward? Anyway, as I said, usually my sled stays put unless I am trying to flatten a piece wider than my jointer, then the sled is shimmed and goes through the planer - Phew, glad we got that sorted out - shame about the pint though

gator · 08-27-2008, 11:08 AM

Originally Posted by DavidF

my back stop (on the sled that goes through the planer) is to stop the pieces being flung backwards by the BLADE rotation. In reality I guess there might be a need for a stop front and back? On yours, the piece "could" catch and come backwards and on mine the pressure from the feed rollers on the piece before the reverse forces by the blades kicks in, could slide the piece forward? - Phew, glad we got that sorted out - shame about the pint though

I've never had a problem with the knives kicking the workpiece backward. I think the knife rotation keeps it going forward.

Let's not rule out the pint though. Could be maybe at the planned Durham lunch?

George

Canuck · 08-27-2008, 11:40 AM

Thanks so much, guys!!!!

Sounds like a sled may be the answer for any really thin stuff. Never even thought about snipe when pieces get this thin! Now that wouldn't be too good .... not much wood left to try and sand it out.

Wayne

DavidF · 08-27-2008, 01:44 PM

Originally Posted by gator

I've never had a problem with the knives kicking the workpiece backward. I think the knife rotation keeps it going forward.

Let's not rule out the pint though. Could be maybe at the planned Durham lunch?

George

Hmm, not sure I am going to make it to Durham, it's a bit too far from Apex for a lunch, we'll see. Might need to wait until the picnic!

The only time I have had the piece really come backwards was when it was a thin piece that wasn't stuck down, the leading edge lifted off the sled after it went through the first feed roller and the blade caught it full on, smashed the front edge of the piece and sent it out the infeed side of the planer, not a normal event though I agree.

Residency requirements