# Router bit for planing/surfacing



## LancsRick (19 Jan 2017)

For some reason I'm really struggling on finding these, maybe I'm looking for the wrong thing or the wrong name!

I'm after a large (1.5" with 1/2" shank) surfacing cutter for planing wide boards on a router sled. Bowl/dish cutters seem to get the best opinion rating, but I'm struggling to find any in the UK - could any kind soul point me at a specific brand and model number please?

I'm taking some misalignment out of oak boards, so I suspect I'll be disappointed with a cheapie option.

thanks!


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## marcros (19 Jan 2017)

https://www.wealdentool.com/acatalog/On ... g_250.html


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## MotamJoinery (19 Jan 2017)

I ended up getting this:

https://www.wealdentool.com/acatalog/On ... m_225.html

have used it on end grain chopping boards and it has worked out well so far.


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## Eric The Viking (19 Jan 2017)

I have Wealden's 6-wing one - it leaves a nice finish, but I've no idea which is easier to use - call them and ask them.


[edit] this 'crossed in the post' with Motam's comment above - seems we agree  [/]


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## whiskywill (19 Jan 2017)

What about one of these? http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Ty ... laner.html


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## MikeJhn (19 Jan 2017)

Is there some reason to not use a planner thicknesser for this?

Mike


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## Nelsun (19 Jan 2017)

^end grain boards can go horribly wrong if you're not real careful putting them through a P/T!

edit: it's on YouTube so must be true https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prt3HMq_k1g


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## whiskywill (19 Jan 2017)

Or just £34 from here including slow (I assume seafreight) mail. http://woodworker.com/drill-press-plane ... archmode=2


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## MikeJhn (19 Jan 2017)

Nelsun":15ibv4wn said:


> ^end grain boards can go horribly wrong if you're not real careful putting them through a P/T!
> 
> edit: it's on YouTube so must be true https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=prt3HMq_k1g



The OP Was asking about wide boards, so I naturally assumed he was talking about surface planing not end grain, perhaps you have some inside information?

Mike


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## Nelsun (19 Jan 2017)

MikeJhn":1bu3ymdc said:


> Nelsun":1bu3ymdc said:
> 
> 
> > ^end grain boards can go horribly wrong if you're not real careful putting them through a P/T!
> ...


Oops! Thought your PT comment was in the chopping boards thread  Too many tabs open...


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## MikeJhn (19 Jan 2017)

Your forgiven this time, but do it again and I will send the boys around. :lol: 

Mike


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## LancsRick (19 Jan 2017)

Thanks guys. I'll order a wealden one tonight I think. 

I'm planing oak boards in this instance, which I could fit in the thicknesser cross grain, but don't fancy my chances of a good finish doing that!


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## JJ1 (19 Jan 2017)

Another vote for the router bit Marcros linked to above. Gives excellent results and a very good finish.


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## MattRoberts (19 Jan 2017)

One more vote for it. I have the 1/4 inch version, but the 1/2 inch is on my shopping list for when I build my bench


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## MikeJhn (19 Jan 2017)

European oak straight out of the planer thicknesser.





Am I missing something here Guys?

Mike


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## n0legs (20 Jan 2017)

MikeJhn":85vzspxx said:


> European oak straight out of the planer thicknesser.
> 
> 
> 
> ...



Okay if you have narrow timber on narrow planer. How would you manage with a wider piece that needed to stay whole?
Possibly like the OP's situation :wink: 



LancsRick":85vzspxx said:


> I'm after a large (1.5" with 1/2" shank) surfacing cutter for planing *wide* boards on a router sled


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## MikeJhn (20 Jan 2017)

Still don't get it, the Oak log shown is 4.0" wide the OP wants a 1.5" surfacing cutter, the planer shown can take up to 8.0" in both planing and thiknessing mode.

Mike


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## Racers (20 Jan 2017)

Maybe the plank is 8 1/2"

Pete


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## MikeJhn (20 Jan 2017)

In which case he will have to pass over it multiple times, but you are all guessing, I just asked a basic question of the OP i.e. can't you use a planer thicknesser?

