Access to a Wide belt sander in Raleigh??

[Henry W]

A friend in Raleigh needs access to a wide belt sander - maybe 30-36" capacity. He has a natural edge slab he is making into a coffee table and wants it flattened. I have not seen this piece, but I imagine that most of the slab is end grain. Is anyone aware of shops in the Triangle area that would do this work - for a fee of course?

Alternately, faced with such a task, how would you accomplish it?
Two ways I can think of, besides a wide belt sander, are:
1. good old hand planes (that's rather theoretical in my case because my 'array' of plances consists of a Record bench plane and a shoulder plane).
2. Belt sander on a frame... and a good dust mask!

Thanks

Henry

 

[DaveO]

Another alternative is a router with a staight bit on a frame riding on rails. Probably would be faster than a beltsander.
Dave

 

[Toddler]

Hey, that's a good idea. I just saw that technique in a book or article I was reading. They used it to flatten the top of a work bench.

 

[chris99z71]

Hey, that's a good idea. I just saw that technique in a book or article I was reading. They used it to flatten the top of a work bench.

Yup, a year or two ago, Wood magazine had an article about doing this.

Just in case you can't visualize what we're talking about, check these out for a pictorial of the jig:
Router Thicknesser - My First Jig - Woodwork Forums
Router Planer - Woodwork Forums
http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com.au/attachment.php?attachmentid=15141

I've never tried it, but I'd think a large diameter bit like this would work well...plus there are no sharp edges on the corners. I'd think it would cut smoother then a strait bit:

 

[michaelgarner]

I have a 38 Woodmaster in fayetteville NC and its at his disposal if needed. He needs to transport it to my place, but the sanding is free. Have a blessed day

 

[Unregistered]

Wide belt sanding alone, while producing a smooth surface, will not make a slab flat. I would start with winding sticks and a belt sander or DaveO's advice first, depending on the size of the slab. Then pass the slab, worked side down, through the wide belt. This should produce a truley flat slab of wood.

 

[junquecol]

I would go the router route. Go to Woodcraft and get a couple of their $5.00 rabbeting bits, remove the bearing and grind off the stud that held bearing. Used on of these on my last highchair trays, and it worked beautifully.