Planing with a Router

[Mike Cutler]

In the thread "Maple and Bubinga Cutting Board by John Michaels, http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=48597

A question was asked about how to plane, or flatten, a board with no planer.
I thought I would post a solution I used to to "rough plane" a 10' x29" wide shelf. It can easily be adapted to any size project. It will not give you a planer quality finish, but it will get you close enough to finish with a sander, or scraper.

The jig is a transom on rails. I think I stole, and adapted this idea from one of Bill Hyltons books, so I don't really take credit for it.
Here is a pic of the transom on the guide rails on my benchtop.
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A closer look at the transom and rails.
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The router on the transom,
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and the bit extending below the bottom of the transom. In this case I am using a very low quality straight bit. A "Bowl bit", or "Dish bit" works much better, but I have apparently loaned mine out to someone. The 90 degree edge of the straight bit tends to leave lines, and grab, where the sweeping radius of a dish bit leaves a smoother surface, and the transition is smoother during the planing process.



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I'll finish up in the next post,a nd show the jig at work.

[Mike Cutler]

In this first pic I have a "cutting board" that was actually made to measure the amount of wood movement across the grain in a breadboard end of cherry. You can see that it is also a little twisted and needed a shim to level it.53733
The next pic shows the relationship of the router bit to the material. I tried to pick a low spot.
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As the bit works it's pretty easy to monitor the material being removed.
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and,
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The final surface, with a low quailty 'borg bit, looks like this and can easily be finished with a sander.
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This particular jig was made to perform the initial surfacing on a very large wide piece of material, post glueup. The cost for a 30"+ planer was just way more than I could afford.
Initially the rails were 12' long and the router was mounted to an aluminum plate that ran inside of the transom for better control. I couldn't find the plate tonite.

[Loren Hedahl]

I recently saw a variation on your theme - perhaps on an Australian forum - that used an aluminum ladder for the rails.

Good way to go, also for wood with swirly, squirrly grain!

Loren

[Marc Prudhomme]

Thats a pretty good Idea.That seems that it would be very acurate.A little sanding afterwards and you would have a perfctly flat panel.
I like it

[Mike Cutler]

Thats a pretty good Idea.That seems that it would be very acurate.A little sanding afterwards and you would have a perfctly flat panel.
I like it

You would still have flip the panel over, reset the bit, and do that side. I only did one side in this example.

[Jim Becker]

This technique works equally well with very large things, like natural edge slabs (and even workbenches) that are far too large to run through planers and jointers.

[Ian Abraham]

Yup, it works well.
I use the same idea with the router clamped to the frame of my sawmill for machining up big slabs. Same idea, just using the mill rails and carriage to guide the router.

Ian

[Mike Cutler]

Yup, it works well.
I use the same idea with the router clamped to the frame of my sawmill for machining up big slabs. Same idea, just using the mill rails and carriage to guide the router.

Ian

That's... that's... Why that's cheating!!;) ;) ;)

[Stan Mijal]

You would still have flip the panel over, reset the bit, and do that side. I only did one side in this example.

Heres another similar method I have used successfully. The difference is the router doesn't move on guided tracks, but the sled slides over the side rails. This is certainly not my original idea, I saw it somewhere but cannot remember where. ( I love gettin older, soon I will be able to hide my own Easter eggs!):D

[Ian Abraham]

That's... that's... Why that's cheating!!

Maybe :D

This is my rig anyway.
Works a treat with the big slabs of cypress I use for table tops.

Cheers

Ian

[David Epperson]

I'm gathering stuff together for something similar - though my idea was originally for a duplicator. The manufacturing company I work for recently "Scrapped out" (threw away) some obsolete (to them) equipment. Had several perfectly useful 6' long Thomson twin rail guides and bearlings. And a 32"x6' heavy formica topped MDF work table. I should be able to do flat "planer" work as well as copy profiles. I hope.