# No room for another bigger jointer..



## xmas (Nov 24, 2013)

Any body here use a jointer hand plane to level out wider pieces? Recommendations on brands? Things to consider using hand tools vs power tools? Places to learn more about it?


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

How wide are we talking here? Big tables that need to be dead flat or the occasional board a little wider than 6 inches? For the former I'd look into a router thicknessing sled. Takes less fitness and skill than ground with hand planes. For the occasional board, I'd go with hand planes. As far as brands for a hand plane go, I'm useless. All of mine are old craigslist finds that I've fixed up. 

If you do go with the hand plane route, I'd recommending starting off with a jack plane. Properly tuned, they can do the functions of most other planes, though not quite as well. Again, flattening put wider panels takes some skill, but it is doable. I know wood whisperer has a video technique, you might try to find that.

Last thing to mention, depending on what you uses are, e.g final finishing step or dimension rough lumber, you might look into a power planer. Not quite a finish grade tool, but they do take a little elbow grease out of the equation


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## xmas (Nov 24, 2013)

Wider than 8". I have jointer that size & a 13" planer, just looking to joint a board 13" wide that I can use as a reference for the planer on the other side. Just finished a project I wish I could have jointed. I don't mind the elbow grease to get to flat, in fact I kind of find it romantic in an antique sense. Is buying a 22" veritas jointer plane a bad idea?


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Why does it have to be just one board 13" wide? Why not two boards each 6 1/2 wide and glued together to make one flat 13" board?

George


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## mako1 (Jan 25, 2014)

I used to use a Stanley No.8C on reproduction table tops.Great palne when tuned well and the corrugations in the sole made it easier to use for extended periods of time.
Had a 16" stationary planer in the shop but just liked using hand planes on some reproduction pieces for the look and feel.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Another thing to consider would be a planer sled. Can be as simple as some melanpmine and hot glue, and would let you easily face one side of the wider boards


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## xmas (Nov 24, 2013)

Well, as to why not join two 6.5", I'd like to build a table top from some wider boards, as well as joint & plane some decorative boxes where the lid would be 13x11 preferably w/ the 13" being oriented with the grain from one board being a solid piece. epic fail I'll look up the planer sled, thank you.


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## jacko9 (Dec 29, 2012)

*Jointer hand planes*

I use the Record 07 Jointer hand plane (22" long) with a corrugated base to finish boards wider than my 8" long bed Jointer. With a very sharp blade and correct technique I have finished large table tops very flat.

Jack


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## heatstroke (Sep 24, 2014)

I use a no 7 jointer plane. Woodriver, dictum, qiangsheng are all good value for money and a copy of the LN planes. 
But it depends on the wood and width. If the grain is not favorable to hand plane or there is a lot of material to remove and anything greater than 12.5", I use a router sled, less than that a sled through the thickness planer. 
Only with uniform grain will I prefer the hand plane.


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## jacko9 (Dec 29, 2012)

*hand planing*

I should add that using my Record 07 hand plane on boards with difficult grain, I take very light cuts and plane at 45 degree angles to the grain to achieve smooth cuts without tearout. I have used this technique with highly figured wood and very hard woods like rosewood with great success.

The technique just requires a very sharp blade set to take very fine cuttings.

Jack


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## was2ndlast (Apr 11, 2014)

I second the planer sled. I have used it so often with great results. I don't have a jointer so I use my festool track saw for edge jointing and my sled for face. 

I copied the design below that doesn't use hot glue which means way faster to use and less cleanup. 

http://4.forums.drupal.assets.taunt...om/files/attach_images/165751/planer_sled.png


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## jacko9 (Dec 29, 2012)

*Veritas Jointer plane*



xmas said:


> Wider than 8". I have jointer that size & a 13" planer, just looking to joint a board 13" wide that I can use as a reference for the planer on the other side. Just finished a project I wish I could have jointed. I don't mind the elbow grease to get to flat, in fact I kind of find it romantic in an antique sense. Is buying a 22" veritas jointer plane a bad idea?


Since this thread got started Lee Valley sent me their Fall/Winter catalog and the new Custom Veritas hand planes look great. The ability to change the frog with a different angles and the PM-V11 steel blades looks to be a great tool.

I use my jointer plane to finish the face on all boards wider than my 8" jointer can accommodate and it's a quick and easy process. Other options like the jointer sled for your planer are good solutions but, you have to store the sled when not in use and I don't have a lot of storage space as it is in my shop.

Jack


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## heatstroke (Sep 24, 2014)

That is the same technique I use. However there was one piece of merbau/ipil that defeated me. It was 13 inches wide, and the grain was absolutely all over the place, 45 deg would only work 1/2 way across the board, then I'd get tear out on the other half. THe plane was sharp enough to shave with.... I gave up and built a router sled.


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## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

jacko9 said:


> . Other options like the jointer sled for your planer are good solutions but, you have to store the sled when not in use and I don't have a lot of storage space as it is in my shop.
> 
> Jack


Not necessarily. My sled is just a MDF board that I acre the router to, and the base is just a few MDF scraps I tape to my workbench. Provided you have a flat reference surface, the sled doesn't have to be fancy, or even multiple use


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## xmas (Nov 24, 2013)

After looking up the planer sled, which i'd never heard of before you guys mentioned it, I built one of those as it looks like a great solution. Haven't tried it yet, bc I won't have the project i built it for due again for a few months but I'm excited to try it out when the time comes. Thank you for the great idea! Here's what I started building as soon as i finished the sled. http://www.woodworkersjournal.com/Main/Articles/Ultimate-Planer-Cart-8657.aspx It also looks awesome for planing & should support the weight of my heavy sled + a 7ft x 13" piece of poplar I'll be running through it. My build got derailed half way through by remodeling the bathroom, but I'll post up pictures when it's all done. Thank you for the great ideas!

I don't have a lot of room in my shop either, but i do have a storage shed out back I can keep the sled in & building this cart will allow me to free up more shop space by storing & operating the planer outside the shop on the patio & I'm guessing I can keep it covered with a grill cover to protect from weathering.


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