I need help!!! I need some ideas on how to run a warped and twisted board on it's side thru a planer to straighten it out. I know I'll need some kind of clamp and I've looked in stores and on line but have not found what I need. My planer is 12.5'' so the clamp cannot be wider than that. I've tried doing it by hand but with the board being both warped and twisted it didn't work out. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated.
Google "planer sled".
This is basically a wide flat board that you sit your work piece on, then put wedges under the bits that don't contact. Now the sled and warped board can be fed through the planer together. The boards stays flat to the sled, and the planer just takes off the high spots. Make a series of passes, and eventually the top of your board is flat. Now take it sled away, flip the board over, and keep planing.
A "router bridge" is another way of doing this, and you can go as wide as you want with those. This is basically 2 rails on each side of your work piece. Then a moving "bridge" between the rails. A normal plunge router sits in the "bridge" and you can move it side to side and along the length of the workpiece. Everything the router can reach is trimmed off, leaving a dead flat surface. Flip over and repeat.
Thanks Ianab for the info. I am a "green" woodworker and have a lot to learn. Since I was young I have always loved working with wood...building stuff and carving and now that I can actually afford some of the tools I am trying to get better at it. Once again thanks!!!
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Charles, I don't know if this is the standard way to make a planer sled but this is what we did. We started with three kiln dried 2"x4" 's, jointed them and screwed a 3/4" piece of plywood to the top with a small lip at the back end. Another piece of plywood was screwed to the bottom. Small wedges and shims are used to get the wobble out of the piece that is being flattened. Once the top is flattened, it can be removed from the sled and the other side can be made parallel. On live edged pieces, small, strong wood (Ipe) can be used as hold downs - just screw them into the plywood.
Thanks Caveman. I guess I should have explained what I was needing to know a little better. I need an idea on a clamping system that will allow me to run a twisted board vertically thru the planer. In other words if I was to lay a 2x4 on the 2" side. The wood I'm working with is twisted and there is no "flat " side. I need a clamp that I can try to level the board with before sending it thru the planer. Both you and Iaman gave me some really good ideas on a sled that I plan on making but I'm hoping for a clamping system suggestion also. If this doesn't help I will try to post some pics. of what I'm talking about. Once again thanks a million!!!
Caveman,
That looks like live oak?
For single boards, it is easier to use a hand held power planer to remove the twist and then use the planer without a sled. I get good results flattening warped lumber with just a planer IF the stock is thick, thin stuff flattens between the feed rolls and then curls back up once out of the planer.
I don't understand why you want to run the edge of a board through a planer? Typically to flatten a board, you use a planer sled or a jointer to flatten one side, then you can run the other side through the planer and both sides will be flat and parallel. Then you rip one edge on the table saw. Have a good glue line rip blade if you are trying to get an edge to glue up.
Once you have a flat board, you could also use a jointer to do the edge of the board also. I just don't see a reason to run a board on edge through a planer. It will be awkward and could be imbalanced. I would not advise. Use the table saw.
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Let's try this post again.
I agree with Brad about straightening an edge on the table saw instead of using a planer. I made a plywood sled with a few cleats along the fence side and a cleat at the rear. Usually, the board that needs to be brought into conformity can be held down by hand and pushed through the blade. If it is incredibly woppyjawed, one may want to screw or clamp it to the sled.
LeeB right about the live oak pictured on the planer sled. It got some Ipe legs and some oil today and will serve as a bench.
By the way, I have a "table saw ripping sled" that I made. so if you have both edges of the board wonky, you clamp the board to the sled. The sled rides in the track of the table saw to feed the board straight through the saw. You do not use the fence of the table saw because you have no edge that is straight. Once you edge one side of the board with the sled, you can then come back later and use the fence to edge the other side.
I have to ask, other than trying to get a straight edge on it, what is your final goal for this twisted board? How badly "warped and twisted" is it? Some boards aren't worth savaging.
Brad_bb...the only reason I'm trying to run the edge thru a planer is because I loaned out my table saw and won't get it back for another two weeks. Thought about using the hand saw but I remember seeing a video of a fella who had a clamping system that would allow him to run the edge thru a planer. I was thinking it would be faster using the planer. I just cannot remember where I saw it so I thought someone on this site may have an idea.
LeeB...the final goal for this wood is a cabinet that I'm building. It's not so twisted that it's not usable...just need to get the edge straight. I reckon if I wasn't such a "cheap skate" I would go to the mill and get some more lumber but what I have available was free and is really nice looking once it's planed.
A track saw is another option to rip after you've flattened the board. I don't have one yet, but I plan to get one to be able to edge big slabs that are too big for any table saw etc.
Another thing that is helpful is to cut as close to final length as possible before processing. On a long workpiece I've used a router with a straight bit and a rub collar and a straight edge but as said before atracksaw would be the fastest.
For edge jointing I've set up a router under table with a long fence front and rear, the rear fence in line with the edge of a straight bit and the front fence parallel with the rear but set to take about 1/8" cut, basically a jointer on its side. You can also just clamp a straightedge, a board, angle iron, edge of a sheet of ply etc, to a board and run a router down the straightedge it to create a straight edge on the offending board.
If you clamp or screw wide straight "timbers" on each side of a board to stabilize it you could then pass that through a planer without fear of it laying over. I've also simply held stacks of narrow cabinet framing together on edge and passed them through the planer to final size them and sweeten the ripped edge.
It would be easier to get a straight rip on a flat board. Flatten the face first and the get a straight edge.