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Tabletops

Started by Joey Grimes, July 04, 2017, 09:34:48 PM

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Joey Grimes

I've had a lot of interest in glued up tabletops and large bookmatched slabs.I have a 25 inch plainer so I can surface almost any slab I can cut on our woodmizer but getting 2 slabs to glue up flat enough to finish with a orbital sander is tough.I ordered a 3" planing bit for 3.5 hp router my plan is build a router plane jig i hope too surface 2 sides of a 40×84 top in about a hour .Does anyone have a pic of a similar setup?
94 woodmizer lt40 HD kabota 5200 ford 4000 94 international 4700 flatbed and lots of woodworking tools.

xlogger

Joey, you should be able to run both pieces threw you planner after you straight line cut one edge off. But I too am thinking about getting a woodhaven router sled for wider slabs that I'm cutting now with my slabber mill.
Timberking 2000, Turbo slabber Mill, 584 Case, Bobcat 773, solar kiln, Nyle L-53 DH kiln

WDH

They have to be flat before glue up.  You can skim cut them on the sawmill to flatten one face, then plane them with the skim face down on the planer bed until the other side is planed flat, and they should be flat enough to glue up.  With only one glue line (2 slabs), that part is not complicated, but that is not the problem for me.  It is the handling.  I am not set up to glue two 2" thick, 10' slabs into a 40+" wide table top and be able to handle that by myself.  Just physically not possible for me to do.
Woodmizer LT40HDD35, John Deere 2155, Kubota M5-111, Kubota L2501, Nyle L53 Dehumidification Kiln, and a passion for all things with leafs, twigs, and bark.  hamsleyhardwood.com

Joey Grimes

Like I said before my glue joint was misaligned about 1/8 in middle of tabletop. I ordered a 3 " surfacing bit and built a sled jig it worked good .It took about 10 minutes per pass I was worried about the lines the bit left you can see them but can't feel orbital sander smoothed them out though 

  

 
94 woodmizer lt40 HD kabota 5200 ford 4000 94 international 4700 flatbed and lots of woodworking tools.

xlogger

Joey do you say it took 10 minutes each swipe. So how long did it take to do one side? I was thinking about getting a router sled from Woodhaven. What I'm hearing is faster than that.
Timberking 2000, Turbo slabber Mill, 584 Case, Bobcat 773, solar kiln, Nyle L-53 DH kiln

ESFted

I bought a Woodhaven, but decided I wanted something a bit sturdier so I built this one:
https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,80966.msg1232323.html#msg1232323

The Woodhaven is back in the box waiting for my lazy self to get rid of it.
S.U.N.Y. College of Environmental Science and Forestry '65
Stihl MS661CRM, Stihl MS460,  Stihl MSE 220, Solo 64S, Granberg Alaskan MK-IV CSM
Dreams of a Wm LT70 w/all the accessories

Hilltop366

I have seen these router sleds on here a few time and have wondered why they are set up to cut across the grain instead of with the grain?

My thinking is that any time I cut something with the grain I get smoother results.

Jemclimber

Probably because across the grain is usually a shorter distance, and possibly easier to keep the incremental straight passes in line. That way just the router moves on each pass instead of the whole jig sliding back and forth.  Just a guess...
lt15

Savannahdan

Curious if anyone uses a sanding disc with their router?  I just picked up a very slightly used Triton 3.25hp that I'll be trying with some slabs.  Need to get the things cleaned up and sold and need one for a workbench top.
Husqvarna 3120XP, Makita DCS7901 Chainsaw, 30" & 56" Granberg Chain Saw Mill, Logosol M8 Farmers Mill

Joey Grimes

10 minutes to surface the entire top.
94 woodmizer lt40 HD kabota 5200 ford 4000 94 international 4700 flatbed and lots of woodworking tools.

Ianab

Quote from: Hilltop366 on July 10, 2017, 11:48:29 AM
I have seen these router sleds on here a few time and have wondered why they are set up to cut across the grain instead of with the grain?

My thinking is that any time I cut something with the grain I get smoother results.

Because the cutting is circular I don't think it makes a big difference. I run mine length wise up the board because that's easiest, the wheels are on the old mill frame, and the side to side adjust just a slide action. But I get the same "swirly" pattern of lines that show in Joey's 2nd picture.   Sander makes short work of those because the overall surface is perfectly flat. All the saw marks and any deformation from drying is gone. I also isn't affected by knots or the weird grain changes around them.


