Planer sled question

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

I am going to build a planer sled to face joint some stock, since I do not have a jointer. For now I'm looking at 4' and shorter lengths, so I'll keep the sled under 5'.

I have a question (or concern) about the best way to support the stock on the sled. The idea is to support any gaps undder the stock when running it through so that the wood does not deflect under the pressure from the rollers (fwiw, I have the DW735). The two methods I've seen so far are (1) hot-glued shims or wedges and (2) wedge-supported cross pieces.

I'm curious as to whether I should worry about supporting the middle of the board, and not just the edges. I suppose if the supports on the sides are about one every 12", then I shouldn't have to worry about a board even 12" wide deflecting as it passes through. I'd like to hear from anyone that's used a planer sled....

[Anthony Whitesell]

You need to support any significant gaps and long bows or arches so the stock doesn't flex or rock due to the rollers or cutterhead.

I made a sled from a piece of 1/2" MDF with 3/4" MDF runners under it. I then drilled a grid of holes and installed threaded inserts (1/4-20). I then use nylon screws installed from the bottom (hence the runners) to support the stock. One of the most import things I've found is that you need to support the very leading and trailing edges of the stock or the rollers tip the board up when entering and leaving the planer.

[John Craig Brown]

I was recently thinking about a planer sled and I found an excellent article on the Fine Woodworking site with a video - if you search for planer sled or planer the video should come up but you have to subscribe to get the pdf article. If you want the article e-mail me directly and I can get it for you.

[Prashun Patel]

Usually, the board-to-be-jointed can be flipped such that support at the ends or sides is enough.

If the board is bowed or cupped, flip it so the convex part is down. This way, you only have to support the sides or ends, respectively.

If the board is twisted, you'd wedge support the opposite corners.

If you have handplanes, then you might consider using the planer sled for rough flattening, and then jointing the rest by hand. This way, the board only needs rough support.

[Julian Nicks]

I use a planer sled for face jointing wide boards. What I use is a 3/4" thick piece of baltic birch ply with 2" tall by 3/4" thick sides made of straight grained maple. I put the piece on the sled and wedge it against the sides, and shim the corners if they are up off the sled. If the piece is lower than the rails, I just add plywood to the base till the face of the board is above the sides. This method has worked great for me using a dewalt 735 planer.

[Alex Shanku]

The idea posted in the readers section of this current FWW seems to be SO much more superior than a sled. Has anyone used this method yet?

[Nathan Callender]

The idea posted in the readers section of this current FWW seems to be SO much more superior than a sled. Has anyone used this method yet?

Care to elaborate? :-)

[Steve Walls]

Woodhaven recently came out with a planing sled, it might offer some design suggestions.

http://woodhaven.com/Woodhaven-3000-27-Planing-Sled/M/B002UZGUSY.htm

[Casey Carr]

I think I saw this, too. Basically, you take two pieces of wood, any thickness would work I guess as long as you cut them wider than the piece you're trying to get flat, and lay them up against the sides of the part you need to flatten. Then you'd center the piece you're wanting to plane in between them, so the planer references off the two side pieces. Think of a capital "I" laying on it's side, that's a cross section of what you're making.

The only drawback I can see offhand is you'd have to fasten the pieces together, with screws or glue or something. Don't know how well glue would hold, but screwing/doweling you'd have holes to work around. Course, I haven't tried it either.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

Woodhaven recently came out with a planing sled, it might offer some design suggestions.

http://woodhaven.com/Woodhaven-3000-27-Planing-Sled/M/B002UZGUSY.htm


This is similar to another style I saw, which is so simple it's brilliant. You use a system like that to route 2 dados in the workpiece, which by definition would then be flat (level) and coplanar (the dados, that is). You would then insert some type of flat runners in the dados, flip upside down, and then run the piece through the planer as it rides on those rails/runners. Since the runners are flat and coplanar, you would get a flat top as well. I thought of this method as well. The normal 'sled' is nice because it really takes just one power tool, not two.

[JohnT Fitzgerald]

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