Flattening large slabs question?

[Craig D Peltier]

Hello was looking to tap the knowledge base here on flattening slabs that are to large to through the widest planers around here ( 36 inch).
Will a good handheld power planer be able to do the job if the slab was cupped and you needed to take a 1/4 inch down to get it flat on the sides for example? Or would I better off with the largest most aggressive Festool with some very low grit on it? This isnt just one slab its a scenario for many slabs.



Thanks

[Jamie Buxton]

There's a router process that works very well. Here's a thread about it. http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?97018-Face-jointing-a-big-plank-with-a-router-bridge&highlight=slab

[Chris Fournier]

A hand held power planer works very well for this task. A sander would be a poor choice.

[Matt Day]

I'd definitely go with the router sled like Jamie mentioned. I did it recently with my benchtop that was twisted and it worked great.

[Darius Ferlas]

I used the method Jamie links to and just for the purpose I bought one of the Magnate surface planing bit (http://www.amazon.ca/Magnate-Surface-Planing-Bottom-Cleaning/dp/B0006B0QXE/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1363533684&sr=1-1)s. The slab I worked on was 30" by 60". I used a 6" ROS with 100G disks to get rid of the small ridges.

If you go this route, make sure you attach some dust collection to the router, or you won't be able to see the other end of the board as you plane it.

[John TenEyck]

Another vote for a router sled. Easy to fabricate a temporary arrangement, and the results are guaranteed flat with no winding sticks, etc. required to check. Do one side, flip, repeat.

John

[Jeff Bartley]

If I were going with the router sled I think I'd try and buy the largest diameter bit I could find.........that magnate bit looks sweet!

[johnny means]

The problem with the router technique is that you need to have a flat reference surface that is larger than your slab. Without that larger reference surface you're stuck using winding sticks and straight edges to determine flatness. I've used powerplanes, beltsanders, and handplanes to do this and they all sucked. The power plane was definitely the fastest option.

[Tai Fu]

If you have a large drill press, you can use the Wagner Safe-T-Planer. Unfortunately they quit making them last year...

[Peter Aeschliman]

Craig, the wood whisperer has a good video on it as well. I don't think i'm allowed to link to his site, but go to thewoodwhisperer, click on videos at the top, click on techniques on the left, and scroll down to video #174 ("How to Flatten Workbenches and Wide Boards with a Router"). The most interesting part about the video is how he makes sure the two "rails" of the jig are positioned correctly, using string.

Btw Craig, this might be a bit creepy, but your name was familiar... Plus I see you live in Duvall. I thought about it for a minute and realized that I actually bought some walnut from you a year or two ago! Small world!

[Ellery Becnel]

I have set up the router sled method to flatten my end grain chopping boards. It works great. I built a raised platform
mounted to my bench. Mounted a 1/4" piece of lexan to it, shimmed it all level. Now I can attach any small piece of wood with double sided tape and route away.It is a versatile setup to do small and large jobs. I checked the thickness with dial calipers and were able to maintain a .002 tolerance across the length and width. Not a lot of cost to set up. Mine is portable and can be removed and stored away when not needed. Very precise, I use feeler gauges when getting close to my final thickness. I followed the "wood whisperer" design for the router carrier. I just stack up 1/2" thick MDF strips to accommodate for thickness for the carrier to slide along. Once set up you can do some nice work.

[Matt Day]

The problem with the router technique is that you need to have a flat reference surface that is larger than your slab. Without that larger reference surface you're stuck using winding sticks and straight edges to determine flatness. I've used powerplanes, beltsanders, and handplanes to do this and they all sucked. The power plane was definitely the fastest option.

Sort but that's not true. Using the technique demonstrated by TWW, you simply use jointer 2x4's.

[Craig D Peltier]

Craig, the wood whisperer has a good video on it as well. I don't think i'm allowed to link to his site, but go to thewoodwhisperer, click on videos at the top, click on techniques on the left, and scroll down to video #174 ("How to Flatten Workbenches and Wide Boards with a Router"). The most interesting part about the video is how he makes sure the two "rails" of the jig are positioned correctly, using string.

Btw Craig, this might be a bit creepy, but your name was familiar... Plus I see you live in Duvall. I thought about it for a minute and realized that I actually bought some walnut from you a year or two ago! Small world!

Small world. Haha, I have some awesome slabs right now. Going into the kiln on Monday. I have 30 of them. I also have some really nice bookkmatched Sapele.

Thanks for the links. I have it open to watch it.

[Chris Fournier]

Having used both techniques I can say that going the power planer route is much faster. If you use handplanes at all then the power planer route is obviously straight forward and requires no set up. Setting up the router method requires that not only do you have two straight but you must also ensure that they are co-planer - which will require windings sticks... You also have to make the router fixture.

