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Planing With a Router

Started by lowpolyjoe, June 02, 2013, 10:10:09 PM

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lowpolyjoe

I can't find the thread right now, but someone posted a link for me a while back where somebody used a router jig to plane some rough sawn lumber.  If I can find the link i'll give proper credit for the idea. 

I don't have a planer and I've been cutting boards with a chainsaw setup.   I'd rather not invest in a serious planer or joiner, so today I finally tried this approach. 

3/4" MDF base and 4 layers of thin MDF strips glued to the edges to build up a 3' trench.  I used multiple strips layered instead of a single vertical piece for stability and because I can't cut a strip 4' long with any degree of accuracy with my table saw  :D.  Didn't want to risk not getting boards of consistent thickness.



I picked a piece of basswood for my experiment that had some nice brown stripes running through it. 



There were deep splits at each end and a knot exploded.  I had to trim down this ~5' piece to probably a bit under 3'



Here's the setup



I had to take down A LOT of material because my chainsaw setup did such a poor job.  I think I used the Beam Machine on this log.   



One side flat



Other side was even worse



Side by side



Final product after a little sanding looked pretty good except for a little mess with the router on the bottom right.



This technique is slow and messy.  I only had a 1/2" flat cut bit on hand so it was very tedious.  I'll have to see about getting a larger bit and try a few more boards to see how it goes.  This was one of the worst boards, so others should hopefully be easier - i'll have to remove less material

I don't have much lumber.  I mainly wanted to save a few boards out of our favorite tree and make some shelves out of them or something.  This approach might do the trick and save me buying or borrowing some expensive equipment.  Lots of work for a tiny little board though   :D


Ianab

The idea works fine doesn't it  :)

What's good about it is that it can be scaled up. Got a 16" board, or a 36" board? You can use the same method. Not many guys have a 36" planer and jointer....

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

clww

A most excellent and easy-to-follow post, LPJ! :)
Many Stihl Saws-16"-60"
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VT_Forestry

That's the exact method I cobbled together to smooth out the wide cedar that I've been using recently.  Mine certainly isn't as nicely put together, but it does the trick :)
Forester - Newport News Waterworks

metalspinner

Like Ianab said, scaling up works great... :)



 
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

lowpolyjoe

That's awesome metalspinner!

Yeah it's a great, flexible technique.  Glad I learned about it here on FF. 

I just ordered one of these 2" planning router bits.  Very curious how it'll work out.   Never dealt with a router bit that big.  Hope it's not too crazy.   I hear lower RPMS are the way to go

http://www.amazon.com/Magnate-Surface-Planing-Bottom-Cleaning/dp/B0006B0QXE/ref=pd_sim_hi_1


Ianab

I've made a plywood jig to bolt my big router to the mill. That supplies the rails, height and side adjust. Router swings a 2" flat bit, with the speed dialled back a couple of clicks.





But the idea is exactly the same.

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

lowpolyjoe

Beautiful setup Ian.  Wish i had something like that to work on :)


grweldon

Quote from: lowpolyjoe on June 03, 2013, 10:40:15 PM
...  I hear lower RPMS are the way to go...

Downright dangerous if you don't slow down plus very prone to leaving burn marks.  I would heartily recommend a speed control if you don't have one...
My three favorite documents: The Holy Bible, The Declaration of Independence and The Constitution of the United States.

lowpolyjoe

Quote from: grweldon on June 04, 2013, 11:35:23 AM
Quote from: lowpolyjoe on June 03, 2013, 10:40:15 PM
...  I hear lower RPMS are the way to go...

Downright dangerous if you don't slow down plus very prone to leaving burn marks.  I would heartily recommend a speed control if you don't have one...

Thanks, i'll be careful.  My router is speed adjustable so i'll be able to run it slow.

beenthere

joe
Do you have experience with the 2" bit?
I'd question how easy that is going to be to control in a router.
Certainly wouldn't trust it if the router is hand-held.
Maybe having the router clamped/mounted well in a jig that you move about will keep it solid enough to not get away from you.
Keep it in mind while you move forward with your plan.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

lowpolyjoe

Quote from: beenthere on June 04, 2013, 02:22:02 PM
joe
Do you have experience with the 2" bit?
I'd question how easy that is going to be to control in a router.
Certainly wouldn't trust it if the router is hand-held.
Maybe having the router clamped/mounted well in a jig that you move about will keep it solid enough to not get away from you.
Keep it in mind while you move forward with your plan.

I have not used a router bit even close to this big before, so i will be very cautious. 

I think the planing router bits i saw went all the way up to 3"  :o.    I thought 2" was risky enough for me

Currently the router sits in the sled but is not mounted to it.  I tried clamping it in place but there was no good clamp point without modifying things.

Given the warnings you guys are giving me, i'm trying to think of a way to make this setup more secure.  I just discovered that this darn bit is shipping from the west coast  >:(   so i might have a while before i get to try it out.  Plenty of time to add some safety features to my jig.

Appreciate the concern and advice.


beenthere

I'm thinking your router should have a plate screwed to its flat face.
Remove that and replace it with a board, or some sheet goods, that can take the same screws (or longer ones) and you have the beginning of a jig to hold your router.

Note how metalspinner moves his/her router around.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

lowpolyjoe

That sounds like a good start, thanks.  I've got all sorts of ideas floating around in my head now.   :)

Will be difficult to concentrate at the office for the rest of the day while thinking about getting to work on this  :D

Ianab

You certainly want the router bolted to something when it's spinning those big bits.

Mine is bolted to the plywood frame, and that's clamped to the mill.


Using the rails and cross beam method you could bolt it to the cross beam. Something with a bit of mass and leverage so you can control it better.

