[OP]
Contributor
Hello, Does anyone have experience with the Woodpeckers Slab Flattening Mill Pro. If YES what did you mount it on. What size router & bit do you use. Have you been happy with the results. Is there a large learning curve.
Any input would be appreciated, Kevin
Contributor
Originally Posted by kevin nee
For nine hundred dollars ($899.99) you could build a bunch of slab flatteners. Current issue of Wood has one made from Unistrut. Wood also made one. Personally, I would look on line at videos of shop made (I hate the words "home made) flattening jigs. You can fasten rails directly to your work bench to make a simple flattener.
Contributor
I'm surprised anyone would buy a slab flattening jig when you can build one for next to nothing out of your scrap bin. I used to make them for whatever the need was, then cut them up until I needed one for another project. But recently I had the need to flatten quite a few slabs so I built a little better one. As I thought about the construction it occurred to me that you don't need rails at all if your bench is flat and wider than the slabs you need to flatten.
The bridge rides directly on the outer edges of my bench. Shims raise or lower its height to accommodate different thickness slabs. I built a vacuum pick up for it which gets maybe half the chips and much of the dust, but it's not ideal.
A better approach would be to make the bridge wider and put a dust collector hose in the router plate.
John
I'm convinced that Woodpeckers' mission statement is to see just how little value per dollar spent they can put into a product. No question, some of their stuff is good, it's just that little of it is worth even a fraction of the price.
Contributor
I used one of the Woodpeckers Slab Flatteners. A friend of mine purchased it and had me try it out with the Festool 2200 router. I used an insert type slab flattening bit with it to flatten some Box Elder slabs. I believe I was using an 1-1/4” diameter bit.
I have a wooden rack that sets atop sawhorses and I took care to shim the rack until the top surface was dead level before placing a 1/2” sheet of plywood on top. I then screwed the Woodpeckers jig to it.
I was happy with the way the system operated and the router and bit worked well during flattening. I did not have the vacuum setup and needless to say, had wood shavings pretty much everywhere.
the unit is not cheap but you get your money’s worth as it is very well built and provides smooth and precise operation. I would like to have one and would consider spending the money for the Woodpeckers unit, if I were doing more flattening of slabs. I would definitely get the vacuum attachment as I believe it to be one advantage the Woodpeckers unit has over similar types of leveling sleds.
Hope this helps.
Clint
[OP]
Contributor
Thanks for the wide range of opinions.
Stay tuned, Kevin
Contributor
Seems like mounting it vertical like a panel saw would allow the chips to fall away from the bit. They do make panel saws that mount a router instead of a saw, Hmmm. Or the old standby of a router on a unused radial arm saw. Or a dado blade on a radial arm saw.
Bil lD
Member
I have one and yes it works well. Its expensive as stated.i bought it since i do a fair amount of slab work. It knocks down easily for storage and sets up quic its a no muss no fuss setup and works well.
I use a 3.5 hp Milwaukee router with a 1.5 inch carbide bit and I am able to take off 3/16 maybe a 1/4 inch off a pass. Its can be a arduous task. I have spent a day flattening large slabs. Its noisey and dirty but when your done you have a flat surface that has light swirl marks than can be hand planed or sanded off.
As far as I am concerned Woodpeckers are mighty proud of thier stuff. Some of it is gimmicky but other stuff works well.
Member
I just recently purchased the pro with the 24” extensions. I could’ve got the pro extended, but i in no way need to flatten 11’ of boards right now. That being said, it is a bit pricey for mill, but i took almost a year to decide to buy one. Actually, I was wanting to buy the original before they come out with the vacuum system and adjustable sled.
It will not be here until august sometime, so it’ll be a while before I can give a update on whether I think it was worth the money.
I had a few deciding factors. I like how easy it goes together and takes the guess work out of making a flattening mill myself. You can set it up and forget it, or take it down. Whichever you choose. I plan to have mine built onto the wall on a set of rollers and it can store vertically and lock onto the wall so it doesn’t fall. When I want to use it, pull it out and the legs can flip down. The vacuum system and adjustable sled to me is worth the extra $100 over the original. I’m a clean freak and clean my shop after nearly every use unless I’m in there consecutive days. So this will help keep the clean up at a minimum.
Contributor
If I did a fair amount of slab work, I'd buy additional parts and make a CNC slab flattener. Nice to have something flattening the slabs while you work on something else.
Contributor
I've planed several slabs with shop-made sleds. Now I have a 4'x8' cnc router. For one or two slabs a sled is fine, but I wouldn't put much money in it. If I were doing them regularly and didn't have a cnc I would find someone in the area to do it for me.
Member
There are videos on YouTube of guys putting together "upgraded" versions of the DIY router sled with linear bearings which would get you closer to the Woodpecker version. This one has it priced out under $250.
https://youtu.be/5eGHxh7iHfI
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