CNC Flattening

[Walnut Beast]

I guess at 25 to 30 hp it is 😂

[Stephen1]

The slabs I would flatten woud be in the 30" range as that is what my mill will saw.  The carpenter would want to flatten the table tops, epoxy pours, and he wants to cnc his high end cabinets he builds. 
He will be the one hiring staff to work with him. He would flatten slabs for me to sell. 
I  would then send the slabs and lumber down to him to build tables or furniture.

[customsawyer]

WB Yes the Cantek is 3ph. I don't remember exact hp but think it is 30 for top and 25 for bottom. I now the feed motor will push the 20" jointer if you don't catch the board fast enough because you're trying to get a cool picture.

Stephen 1 The slabmizer with the auto feed would do good on the tables. Keep in mind that the knives don't like epoxy and the blower doesn't either.

[RonnieP]

I have been using CNC's for about 12 yrs. it is amazing what you can create with them I currently have a 12' x 60" table using Vectric Aspire software. It can flatten slabs up to 60" wide  and 12' long hardest part for me is getting the heavy slab moved on to the CNC then you create the g-code in Aspire or V-carve pro it only takes 5 minutes to create if that, hit start and let it work. The other thing I really like about the cnc besides flatting is using it with straight bit to joint the edges of slabs when joining slabs for tops they are dead straight when finished no more trac saw or wrestling with heavy pieces on jointer. Like some one else mentioned you can do tons of other stuff on with a CNC I even make my own tuned table legs with the rotary on the CNC.  
Yes they can be a little pricey but if you are doing custom wood working the capabilities and the accuracy it allows you are well worth it I have been able to build some projects that were not possible for me with out it. If you only intend to flatten slabs then maybe not worth it but they have been well worth the investment for me. 

[Crusarius]

I still feel that a fully automated CNC setup just for flattening slabs is totally worth the cost due to the time savings. It is almost like having 3 of you. It can more than double your productivity.

Most difficult part is to level the slab. I have this really kool slab leveling table in my head that would work wonders for all of us

[customsawyer]

To level the slabs I just use small felling wedges. On the first face there is usually one or two corners up off the bed a little. I just slide a wedge between the bed rail and the slab enough to support it. I try not to push the wedge in enough to lift the slab, just support it a little.

[Crusarius]

do you fasten it down at all or just rely on gravity to hold it?

[customsawyer]

It comes with clamps but I wouldn't say I clamp it down. I use them more to keep the piece from shifting side to side. The few times I "clamped it down" bad things happened.

[tyofwa]

I still feel that a fully automated CNC setup just for flattening slabs is totally worth the cost due to the time savings. It is almost like having 3 of you. It can more than double your productivity.

Most difficult part is to level the slab. I have this really kool slab leveling table in my head that would work wonders for all of us

I use door shims for wedges and a horizontal laser which was used to set the table level originally.   90% of the time the "show" side gets flattened first, then the bottom to whatever level the customer wants.  Usually its skip planed suitable for legs.  


 
Set the laser about an inch above the slab, and then measure all four corners to a similar level on the laser.  An aluminum ruler is handy for reading the beam.  Usually I split the difference of any rocking areas, but sometimes theres a bow too.  Occasionally I need to raise one end to even out a dive.  The laser helps me decide on the best compromise.  
Bonus - When the planer head cuts (usually about .04" per pass), the laser can be lowered into the cut and it will follow the progress.  Helps to know everything is calibrated correctly. 
Cheers,
Ty