ShopNotes Planer Sled

[Al Launier]

Just picked up the latest ShopNotes magazine & read with interest about the 4' planer sled. Looks pretty good to me except I probably would make it longer to accept boards for 4' long projects. Right now it looks like it might be an interesting winter's project. Anyone build this sled? What do you think?

[Al Launier]

180 views & no replies. I "wonder" if it could be because I forgot to include the ShopNotes site address. Gotta remember these things!
Picture of the sled appears here: http://www.shopnotes.com/

[glenn bradley]

I made Keith Rust's version (http://www.finewoodworking.com/workshop/video/a-planer-sled-for-milling-lumber.aspx) years ago and it is still providing good service. The Shop Notes version is a little more involved but is also a bit more refined. I originally made it (http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?58735-Planer-Sled-2-0) back in '07 to tide me over till I got a larger jointer but, it has still come into play on wide material and is easier (since I already have it) than the other methods of jointing wide stock on a narrow jointer. I recently used it on a media cabinet build that I posted here:

295751

I didn't bother to add the laminate on the bottom because my BB ply jigs with shellac and paste wax had already proven duty worthy. The bottom is still in good shape after much heavy use. It took a few hours to build and has served me for years.

[Matt Day]

You'd probably get more replies if you posted it in Gen ww'ing rather than Off Topic.

[Malcolm Schweizer]

I have often considered similar ones, and I did see the shop notes one, but I always run 12' plus boards through the planer so I scrub them flat and then plane them. Final dimensioned pieces are jointed by hand to fine tune, which is rarely needed.

That said, if I were doing heavy production I have access to a shop with a wide bed jointer. This is just how I do it at home. I enjoy the hand work- not trying to save money. I just don't enjoy it enough to thickness plane by hand, but rough jointing is a good workout.

[Al Launier]

You'd probably get more replies if you posted it in Gen ww'ing rather than Off Topic.

Giving your suggestion a try.