Reducing the thickness of pieces to short to run through the planer or drum sander

[George Bokros]

I have some plinth blocks I purchased for a vanity build that are 1 1/16" thick and 2 3/4" square. I would like to reduce the thickness by ~3/16". I have four of them and they all need to be exactly the same thickness. Because of their size I cannot run them through the planer or drum sander.

Anyone have some thoughts on how to reduce the thickness?

Thanks

[Mark Carlson]

Can you rip them on the tablesaw?

[George Bokros]

Can you rip them on the tablesaw?

They are 2 3/4" square, a little to small to rip (re saw) on table saw safely. They would have to be standing on edge.

[glenn bradley]

I glue runners to the outside edges and rip them back off when done.

298998

[Rich Engelhardt]

I glue runners to the outside edges and rip them back off when done.Bingo!
Only instead of ripping them off later, if you stick a piece of newspaper in there and glue to that using Elmer's School Glue you can just pry them apart later and wash the glue and newspaper off with water.
That's what I was told to do 50 years ago in shop class. ;).
LOL! One of the only things that sunk into my thick skull!

[Cary Falk]

Take some double sided turner's tape and tape them in a row onto a piece of plywood and run them though the drum sander.

[George Bokros]

I glue runners to the outside edges and rip them back off when done. <img src="http://www.sawmillcreek.org/attachment.php?attachmentid=298998"/>

Not sure how this will help me reduce thickness.

[cody michael]

Not sure how this will help me reduce thickness.

glue on runners run through planer/sander you could probably do all 4 at once

[Rich Engelhardt]

http://www.diynetwork.com/how-to/how-to-plane-short-boards/index.html

They say to screw the outriggers on - but - I'd never put anything with screws in it through a planer.

[George Bokros]

Thanks for all the input. I will use double sided carpet tape to do this. The blocks will be stained so gluing on outriggers, even using paper, concerns me as to getting the edges to take stain. I could not use screws because of the holes in the edges will be a problem as they will be exposed. I agree with Rich, screws in my mind would be a no -no anyway.

[glenn bradley]

I glue runners to the outside edges and rip them back off when done.


Not sure how this will help me reduce thickness.

Sorry, that was a little vague. When I said "when done" I meant "when done thicknessing". You run the whole affair through the planer or sander thicknessing the runners and the captured blank as a unit. Once final thickness is reached, remove the runners. Rich E's tip on the paper "shim" is a good one and Cary's method would allow a large number of them to be done at once on one side removed, re-taped and then done on the other. The runners allow you to just flip the whole assembly so the choice would depend on the number of them there are to do.

[Prashun Patel]

I havent had luck using carpet tape. If you cannot do the runner thing, i would just rup on the tablesaw. Make a push block with a big heel and even front support to prevent tipping. You can even do it in two passes if you dont like having the blade so high.

[William C Rogers]

I would do what Cary suggested or just build a small sled and run through the drum sander.

[Brian Tymchak]

Take some double sided turner's tape and tape them in a row onto a piece of plywood and run them though the drum sander.

I've done this same thing using a planer and planer sled. Tape them down on a planer sled and add a scrap block at front and back to absorb any snipe (I've never been able to adjust out all the snipe on my planer...). Take thin passes

[Kent A Bathurst]

I will use double sided carpet tape to do this. .

Bingo.


10101010

[Ellery Becnel]

Another option if not wanting to push small pieces through the planer. I use double sided tape and a very simple router planning sled. The wood whisperer has a video on the sled.
It rules out snipe, and readout from planter blades. I use feeler gages to set minimal cut depths. Light passes, parallel within .002. Just giving another option.
I have used this method to make end grain cutting boards using 6" long turning squares. Very versatile for many applications, not very costly to setup. Let us know what route
You decide on. Thanks

Ellery Becnel

[Ellery Becnel]

Sorry I meant tear out not readout. I typed it right, darn auto spell check

[Pat Barry]

Another option if not wanting to push small pieces through the planer. I use double sided tape and a very simple router planning sled. The wood whisperer has a video on the sled.
It rules out snipe, and readout from planter blades. I use feeler gages to set minimal cut depths. Light passes, parallel within .002. Just giving another option.
I have used this method to make end grain cutting boards using 6" long turning squares. Very versatile for many applications, not very costly to setup. Let us know what route
You decide on. Thanks

Ellery Becnel
+1 - this is the first thing I thought of after the bandsaw resaw method of course.

[Phil Thien]

Just remember that if you run them through the planer you're going to get snipe. So I'd add some other blocks before/after to avoid snipe on your actual workpieces.

[Ruperto Mendiones]

Double sided tape

I've been using scotch double sided tape quite successfully. When the two parts are very firmly clamped together it forms a more than adequate [but reversible] bond.

Also when the runners are much longer than the workpiece, the snipe occurs in the runners alone.