Mike


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## Woodmonkey (20 Jan 2017)

Have a look at this Mike, you can't put everything through a planer....
http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/videos/ ... -a-router/


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## andersonec (20 Jan 2017)

MikeJhn":c2u41cpb said:


> European oak straight out of the planer thicknesser.
> 
> 
> 
> ...




What you are missing is the word "wide" from the original posting, presumably when he says 'wide' it means too wide for the PT.

Andy


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## Racers (20 Jan 2017)

MikeJhn":3v6ojzkw said:


> In which case he will have to pass over it multiple times, but you are all guessing, I just asked a basic question of the OP i.e. can't you use a planer thicknesser?
> 
> Mike




I can't see that working you would have a step unless you where very careful, and it wouldn't fit the thicknesser without ripping it down.

Pete


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## LancsRick (20 Jan 2017)

Wow, I didn't realise this was such an unusual thing?

I have a thicknesser that takes a max of 317mm. My boards are 400mm+.

The established way of doing this is building a router sled and going at the plank with a straight/bowl/surfacing router cutter to plane/thickness the plank as required. Lots of information on the net about doing it.

Thanks to all of those who have posted advice .


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## MikeJhn (20 Jan 2017)

Its obviously not an unusual thing except to me, I would rip the plank in half and edge joint them back together after planing, but that's my take on it.

Mike


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## Adam9453 (20 Jan 2017)

id take it to a joinery shop with a bigger planer thicknesser and get them to do it for a drink :wink:


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## memzey (20 Jan 2017)

I'd do it with a hand plane but then I'm an amateur time isn't money to me!


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## woodbrains (20 Jan 2017)

Hello,

It is one of the ways to get things such as massive live edged boards flat.

Imagine trying to haul a 3 inch thick by 8 ft long by 36 inch wide slab across a surface planer, even if you had one that wide! It is tedious, but reduces the amount of handplaning.

Mike.


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## custard (20 Jan 2017)

I surface plane all my live edge slabs by hand. One day, if I get (more!) decrepit, I might think about a router jig, but for the present it's no more than an hour or so of brisk exercise, and it's more pleasant standing knee deep in shavings than spluttering in clouds of dust.

Here's a slab I did by hand, I probably do eight or ten of these a year. With a sharp plane it's really no big deal even on hard tropical timbers, with a slab of Oak or Elm it's a breeze.


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## MikeJhn (20 Jan 2017)

3 inches thick by 8ft long by 36 inch wide, "hernia" look out now, here I come, I'm gona get chew. :shock: 

Mike


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## MikeJhn (20 Jan 2017)

custard":2uk3ryd3 said:


> I surface plane all my live edge slabs by hand. One day, if I get (more!) decrepit, I might think about a router jig, but for the present it's no more than an hour or so of brisk exercise, and it's more pleasant standing knee deep in shavings than spluttering in clouds of dust.
> 
> Here's a slab I did by hand, I probably do eight or ten of these a year. With a sharp plane it's really no big deal even on hard tropical timbers, with a slab of Oak or Elm it's a breeze.



With arthritis in my hands elbows and shoulders I wouldn't last two pass's, Oh to be young again.

Even if I could stand up that long that is.

Mike


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## woodbrains (20 Jan 2017)

custard":2mth8ofg said:


> I surface plane all my live edge slabs by hand. One day, if I get (more!) decrepit, I might think about a router jig, but for the present it's no more than an hour or so of brisk exercise, and it's more pleasant standing knee deep in shavings than spluttering in clouds of dust.
> 
> Here's a slab I did by hand, I probably do eight or ten of these a year. With a sharp plane it's really no big deal even on hard tropical timbers, with a slab of Oak or Elm it's a breeze.



Hello,

Aw, you could have lifted that little slab onto the surface planer, you are just being lazy!

Mike.


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## Woodmonkey (20 Jan 2017)

custard":3ihluy7s said:


> I surface plane all my live edge slabs by hand. One day, if I get (more!) decrepit, I might think about a router jig, but for the present it's no more than an hour or so of brisk exercise, and it's more pleasant standing knee deep in shavings than spluttering in clouds of dust.
> 
> Here's a slab I did by hand, I probably do eight or ten of these a year. With a sharp plane it's really no big deal even on hard tropical timbers, with a slab of Oak or Elm it's a breeze.




