Planing board edges

[Knot Competent]

I've got a 10" lunchbox planer, and have tried to plane board edges by stacking a few of the same width face to face, then running them through together, so they stay vertical. I've made a wooden U-shaped clamp, tightened with a wedge, but it's only partly successful compared with how tight a G cramp would be (but obviously I don't want to run a metal clamp through!).

I'd appreciate any good ideas to solve this problem.

 

[SteveF]

not sure if safe but
how about clamping then screwing a piece of ply into ends of boards and remove clamp , or even hot glue gun

Steve

 

[custard]

Getting S4S on thin boards is a bit tricky. I see what you're trying to achieve with a thicknesser but I've always gone different routes.

If the board is reasonable short, say less than 1.5 metres, I shoot the edges. I've got two shooting boards that help with the job, one is a whopper that I mainly use with veneer, the other is just my most frequently used shooting board but it's set up to operates along the bench rather than across it, and can take boards up to about 750mm long.

If I've lots of boards, or they're really long, I'll use a spindle moulder but a router table would do the job.

If the boards are just a bit too narrow to edge plane on their own then I might gang two together in a vice and deal with them that way.

Other solutions, that I've never used but I've seen other's use successfully, are a plane with a 90 degree fence, or place the board flat on the bench with about 20mm overhanging the edge, cramp a straight edged board (like the factory edge from a sheet of MDF) on top and then run a router with a copy/bearing bit along it.

Good luck!

 

[blackrodd]

You will get problems if you have not "gauged" the timber fairly accurately.
That means shooting, straightening and edging the boards first, then run through the dim saw to the same width,
allowing a couple of mm each edge, to be planed off.
This will lessen the tipping experienced with boards of slightly different widths,
Which is the first problem.
Do not start G clamping, this how serious accidents happen! Metal on metal and all that
This tipping seems to be more of a problem with various thicknessers, particularly ones with rollers set in the bed.
I have had several "batches" tip and needing replacement while going through the Wadkin, Sagar, etc, in the past.
The technique seemed to be to edge plane with enough boards to be a "square" section,
So, edge planing 4" x 1" boards, feed 4 in together, 6" boards, feed 6 in at the same time with a man at each end keeping the 4 boards tight together
On u tube several edge planing examples can be seen but not with roller's set in the bed, it seems.
The only real and safe less wasteful answer is to get a jointer that compliments the lunch box type of planer, 'cos that's what it's for.
Face up and edge, cut to width on the dimension saw, and shoot the last edge, as we all know, is how it should be done!
Regards Rodders

 

[Knot Competent]

Thanks for your replies, guys. Lots to think about, there! I'm going to try screwing a piece of ply across the ends, and also using my routing table, once I've worked out how to bring out one side of the fence - maybe a length of iron-on edging will do the trick.