# How to plane an angled board, flat



## ericc22 (May 10, 2012)

Greetings,

I have a board that is at a slight angle - about 5 degrees I'd guess. The board is flat, but angled. In other words the board pitches down though the surface is nice and flat.

How would I fix this, so that the angle is gone and the board is perfectly flat? Would I need a shooting board? (I don't understand how a shooting board would help as I've only seen it used on edge....)

Hope this is clear. All help is appreciated. Thanks.

Eric


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## Greg in Maryland (Jan 6, 2011)

I am sure somene will come along and give a real answer, but for amusement, I'll give it a try. By angled and flat, I presume that you mean both flat surfaces are not perfectly parallel. We are not talking about the long edge or ends, correct?

Because flattening the board is going to make the entire board thinner, make sure that the final, corrected thickness will be sufficiently thick for your use.  If it won't be thick enough, chuck the board and start over.

What you need to do is chose one side of the board as your 'true' side and use a marking gauge or ruler to scribe a parallel line all around the board that is a fraction lower than the lowest point from the angled side. Using these scribed lines as a 'true' reference, you would plane the angled side down to a point where it meets the scribed lines all around the perimeter. This is easier said than done. It is very easy to introduce all sorts of undulations into the surface. There is also tearout to be concerned with. 

Alternatively, just run it through your planer and call it a day.

Greg

Ps Please forgive all the typos. My cell phone is small and my fingers are large. Not a good combo at times.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*flat surfaces*

A board has 2 surfaces and 2 edges and 2 ends.
In order to be useful, the surfaces must be flat and parallel to each other, otherwise you have a wedge.:thumbdown:
If you place the board with one surface down on a known flat surface like a table saw or counter top it should not "rock".
If so, turn it over and try the other surface.
Using the one which is the most flat with the least rock, scribe a line all the way around on the edges and the ends. 
You will need to plane down to the scribed line all the way around in order to get the top parallel to the bottom.
If the minimum dimension is less than what you need, as suggested "chuck" the board and find another. :yes:

When faced with this situation, I use my powered jointer to flatten one surface. Then I place that flat surface face down on the bed of my planer and run it through, creating a parallel surface on the top which is also flat. :thumbsup: You can straighten one of the edges at any point and then run the opposite edge through the table saw. If you are using hand tools you will need to measure over from a straight edge and cut to a line parallel to that edge.


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## ericc22 (May 10, 2012)

Ok,thanks I don't have a planer or a table saw. The bottom is flat. Only the top is angled. Edges are fine. The edges are at 90 degrees to bottom in other words but not too top, if that makes sense. 

I was hoping there was a way to fix this with a plane. Eg, as the edge is good, I was hoping I could use the edge as a reference to get a plane going at 90 degrees on top. With a reference cut done I could flatten the wedge on top

From what it sounds like - my best bet is to chuck it!

Thanks!

Eric


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*hold on*

The only reason to chuck it is if the scribe line you make on all the edges indicated the board will be too thin to use.

If it's OK just plane down to the scribe line keeping a good eye and using a straight edge to avoid any dips.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

ericc22 said:


> Ok,thanks I don't have a planer or a table saw. The bottom is flat. Only the top is angled. Edges are fine. The edges are at 90 degrees to bottom in other words but not too top, if that makes sense.
> 
> Eric


Not really. I would be hesitant to give advice without seeing exactly what you have. How about some pictures?









 







.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

cabinetman said:


> Not really. I would be hesitant to give advice without seeing exactly what you have. How about some pictures?
> 
> .


+1

A picture or diagram would be very helpful.


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## Dominick (May 2, 2011)

Yea it just doesn't make sense. If its that bad, why wouldn't you just get a new piece? Why is this piece angled in the first place? What's it for? 
Sounds like more work than its worth. 
Pics please. Not everyone can visualize what your trying to explain.


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## knotscott (Nov 8, 2007)

A pic would help us a lot, as would a description of how the board will be used.


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

Other replies have advised how to fix this with hand plane, but it is not easy.

If you have a router, you could build a router sled, like Dominick did for his slabs. A lot of effort for a single board. This should give you the idea. A frame to support the router and a set of rails on which the frame slides.

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f26/pair-olives-43311/

If you have a drill press and have or purchase a drum sander, you may be able to fix by using a temporary fence. This should give you the idea. Replace the plane with another type of fence.

http://www.woodworkingtalk.com/f27/*******-thickness-sander-43758/


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## Wrangler02 (Apr 15, 2011)

It's really not that difficult to make one surface parallel to the opposite side. Set a marking gage at the narrowest part of the board, and scribe a line around both sides and both ends, then simply plane the board until you reach the scribed line. When you reach the line at the edges, slide a straight edge across the surface to make sure it is flat. Plane until the board is within your tolerance.


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

From what I am reading here I believe what you have is a board that is tapered to one end. Sort of like a wedge with a flat end.

Is this correct, or are you saying something else?

George


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## railaw (Nov 15, 2011)

GeorgeC said:


> From what I am reading here I believe what you have is a board that is tapered to one end. Sort of like a wedge with a flat end.
> 
> Is this correct, or are you saying something else?
> 
> George


That's the way I read it too. If looking from the end there would be two square, one acute and one obtuse angles between the surfaces and the edges.


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## RogerC (Oct 15, 2012)

Dave Paine said:


> Other replies have advised how to fix this with hand plane, but it is not easy.
> 
> If you have a router, you could build a router sled, like Dominick did for his slabs. A lot of effort for a single board. This should give you the idea. A frame to support the router and a set of rails on which the frame slides.
> 
> ...


 When using the ******* sander, make sure and take very small bites. You'll still have to finish with a plane though, because you'll be left with small undulations where the spindle traverses across the face.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Eric, can you provide further illustration of your problem? As was mentioned above a picture or diagram would be helpful.

There is a whole lot of knowledge and experience available to ya, FOR FREE... all ya got to do is help us help you.


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## ericc22 (May 10, 2012)

Sorry for disappearing! For some reason I stopped getting notifications and assumed there were no comments.

GeorgeC and railaw have described my situation well. I'll try to snap a pic when I get home but the pic will be tough, as it will be hard to show the angle in the pic. I'll try.

And ultimately I've concluded in this case I'll chuck the board and focus on prevention next time. Reading the suggestions has been instructive.

Thank you!


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

I think "chucking it" is probably the wrong idea. Why not use it as a learning opportunity?

What tools do you have available? I assume you want to do this with hand tools being you posted in that section. What planes? Marking gauge? Straight edge?


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## ericc22 (May 10, 2012)

You are right firemedic. I am going to chuck it for the project but I do want to understand how to solve this problem. The best I can do so far is draw the lines around the edges and plane to that. Yea, I have a plane, a marking gauge, and a straight edge.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

What type / size of plane(s) do you have?


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## ericc22 (May 10, 2012)

I have one plane and one blade. It is a low-angle jack plane. I am learning to use it and on this board, I didn't learn so good! I plan to get a blade for it this weekend hopefully that I'll bevel to a higher angle.


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## firemedic (Dec 26, 2010)

Ahhh heck... I just made the connection to that other thread :laughing:


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