Thickness planer sled...

[peter slamp]

Hello oh wise men/women! Another noob question for you. I'm thinking I'll forego my jointer purchase for a while and go the planer route first. I keep hearing about these planer sleds that allow you to joint edges and faces. Can anyone elaborate on how to make one of these and how they work?

p.s. This sure is an expensive addiction!:rolleyes:

[Glen Blanchard]

This is how I do it.

Nothing to it really. First of all, realize that this is a method for face jointing - not edge jointing. Edge jointing can be accomplished with a router. Additionally, this method will only work with planers whose knives are above the board, as are most lunchbox planers.

There is nothing special in making this sled. I use 3/4" MDF. Cut a piece of 3/4" MDF 6" or more longer and wider than the board you want to joint. You just finished making the sled! Place the board, face down, on a flat surface (workbench) and check for the amount the board rocks. Make a mental note of the rocking. Turn board over and repeat. Which ever orientation results in the smaller degree of rocking is the orientation you want to use. Place the board with the more stable face down on the MDF sled. Inspect around the board for areas that do not sit flush on the sled. Apply hot glue from a gun (my method) to fill in some of the gaps - if the gap is larger, glue in a small wedge. Place enough glue to stabilze the board and to keep it from moving on the sled. You should now have a board that does not rock on the sled, but is totaly stable. Now pass it through the planer. Make multiple passes. The result will be a completely flat face. Pry the board from the sled and plane the opposite face - without the sled this time. When you are done, you will have flat and parallel faces.

Very easy.

[peter slamp]

Doesn't sound too bad, even for me! Thanks.:p

[Lars Thomas]

To add to Glen's response, usually, it's necessary to add a cleat to the front of the sled. Otherwise the planer will pull your stock off the sled (thereby negating the value of said sled). The cleat is a piece of wood (usually in a dado) that is perpendicular to the sled.

[Tom Scott]

Peter,
You will still need to joint the edges of boards. So if you plan to forego the power jointer for now, you may want to look at either a #7 or #8 (Stanley) hand plane. You can generally pick these up off the Bay for not too much. And, with just a little practice you can get nice straight (or cambered) edges easier than with a power jointer.

The downside is that hand tools are a slippery slope. They're a lot like potato chips...can't have just one.

Tom

[joseph j shields]

Hey Peter,

I was in your situation, using only a planner.

I built the sled featured in FWW.

Here is a link http://www.taunton.com/finewoodworking/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesPDF.aspx?id=24118

The video is good and the sled works great. You can download the plans from FWW for a small fee. (I built an 8ft sled and it is pain to move it around, but it really works nice :D ) (The little cleats really work nicely... but you do need to use the stair tread tape so they don't move around)

I just got a ShopFox 8" jointer and I'm really sorry I waited all these years to get a jointer. It is much faster & easier than the sled.

I still need to use the sled for wood wider than 8".

Hope this helps!

-jj

[peter slamp]

Thanks guys!

[glenn bradley]

Here you go . . . screws can be adjusted to support your piece. Sled should be long enough to fully support the work piece. Cleat goes in front to keep your lunchbox planer from scooting the material to be planed off the sled.

[Matt Day]

Peter,
You will still need to joint the edges of boards. So if you plan to forego the power jointer for now, you may want to look at either a #7 or #8 (Stanley) hand plane. You can generally pick these up off the Bay for not too much. And, with just a little practice you can get nice straight (or cambered) edges easier than with a power jointer.

The downside is that hand tools are a slippery slope. They're a lot like potato chips...can't have just one.

Tom

Just use a router and a straight edge.