# Thicknesser



## Hitch (24 Mar 2013)

I am doing a project which requires some sections of hardwood (beech mostly) of varying sizes, nothing bigger than about 40mm x 20mm though, but they do need to be fairly accurately sized, nothing longer than about 400mm.

I have toyed with cutting the strips and asking someone to plane them up for me.....

I have a power devil  handheld planer.... and am considering making some form of attachment/cradle it can sit in to provide me with a small scale thicknesser.

Has anyone done similar? Got any links/photos of the build of finished article?
I can do wood or metal, but don't want to spend loads of time/money on it.

I have toyed with doing it with a router, but decided its not ideal because of the noise + time.


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## carlb40 (24 Mar 2013)

I think both the planer and router will be as noisy as each other. To make something that is strong/well supported and finely adjustable as you need may take a while to make. I know bosch used offer a thicknesser attachment for some of their hand planes. 

It might be easier to find a local joinery shop and see if they will machine your timber to the correct dimensions. It would take a few min for them to do it.


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## andersonec (25 Mar 2013)

If they need to be accurately finished I don't think a handheld planer is the tool and if you are going to be passing these small pieces over/under the planer, with them being so small it could be leading to trouble.
Got to be a little workshop on an industrial estate where they could do that for you in a few minutes, and safely.

Andy


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## colinc (14 Apr 2013)

Hi,

do you have a pillar drill? for the sections you describe, you could probably use a drum sander to get the final thickness accurate. I have done that to thickness some laminated curved sections and it worked ok for me. I'd recommend Carrol drum sanders as well made tools.

see here for one example: http://www.machineconcepts.co.uk/mandolin/mando3.htm

regards,

Colin


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## Dangermouse (14 Apr 2013)

Ever think of hand planning them with a no 3


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## John. B (16 Apr 2013)

See if you can find someone local who has one of these, 
With spot on accuracy it will even come out finished and sanded.

john. B


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## rafezetter (14 Jun 2013)

Actually I have seen a youtube of a guy that made a small cradle and lift mechanism for a handheld planer and was using it to pass small sections of wood through..let see if I can find it again...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68sXtC5mLSU&feature=youtu.be

the lift would ideally be bike chain or something to prevent slippage instead of rope connecting the 4 wheels - larger tooth plastic cogs are easy to find - otherwise..it seems to work.

gotta love ingenuity!

I have a link for a cradle turning a handheld belt sander into a table sander too


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## woodcrafter (24 Nov 2013)

Planing 400mm lengths on any type of machine is not easy. Leave the pieces of beech longer until you have them at the required sectional size, be it by sanding or thicknessing, then cut to length.
C.


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## ColeyS1 (24 Nov 2013)

Offer some of your welding/fabricating skills in exchange and im sure any one with a planer nearby will be glad of the opportunity 
Edit: that's if you haven't had it done yet :lol:

Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk


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## John. B (24 Nov 2013)

Woodcrafter! what on earth are doing up at 1.18 am in the morning? looking up old posts like this one. :? 

I would think Hitch would have finished his project months ago as he had started it in late March, :roll:

bearing in mind the last post on this, was in June. #-o 

Have a good day :lol: :lol: :lol: :lol: 

john. B


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## MMUK (24 Nov 2013)

Hmmm. Interesting thought. I'm short on floor and bench space so I may look into making a thicknesser using my spare planer. Luckily my o/h works for a contract engineering company so I'm sure I can get an aluminium bed and rails machined up quite easily. I'll look at a design when I get back from Tenerife and keep you posted


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## rafezetter (7 Dec 2013)

MMUK":1sp74f31 said:


> Hmmm. Interesting thought. I'm short on floor and bench space so I may look into making a thicknesser using my spare planer. Luckily my o/h works for a contract engineering company so I'm sure I can get an aluminium bed and rails machined up quite easily. I'll look at a design when I get back from Tenerife and keep you posted



Did you get anywhere with this? I'd be interested in your progress so far.


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## JustBen (7 Dec 2013)

rafezetter":203jb8su said:


> Actually I have seen a youtube of a guy that made a small cradle and lift mechanism for a handheld planer and was using it to pass small sections of wood through..let see if I can find it again...
> 
> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68sXtC5mLSU&feature=youtu.be



That video scares me.

I can just see the planer spitting the bit of wood back out the front...... Right at crotch height..... Eeekk!!


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## Robbo3 (13 Dec 2013)

I normally inhabit the turning section & only ventured in here by chance.

My version of a stand made from aluminium angle for inverting a bosch hand held electric plane. Although it looks like the handle is resting on the cross member, it isn't. The plane is supported by two bolts, one front left & one centre rear.
Now over 20 years old & on its 2nd planer.









Presumably most electric planers have suitable threaded holes.


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## Grit_monkey (23 Dec 2013)

I know you may have already finished your pieces given how old the thread is, and I know you didn't want to spend too much time building a jig, or use a router due to noise, but if you run the router at a lower speed then it will be quieter than an electric plane!
As for the jig, just a square of MDF with two strips at 90 deg to the MDF bed is the only jig you would need. You probably wouldn't even need a sub-base fitted to your router as I have on mine.
I do plan, at some point, to make a jig with adjustable sides so I can adjust according to the requirements of the job.


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## Grit_monkey (23 Dec 2013)

It seems the photo files were too big to add 4 pictures to my last post, so here are the two I couldn't add...


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