How thin can I plane with a Delta Planer

[George Bokros]

I have done 3/8" but am wondering how thin can you plane without a carrier board?

Thanks

George

[Mike Circo]

I've gone 3/16" regularly and 1/8" on occasion..... However with help.
I purchased a piece of 10" wide melamine coated shelf material. I clamp it to the infeed table and use it as the new bed. Thins strips are perfectly supported the entire length, the melamine is very slick so the strips glide through. If you watch grain direction, blowouts are held to a minimum.

Works well, and cost only a few bucks for the shelving material.

[Lee Schierer]

I've done 1/4". However, the thinner you go the greater the chance that tear out will result in catastrophic loss of the piece if you get any vertical grain.

[Andrew Pitonyak]

I have done 3/8" but am wondering how thin can you plane without a carrier board?

I have gone below 1/4" on my Dewalt

If you make it to the center of Ohio, I can toss a piece of melamine at you that you can outfit as a carrier board if you like.

[George Bokros]

Thanks for the reply's. It looks like a melamine board is in my planer's future.

George

[Peter Quinn]

Depends on the planer the species, but regardless of the machine, 1/4" is the thinnest IME with any security. Much beyond that and the stock can bend and lift, occasionally bad snipe happens, occasionally the wood explodes in a noisy and destructive rage. A bed board can help get thin stock over the bed rollers but does little to resist upward thrust. Ive found a lunch box with their smaller heads and close distance between feed rollers lets you go a little thinner than larger planers, in fact the more industrial the thicker the minimum stock generally. My DC-380 will do 1/4", maybe .220", then it bottoms out, so the point is moot there.

[Ryan Baker]

I have gone down to 1/8", but I wouldn't recommend doing it. Anything below 1/4" you should really use a carrier board.