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

xlogger

One thing that bothers me about buying the woodhaven planer sled is that if I use it on slabs say near 40" is the table I would have to built. I've never seen one working, wonder if there is a way to set it on 4 sawhorses? A table that big would take up too much room. It would be nice to have something like sawhorses that you could set on concrete drive when needed and outside for clean up.
And no I'm not planning on doing it on the floor. Too hard to get up :D
Timberking 2000, Turbo slabber Mill, 584 Case, Bobcat 773, solar kiln, Nyle L-53 DH kiln

Joey Grimes

I set mine up on my outfeed table of my tablesaw .I may have a frame built out of square tubing once I work out all the kinks and keep it set up in a shed since it's so messy.
94 woodmizer lt40 HD kabota 5200 ford 4000 94 international 4700 flatbed and lots of woodworking tools.

Joey Grimes

The Woodhaven setup is nice but I think you would be happier with one shop built one .
94 woodmizer lt40 HD kabota 5200 ford 4000 94 international 4700 flatbed and lots of woodworking tools.

Joey Grimes

Quote from: Savannahdan on July 10, 2017, 03:29:58 PM
Curious if anyone uses a sanding disc with their router?  I just picked up a very slightly used Triton 3.25hp that I'll be trying with some slabs.  Need to get the things cleaned up and sold and need one for a workbench top.
94 woodmizer lt40 HD kabota 5200 ford 4000 94 international 4700 flatbed and lots of woodworking tools.

Joey Grimes

Quote from: Savannahdan on July 10, 2017, 03:29:58 PM
Curious if anyone uses a sanding disc with their router?  I just picked up a very slightly used Triton 3.25hp that I'll be trying with some slabs.  Need to get the things cleaned up and sold and need one for a workbench top.
I'm not sure but I think a router would turn to fast for a sanding disc
94 woodmizer lt40 HD kabota 5200 ford 4000 94 international 4700 flatbed and lots of woodworking tools.

TKehl

That's a good point.  Also no orbital action.

However, making a mount for an orbital sander sounds doable.  Just not sure it would be much of an improvement over doing it by hand.

Savannahdan, Lucas offers a sanding disc for your mill if you can swallow the price tag.  I think I'll end up with the planer head for real wide stuff, but the price of their sander goes a long way toward buying a floor sander.  My 2 cents.
In the long run, you make your own luck – good, bad, or indifferent. Loretta Lynn

Savannahdan

Yep, the price tag is what keeps me away on some of these things.  I even looked at sheetrock sanders on the pole a couple of days ago.  One of those would let me do the sanders while the slab is in a planning setup without having to bend over. 
Husqvarna 3120XP, Makita DCS7901 Chainsaw, 30" & 56" Granberg Chain Saw Mill, Logosol M8 Farmers Mill

xlogger

I was looking on craigslist for a router for a planning sled. There is a 3 1/2 hp one for $100 it's not a plunge router, so would that work? I see somewhere where they said they use a plunge router. Not sure why. I might do as Joey suggested and build one.
Timberking 2000, Turbo slabber Mill, 584 Case, Bobcat 773, solar kiln, Nyle L-53 DH kiln

Ianab

The plunge feature makes it easier to adjust how much you are skimming off the slab. You get all set up, and then find you need to be trimming off another 1/16" to take out some cupping. Wind the fine adjust on plunge and carry on.

A non plunge machine would cut just fine, it's just more of a pain to adjust your exact cut height.
Weekend warrior, Peterson JP test pilot, Dolmar 7900 and Stihl MS310 saws and  the usual collection of power tools :)

Kbeitz

I'm getting ready to build a router sled. Instead of using a router I'm going
to use a shaper spindle with a 3-5 hp motor. Just another thought...
Collector and builder of many things.
Love machine shop work
and Wood work shop work
And now a saw mill work

Joey Grimes

I used a 3 1/2 hp porter cable varable speed fixed base a plunge would be better the cutter is 3" so I wanted the varable  speed to slow it down that's a big cutter to run in a router.
94 woodmizer lt40 HD kabota 5200 ford 4000 94 international 4700 flatbed and lots of woodworking tools.

YellowHammer

I keep thinking the best way may be to build a jig or sled for a power hand planer. 
YellowHammerisms:

Take steps to save steps.

If it won't roll, its not a log; it's still a tree.  Sawmills cut logs, not trees.

Kiln drying wood: When the cookies are burned, they're burned, and you can't fix them.

Sawing is fun for the first couple million boards.

Be smarter than the sawdust

red

Irobot Roomba sander in the future
Honor the Fallen Thank the Living

SlowJoeCrow

I have never used a router planing sled, but I agree with Yellowhammer, a power hand planer would have to be faster than a router, probably leave a better finish as well.
Heck take it one step farther and mount a lunchbox planer head on the rails with the ability for it to slide back and forth and sideways.  Might be a liitle hard to control, I'm not sure.

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