View Full Version : How thin???
Bo McCorkle
12-06-2010, 3:57 PM
How thin of a board can you safely pass thru a thickness planer before you need to move to a drum sander???
Karl Brogger
12-06-2010, 4:04 PM
Safely? You could probably go until everything goes out the chute. So long as the knives aren't digging into steel not much of a threat there.
My planer doesn't do a real good job when things start getting down to >1/8" But its an el' cheapo 4 post 15" planer.
Todd Crawford
12-06-2010, 4:15 PM
Safely? You could probably go until everything goes out the chute. So long as the knives aren't digging into steel not much of a threat there.
My planer doesn't do a real good job when things start getting down to >1/8" But its an el' cheapo 4 post 15" planer.
> 1/8"? Really??? Interesting! :D
Leo Vogel
12-06-2010, 4:45 PM
Bo - hot glue the thin board to a thicker board and have at it. Probably can plane it until it has no thickness left.
Greg Portland
12-06-2010, 4:53 PM
Safely? You could probably go until everything goes out the chute. So long as the knives aren't digging into steel not much of a threat there....until the board explodes and sends shards back out the front @ high speed (it has happened to me). Leo has the right idea, use a planer sled & double sided tape to send the thin stuff through. Your planing performance will get worse before you have a safety issue. I use a (3/4" thick) sled for anything under a 1/2".
johnny means
12-06-2010, 4:55 PM
IME after about an eighth inch the stock becomes to thin and flexible to resist the lifting action of the knives.
Van Huskey
12-06-2010, 5:13 PM
IME after about an eighth inch the stock becomes to thin and flexible to resist the lifting action of the knives.
I agree, I generally move to the DS below 1/4" just because using a planer sled is more hassel than it is worth in most cases if you have a good DS.
Roger Jensen
12-06-2010, 5:19 PM
I think it is going to vary by type of wood, irregularities, and sharpness of knives. I have had 3/8 inch knotty wood explode in my planer and been able to plane clear cherry to 1/8 without a problem.
As always, your mileage may vary.
Anthony Whitesell
12-06-2010, 6:26 PM
Without a sled 1/4" or you risk the rollers and knives hitting the bed. With a sled and because of the pounding of the knives, I would try less than 1/8".
Peter Quinn
12-06-2010, 8:37 PM
Without a sled 1/4" or you risk the rollers and knives hitting the bed. With a sled and because of the pounding of the knives, I would try less than 1/8".
What he said! Well, maybe 3/16" on some species on a good day with the moon in the right orbit and my fingers crossed. Sharp knives are a big help.
Darius Ferlas
12-06-2010, 8:50 PM
Ridgid says not to plane to thickness less than 3/16" so I tried to plane less and I got down to 1/8". Luckily for me, it wouldn't go any lower.
Kyle Iwamoto
12-06-2010, 8:51 PM
I dunno about others, but my DW 735 has a turret stop at 1/8". So I assume that it can "safely" plane to 1/8". That being said, as Roger said, it REALLY depends on the wood. If it's figured, it blows up and makes horrible noises in the chip fan, even before 1/8". It happened to me too. For figured woods, it goes into the drum sander and many many passes, the chipout that I get is enough to not even try to get it to final thickness with a planer, no matter how thick or thin.
Brett Clark
12-07-2010, 8:52 AM
I've gone down to just under 3/32 on maple and walnut using a sled and double sided tape. Then the biggest problem is getting the piece off the sled without tearing it up.
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