Planer Sled

[Jerry Bruette]

I don't have a planer sled but I'd like to make one. Would it help eliminate snipe.

Should I keep it simple and use wedges with hot glue or go nuts with some of the more complex sleds I see on youtube?

[lou Brava]

Well, I built a simple type and it worked great cant remember on the snipe. Glad I went simple because after using it and a straight line jig on the TS I got fed up and bought an 8" HH jointer. The work around jigs work perfectly fine but they just pissed me off & the work gets done so much faster now.

[glenn bradley]

I made the Keith Rust sled which has a moderate level of features that makes it still useful today.

planer sled.JPG

If I were making one today I would do the ShopNotes version.
Planer Sled-S-N.JPG

I have also sent you a PM.

[John Kananis]

I have a 15 inch wide piece of plywood for when I absolutely must joint something wider than 8 inches (not often) and that's really all that's needed. Set your stock on top, screw in stops and hot melt some wedges underneath (where appropriate) and you're ready to go.

[Tom Bender]

I have sleds in various sizes. Sometimes I secure the wedges with tape but usually just use them loose. The sleds have little dogs at the front edge.

Last week I used one to taper some legs. Easy peasy.

[Howard Rosenberg]

Colin Knecht removes all the overdesigned overkill - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK5CxqYmUSo

Works perfectly. Every time.

[Steve Engelschall]

Colin Knecht removes all the overdesigned overkill - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK5CxqYmUSo

Works perfectly. Every time.

In the video, he says he uses High Density Fiberboard for the sled. Not sure where to buy HDF - I've only ever seen MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) - will that suffice?

[Jerry Bruette]

In the video, he says he uses High Density Fiberboard for the sled. Not sure where to buy HDF - I've only ever seen MDF (Medium Density Fiberboard) - will that suffice?

I plan on using MDF when I make my sled. More than likely 3/4 inch.

[Michael Burnside]

I bought a pack of these 24x46 for some shop jigs, shaper origin table, etc. and overall quite pleased with the results. I also made a simple sled with a cleat at the back so I could plane some small parts for my current build.

https://www.woodworkerssource.com/ha...ples-8x12.html

[Justin Rapp]

I have two pieces of melamine that I use as a sled. One side I keep untouched, the other side I use to shim and hot glue down wood if it's something I don't want to rip and flatten on my jointer.

[Cameron Wood]

Colin Knecht removes all the overdesigned overkill - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OK5CxqYmUSo

Works perfectly. Every time.

Shouldn't the cleat be on the front of the sled?

[Michael Burnside]

Shouldn't the cleat be on the front of the sled?

No, the placement of the cleat is correct.

[Jerry Bruette]

Shouldn't the cleat be on the front of the sled?

If you watch enough yutube videos you'll see the cleat on either end. Confusing to me.

[Michael Burnside]

If you watch enough yutube videos you'll see the cleat on either end. Confusing to me.

If you think about it, you have two forces. One is the feed roller(s) pulling the material through, the other is the cutter head. Generally speaking if you're taking even a light pass the cutter head will have more force than the feed rollers, ergo the piece, if it moves will drift towards the back. The cleat at the back prevents the material from getting pushed off. If you wanted, you CAN add one to the front, but in my experience it is not necessary. Some will put skateboard tape instead of a front cleat which is also pretty good.

[Cameron Wood]

If you think about it, you have two forces. One is the feed roller(s) pulling the material through, the other is the cutter head. Generally speaking if you're taking even a light pass the cutter head will have more force than the feed rollers, ergo the piece, if it moves will drift towards the back. The cleat at the back prevents the material from getting pushed off. If you wanted, you CAN add one to the front, but in my experience it is not necessary. Some will put skateboard tape instead of a front cleat which is also pretty good.

If that were so, why would the stock move forward at all? (No dog in the fight, as I don't have and haven't used a planer sled)