Floating Panels On Exterior Door Construction

[pollys13]

I'm thinking of using raised panels in my external door construction. I'm looking into but don't know yet, using if possible, different species of timber for a pleasing effect. As the raised panel is floating it doesn't matter if it expands and contracts at a different rate to the frame of the door? I've pretty much settled on using quarter sawn Utile for my replacement doors and windows, though if a less expensive timber with similar characteristics were available, I'd be open to using that?
If I do use Utile is their a suitable complimentary timber I could use for raised panels, perhaps staining them. I have Bob Flexners books on finishing.
Just started to use my Metabo 260 PT but having trouble getting the knives height set correctly, problem is also compounded by the Oneway dial gauge, the gauge itself might be a bit wonkee, just using Wickes softwood which am going to glue up for woodturning spindle and bowl practice blanks. Also good practice for using the planer, I was very pleasantly surprised am getting a very smooth finish but with some narrow bands, of what I assume must be planer ripple but face and edge not square. Have contacted other forum members who own 260 clones for advice. Is a bit of a stumbling block with planer as can't progress to practice running rebates on the spindle moulder if don't have prepared timber to feed into it, same sort of problem with morticer, use an oblong length of timber to square the chisel to the fence.
Oh well, plod on

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

Hi Pollys13, at the dry dock where I work we have all sorts of gauges etc for presses and metal lathe work, I have never used them to set the planer knives. just a short piece of flat wood on the outfield table and rotate the blade by hand and it should move between 3 and 5mm, check at one end then the other. That is easily accurate enough to plane an edge square to tolerances involved in woodworking (you should see no light under the square). If your edges are out of square either the fence is not square or you are not keeping the work pushed up against the fence properly.
Paddy

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

Found a vid of a guy with a similar planer to yours, you may find the whole video useful, but the process I've described above starts at about 8 minutes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uXh1fx6JE0

 

[pollys13]

Hi Pollys13, at the dry dock where I work we have all sorts of gauges etc for presses and metal lathe work, I have never used them to set the planer knives. just a short piece of flat wood on the outfield table and rotate the blade by hand and it should move between 3 and 5mm, check at one end then the other. That is easily accurate enough to plane an edge square to tolerances involved in woodworking (you should see no light under the square). If your edges are out of square either the fence is not square or you are not keeping the work pushed up against the fence properly.
Paddy

Missed your replies, thanks for the input.

 

[pollys13]

Found a vid of a guy with a similar planer to yours, you may find the whole video useful, but the process I've described above starts at about 8 minutes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uXh1fx6JE0

Yes, I've seen that one, thanks.

 

[ColeyS1]

Is a bit of a stumbling block with planer as can't progress to practice running rebates on the spindle moulder if don't have prepared timber to feed into it, same sort of problem with morticer, use an oblong length of timber to square the chisel to the fence.

Not sure if this pic might help ?

To change chisels and to check it's square, just wind the fence so it touches the chisel. Twist the chisel so the gap each side get more even, wind the fence in a tad more, once the chisels touching both sides of the fence, bingo bango start filling your shoes up with wood chips :lol:
Is it ones like these

You use for setting the planer blades ?


Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

 

[RobinBHM]

Utile is a good timber, virtually the same as Sapele, but known to be milder and more stable.

Can you buy quarter sawn Utile? I would think the logs are through and through cut so there would only be be a couple of boards per boule.

I guess youve finished the windows as you are starting on the doors now?

 

[pollys13]

Utile is a good timber, virtually the same as Sapele, but known to be milder and more stable.

Can you buy quarter sawn Utile? I would think the logs are through and through cut so there would only be be a couple of boards per boule.

I guess youve finished the windows as you are starting on the doors now?

Robbins Timber tell me as flat sawn there are always a few quarter sawn boards in the stack. Is this going to be stumbling block or should I not be going for quarter sawn? Or is Utile not hard enough, stable enough to resist warping etc even if not quarter sawn?
" I guess youve finished the windows as you are starting on the doors now? "
Not quite Robin, not quite Suppose just curious forward planning, for as and when, better to know now, than when the time comes along, might find other things need to find out about too

 

[pollys13]

Hi Coley
I have a set of those magnetic jigs but got put off first time I tried to use them. I slacked off the nuts holding the lock bar in position, so I could fiddle with the grub screws to raise the knives up. Found magnets not only lifted the knives..... but lock bar at same time......uum. Then someone from the forum, told me, should be able to tweak it. Just slacken off the nuts on the lock bar enough so still held in place but the knives can be lifted up by the magnets. Random Orbital Bob has been in touch, explaining how he used to use the magnetic jigs and the One Way dial gauge when he had a Record Power 260 PT with excellent results.
Bob has some videos of how he used to set up his planer, when he has time is going to ftp as quite large video files.

cedarwood is about 10 miles away from me. He used to have a Metabo HC 260 Mk1 planer/thicknesser. He got a really good deal on a 4 knife Axminster planer, is reason why he sold Metabo.
cedarwood very kindly came over and showed me how he used to set up the knife height.He uses a short bit of square wood only 3 inches long. After setting, we ran some timber through, starting with a rough board taking off about 0.5mm a pass I was actually amazed at the quality of the finish.though there was some narrow banded planer ripple. After facing and edging the Poplar was almost 100% square. I think almost as, the little bit of Oak, cederwood used wasn't 100% flat or square.

So intend to have a go Monday to get 100% square results. When get that done I already have some timber I selected from Wickes, will plane and thickness, then practice running some rebates on the spindle. Also as can square timber properly will build the jig for the thicknesser to see how I get on making the window cill, compared to bandsaw method. Wickes whitewood, softwood does have a few knots but not dead ones, likely to pop out.
Regards, the morticer, as you say use its fence to square up the chisel. Don't know where... I got the idea of using an oblong bit of wood from to use instead

Regards practicing your window tutorial design? You said get some 4 x4 Wickes don't do a 4 x4 so am I OK to use what they have available and glue up a 4 x4 section or cut to 4 x 4 if needs be?
The knife setting gauge that came with the Metabo is just a bit of roughly stamped out metal. I think only included it as a HSE stipulation.
My Dewalt Mk2 733 thicknesser has a better quality knife setting gauge, ( see attached ) should be able to use this on the Metabo stand alone or in conjunction with the other methods.
Cheers