planer thicknessers

[morpheus83uk]

Hello,

I am wondering what the above are and if they are worth purchasing? I have an idea of what the do they plane the sides so they are perpendicular to each other and ensure boards are flat?

I could be wrong though... The reason for the ask is that I am getting given boards which are not straight by any stretch and I am having to level off lots of boards before I can start working with them properly. So I am thinking this would be a good investment to save me manually planing and using the jigsaw.

Thanks

James

 

[ScaredyCat]

Use a planer to flatten a face, then put that face against the fence to make the edge 90 degrees (other angles are available ) then pass the wood with the flat face (facing down) through the thicknesser. You should end up with a board that's of uniform thickness and has 3 good edges. You can use a hand plane or a table saw to make that final edge true.

If you try to just pass wood through a thicknesser it wont necessarily be flat.

You can use a thicknesser on it's own using this method:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8UONmuQt_98

 

[sunnybob]

it will do what you want, but not in a single pass.
Theres quite an art to getting curved or twisted boards flat with a planer thicknesser and it can take you just as long as planing by hand sometimes.
These machines are also incredibly noisy and messy, and will seriously upset any near neighbours.
If you are using a lot of boards on a very regular basis it would be worth the cost, but if its a board every week or so then its not very cost effective.

 

[dzj]

A lot of excellent woodwork has been done without a p/t, but having one
will make life much easier.
Even if you're only doing DIY stuff around the house, a couple hundred pounds
for an entry level machine won't break the bank.
You can do a forum search for posts recommending models and manufacturers in the UK.

 

[morpheus83uk]

Thanks so I presume that if I have a bowed board then a planer thicknesser would be great for that as it would straighten it out given the correct thickness? Or am I misunderstanding?

Thanks

James

 

[sunnybob]

Its not that simple. A thicknesser presses the board down and then cuts. So if the cup is upwards the board will just bow down and not be cut true. If the board has a twist, the thicknesser will not remove it because the rollers press it just like an old washing mangle.
When and if you do finally get the board flat and equal thickness, you will often fine the board is only half as thick as it was before you started.
Thats a simplification, but it gives you an idea of the problem.

If you really dont want to use hand tools (I dont, because i have arthritic thumbs) go back to youtube and research router sleds. They are excellent for smoothing boards, but you will still need wedges and hot melt glue to set the board up.

A thicknesser is a very good tool though, for getting a reasonably good board almost perfect very quickly. i have one and like it. But as i said, it is BLUUDDEEE LOUD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ear defenders and neighbours out at work is a must for a peaceful life.

 

[MikeJhn]

There are some very useful instructional video's on u-tube of how to put a bowed plank onto the planer to take out the bow, basically it need packing up on the two ends that are high to allow the planer to only take a skim of the bowed section, difficult to explain, but easily understood from the video's.

Mike

 

[powertools]

It is that simple. Just create a flat edge at 90 deg to a flat side on the planer and just run the other two sides through the thicknesser.

 

[MikeJhn]

That's the problem, he hasn't got a flat side.

 

[MikeJhn]

As an alternative, have you considered a Router mounted in a Surfacing Baseplate?

Mike