I have found the surface quality left by the power planer to be superior to the surface quality left by a router bit to boot.

As a bonus the power planer has many applications in a woodworking/renovating context and it will pay for itself quickly.

[John C Bush]

Hi Craig, I've done several slab table projects recently and used the hand planer. I think the router sled is a better idea and if you have several slabs to do, building a sled system would be a great idea. I visited City Hardwoods in Ballard(before they closed) and they had an angle iron frame that held a sled mounted on skateboard tires for longitudinal movement and and the router mounted to a plywood plate that moved cross grain on the sled. They had a dedicated table with a leveling mechanism to support from the bottom. I think it was just a series of bolts threaded thru the base. The slab I watched them do was heavy enough that wouldn't move during millng. If you haven't been to Urban Harwoods (2100 1st Av South in Seattle) it's worth a trip in to see the slab tables there. My fav was the claro walnut table ~~4-5' X10", marked down to $11,000 from $14,000!!!! Lot's of other great things to see and borrow ideas from. The Fine Woodworking Gallery has moved next door to UH from their old spot in Pioneer Square and has lot's of beautiful pieces as well.(If you make a trip in, take your significant other to La Pichet @ 1st and Virgiania for a nice French Bistro experience. I have a friend that has been getting logs, having them cut into slabs(sawyer in Oso with a 54" horizontal BS and lot's of experience cutting slabs), and having them kiln dried in Sultan. We will be making a flattening table at some point so let me know if you'd be interested participating. Also, Millwork Supply on 1st Av S. (past Safeco Fld) has a huge belt sander and they have sanded a coulpe of table tops for me before. Not sure if they still do or if slab size/weight limit availability. Good luck and need to see pics of what you are making. JCB.

[Craig D Peltier]

Hi Craig, I've done several slab table projects recently and used the hand planer. I think the router sled is a better idea and if you have several slabs to do, building a sled system would be a great idea. I visited City Hardwoods in Ballard(before they closed) and they had an angle iron frame that held a sled mounted on skateboard tires for longitudinal movement and and the router mounted to a plywood plate that moved cross grain on the sled. They had a dedicated table with a leveling mechanism to support from the bottom. I think it was just a series of bolts threaded thru the base. The slab I watched them do was heavy enough that wouldn't move during millng. If you haven't been to Urban Harwoods (2100 1st Av South in Seattle) it's worth a trip in to see the slab tables there. My fav was the claro walnut table ~~4-5' X10", marked down to $11,000 from $14,000!!!! Lot's of other great things to see and borrow ideas from. The Fine Woodworking Gallery has moved next door to UH from their old spot in Pioneer Square and has lot's of beautiful pieces as well.(If you make a trip in, take your significant other to La Pichet @ 1st and Virgiania for a nice French Bistro experience. I have a friend that has been getting logs, having them cut into slabs(sawyer in Oso with a 54" horizontal BS and lot's of experience cutting slabs), and having them kiln dried in Sultan. We will be making a flattening table at some point so let me know if you'd be interested participating. Also, Millwork Supply on 1st Av S. (past Safeco Fld) has a huge belt sander and they have sanded a coulpe of table tops for me before. Not sure if they still do or if slab size/weight limit availability. Good luck and need to see pics of what you are making. JCB.
Hi John my slabs were cut at Oso ( bruce can cut 56") and will be brought to Sultan tomorrow. :) Millwork supply went up for auction 2 yrs ago and there sander only sold for $1500!! OB williams next door has the same size. I have heard of two places with monster planers, one is 60 I think at McKinnons furniture the other is a person in Sultan 72 inch maybe both I dont believe wont to plane for guys like me and you though.
I have been to Urban Hardwoods and the FWW gallery as well. Both cool to stop in when nearby.
I would be interested in helping out with flattening table so if you want send me a private message here and I will send my info back for the future.
Thanks for info and ideas.

[John TenEyck]

Here's about the simplest version of a router sled you can make:

257286

It took about 10 minutes to set up. That slab is about 2 x 5 or 6'. If I had to do a slab wider than my bench, I would just lay a few 2 x 4's or ripped plywood pieces across the bench first, then lay down the rails on them and proceed just like above. The power hand plane may indeed be faster, but the router sled is pretty much fool proof which makes it my first choice.

John

[Dave Zellers]

Seems like a combination of a router sled and hand power planer would be the best and fastest way.

Just make reference cuts with one pass of the router across the board about 6-8 inches apart and then hand power plane down to that point.

[David Helm]

Seems like a combination of a router sled and hand power planer would be the best and fastest way.

Just make reference cuts with one pass of the router across the board about 6-8 inches apart and then hand power plane down to that point.

Might work with straight grain wood, but if you're using highly figured wood the tear out will defeat the purpose. Router sled and sanding seems to be the best way to go.