I have need for some thin stock, something 1.5 to 2 mm thick. My thickness planer will take it down to 3.5 mm. Does anyone here use a sled to get thinner stock from their planer? Any other methods?
I have need for some thin stock, something 1.5 to 2 mm thick. My thickness planer will take it down to 3.5 mm. Does anyone here use a sled to get thinner stock from their planer? Any other methods?
Yes, that's entirely possible. A bit of googling will net you the how-to details. But with that thickness, your planer best be fully fettled. If you have someone who you can contract it to, esp. if they have the capability to dial it in with abrasives (wide-belt, drum sander, or abrasive thicknesser), you might be better off.
David G
Harbor Woodworks
http://www.harborwoodworking.com/boat.html
"It was a Sunday morning and Goddard gave thanks that there were still places where one could worship in temples not made by human hands." -- L. F. Herreshoff (The Compleat Cruiser)
How wide do you need your stock? A thickness sander should go down to ~1-1.5mm with no problem. A bowyer friend of mine made one with his belt sander that worked pretty well for 2-3" wide strips.
Sounds like construction grade veneer.
http://www.robbins.co.uk/marine/veneers.asp
Someday, I'm going to settle down and be a grumpy old man.
How big and what species?
I've used a sub table in a big planer,but it's always a gamble.
A little one should be better.
The thickness sander was a vast improvement.
R
Sleep with one eye open.
Thanks for the replies. The wood is black walnut and spruce, pre planed to 3/16 thick and up to 11" wide. A thickness sander would be the best but I don't have access to one so the planer is my best shot. Luckily I have lots of scrap to practice on.
Use freshly sharpened blades and a very light touch.
Be very careful about the orientation of the grain going into the planer. Thin stock like that has a habit of exploding if you are shearing the wood in the wrong direction.
So here is the stock I have to resize, black walnut and afromosia. 1.5 to 2 mm thick for the walnut is what I need. I'm nervous about working it,It's so nice I'll feel really bad if any of it became firewood.The planer will reliably take it down to about 3.5 mm and I'll finish it on a shop built thickness sander for the wood lathe. (under construction)
ukulele wood 002 (800x600).jpg
What are you making?
Steve Martinsen
Inspired by Bruce Taylors' ukulele build on the homemade christmas gifts thread I'm going to try my first musical instrument project, a baritone ukulele.I hope I can do the materials justice.
Short and thin are dodgy at best in a planer even with a sled or alternative bed, find somebody with a widebelt sander, like S*** through a goose
Like everyone else said, that thin in a thickness planer is dicey. Increase your odds by angling the stock as much as possible. Also, wiping the stock with a wet rag can help
bump. some ukulele progress. The walnut side pieces didn't survive thicknessing on the planer, you know the story,just one more pass ought to do it....Rats! So they've been replaced with african mahogany not as pretty but easier to work with.Since this is my first try at instrument building it's all a learning curve.
saucies apr 1518 008.jpg
Funny, I thought I had offered to thickness sand it for you.
If you haven't done the back yet you can send it over to Salt Spring and I'll do my best.
Not my area of expertise but could the wood ride on some sort of carrier through the thickness planner until you get the thickness desired?
In the future call around to a local cabinetmaker or millwork shop. Where I live you can’t swing a dead cat without hitting one. Most of us would be happy to help you out for an hour’s pay. Anytime I try to plane any thinner than 3/16”, any wood prone to tear out tears all the way out to the chip shed. I just sanded a stack of white oak down to 1/8” last week. 60 grit works a treat for thicknessing.
What kind of bracing pattern are you using for that top?
Jay