Ian
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

JohnM

Quote from: Ianab on June 04, 2013, 12:12:50 AM
I've made a plywood jig to bolt my big router to the mill. That supplies the rails, height and side adjust. Router swings a 2" flat bit, with the speed dialled back a couple of clicks.





But the idea is exactly the same.

Ian

Ian, I'm just curious (and off topic :)), is that your Jr Peterson?  And, if so, does Peterson offer the planer head for that model?  Just a random thought/curiosity.

btw nice work low! ;D

JM
Lucas 830 w/ slabber; Kubota L3710; Wallenstein logging winch; Split-fire splitter; Stihl 036; Jonsered 2150

terrifictimbersllc

Quote from: metalspinner on June 03, 2013, 05:32:27 PM
Like Ianab said, scaling up works great... :)



 
Looks like a Ouija board with a router instead of a pointer.  Spirits  will call it to the high spots in the slab.   :o :o
DJ Hoover, Terrific Timbers LLC,  Mystic CT Woodmizer Million Board Foot Club member. 2019 LT70 Super Wide 55 Yanmar,  LogRite fetching arch, WM BMS250 sharpener/BMT250 setter.  2001 F350 7.3L PSD 6 spd manual ZF 4x4 Crew Cab Long Bed

Tree Feller

Joe, FWW magazine had an article in issue No. 222 (Sept. 2011) on Nick Offerman. Nick is a woodworker who also happens to be an actor (NBC sitcom, Parks & Recreation). Nick has a woodshop in California and specializes in tables made from large, natural-edge slabs ala George Nakashima. He uses a similar, custom-designed jig to level the slab tops using a router and 1 3/4" bit. You should check it out.
Cody

Logmaster LM-1 Sawmill
Kioti CK 30 w/ FEL
Stihl MS-290 Chainsaw
48" Logrite Cant Hook
Well equipped, serious, woodworking shop

lowpolyjoe

Does look like a Ouija board  :D


Thanks for the reference  Tree Feller.  I just got a subscription to FineWoodWoorking (that's your FWW reference i assume?) for Christmas this past year.  Great magazine with very interesting tips and project ideas.  Only problem is seeing all the ads for all the new tools i want :)    I'll have to look around for back-issue ordering one day.

I saw an article somewhere recently about someone's Daughter (and Wife?) carrying on the legacy of the father/husband in creating giant crazy live-edge tables and such.  I vaguely recall a Japanese sounding name.  Wonder if it was Nakashima?


Glad to report that my 2" flat cut router bit arrived in the mail yesterday.  Very odd since the shipping status said it was still in California ???    I'm not complaining though   8)    Hope to try it out this weekend


Lud

Might be worth discussing  which side you want to start on with the big bit.  If your router is spinning  clockwise,  I'd think you'd want to start in lower right corner and go to the left and up. To avoid the grab and dig in.  Blowing waste to the right.   Am I visualizing that right? Being a lefty I may have it backwards. :D :D

Simplicity mill, Ford 1957 Golden Jubilee 841 Powermaster, 40x60 bankbarn, left-handed

metalspinner

Counter-clockwise when working from the outside edges.

In regards to the 2" bit, you should be using just the radius measurement or less for cutting. If you bury any more than the radius in the cut, the handheld router will launch. In the pic I posted earlier, each of us are keeping the bit from pulling in and cutting to much. A light cut in depth keeps things under control, too. Your arms will certainly get a workout. Feel the burn! :D

After flattening the entire face with cross cuts, we followed that up with a light cut with the grain. The router bit only leaves the face flat. Hand planes and scrapers are still needed to produce a finished surface.


In this case, I didn't make the final "with the grain" cut...



  



 
I do what the little voices in my wife's head tell me to do.

lowpolyjoe

Great details metalspinner.

I have a hand plane but it's garbage.  I need to get a scraper.

Continuing the cheap route, i tried to use a multimeter to measure the moisture content of my rough sawn boards. 

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,67088.new.html#new

If the technique works at all, the Basswood is near 11.5% moisture content.  I think I recall hearing it's best to aim for 8% or at least under 10% before working the wood?  If that's the case i probably won't do much more planing unless i find some thinner boards in my messy stack that might have dried a bit more.


beenthere

Quote from: lowpolyjoe on June 06, 2013, 03:00:16 PM
...............Glad to report that my 2" flat cut router bit arrived in the mail yesterday.  ............    Hope to try it out this weekend

Joe
Any report on how this 2" bit is working? Or did I miss it?
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

lowpolyjoe

Sorry i haven't kept up with this thread.

Since i got my 2" planing bit i tried twice to do some work.  The 2" bit is pretty sweet.  I dialed down my router speed relatively slow (about 25% of max speed setting i think) and only had problems controlling my setup when i tried to go too fast or take off too much in one pass.   As Metalspinner mentioned, cutting with the entire bit diameter in a single pass is not a good idea.

Unfortuantely, my 2 most recent attempts did not go well.  The two boards i tried were both cupped pretty bad.  I had to take off a TON of material to try to true them up and it was a VERY slow, tedious process.  One board i threw out and the other i kind of gave up on for the time being.  As it happens, i want to make a little pot-rack for my kitchen and i may return to that second board and try to get it to a usable state because it might fit the bill for what i want to make.  If i do, i'll give an update.

I've been pretty busy with non-fun stuff lately so not much time to play in the garage :(


lowpolyjoe

Recently spent some time planning a few boards from my chainsaw mill.  Not pretty, but I thought i'd share a video of my setup in case anyone was considering something similar. 

It's very labor intensive.  Probably wouldn't be so bad if my boards weren't such a mess, but my DIY mill setup didn't cut very straight or very smooth.  I had to take off a lot of material to even things up. 

http://youtu.be/JtvsLPcW5Rg

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