What's your process for something like this Custard, I mean what planes would you use in what order?


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## MusicMan (20 Jan 2017)

MikeJhn":1006ppw9 said:


> With arthritis in my hands elbows and shoulders I wouldn't last two pass's, Oh to be young again.
> 
> Even if I could stand up that long that is.
> 
> Mike




Exactly, Mike. Me too, plus trigger finger in two fingers. I have to back off on things such as hand planing, sawing, chiselling for an hour ... actually 10 min is more like it. Power tools allow us to pursue our hobby despite decrepitude!

And unfortunately my son, who is only 43, has early onset arthritis too and finds hand tools too painful to use for long. He likes woodwork too, and I intend to leave a well set up power workshop for him!

It would be nice if the fit youngsters here were less scornful of people who can't do what they can do and do need to turn to power tools.


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## custard (20 Jan 2017)

Woodmonkey":bju50t4n said:


> What's your process for something like this Custard, I mean what planes would you use in what order?



It depends on the state of the slab, by and large the choice of plane (or planes) isn't as critical as the tool retailers and woodworking magazines would have us believe! Within reason I'll use whatever's to hand, but the optimum is probably to start with a wooden bodied jack with a fairly pronounced camber, working diagonally across the grain. You'll almost certainly have the slab low down on a pair of saw horses, so the extra height of a wooden plane is no disadvantage where as the slick wooden sole is a delight. 

With the sawmill marks all removed along with any gross areas of wind, crook, or cupping, I'd then check the topography of the slab carefully with straight edge and winding sticks. On a smaller workpiece you can sometimes trust that by following a prescribed sequence of plane strokes something approximately flat will result, but on a bigger workpiece you have to identify high spots and knock them down. Ideally I'd do this with a number 6 or 7 with a moderate camber working along the grain (but if I only had a 5 or 5 1/2 I wouldn't worry too much). Finally, I'd either swap the moderate camber iron for something closer to a finishing iron, or I'd pick up a short finishing plane and take out as many of the planing ridges as I could.

After that if the piece was to have a thin film finish I'd use a random orbital sander, working down through the grits to 180 or 240. But if the piece was to be oiled I might call a halt right there.

The way i look at it is that to build a router planing jig big enough and true enough to _accurately_ surface a waney edged slab, well it would be a pretty massive item in its own right. And one that would be a pig to store and set up. If I had a 1000mm or 1500mm wide thicknesser I'd use it, but for the moment anything wider than 410mm gets done by hand and that's okay.


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## custard (20 Jan 2017)

MusicMan":299cdg7u said:


> It would be nice if the fit youngsters here were less scornful of people who can't do what they can do and do need to turn to power tools.



I hope that wasn't aimed at me Music Man. If it was then you're wrong on several counts, not least that I haven't been described as a fit youngster for many, many years!


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## MikeJhn (20 Jan 2017)

Oh Custard, I was fitter during my 50's and 60's than I ever was, I do think that MusicMan was generically making the comment not aimed at anyone in particular, as an aside I rode the London Brighton in 2hr 43mins when I was 56, my wife was in our car and I had to wait for her in Brighton, nice to have memories, but have to concentrate to remember them now days. :lol: 

Mike


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## MusicMan (20 Jan 2017)

custard":3gl1vih2 said:


> MusicMan":3gl1vih2 said:
> 
> 
> > It would be nice if the fit youngsters here were less scornful of people who can't do what they can do and do need to turn to power tools.
> ...




Absolutely not aimed at you, Custard, you are one of the most helpful, understanding and courteous folk around. Sorry if my post gave the wrong impression.

in fact it was not "aimed" at anyone in particular, just a plea to understand that an aspect in the use of power tools is that they can greatly help to cope with medical/physical problems.


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## LancsRick (21 Jan 2017)

What sort of speeds do people run these 6 wings at? American oak is my starting material. I'm going to keep the depth of cut less than the bevel height on the cutter, aiming to take full diameter cuts.


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## LancsRick (22 Jan 2017)

Well I had a play with the new cutter today - it's fantastic! Merrily chomped through over a mm of oak at a time giving an excellent finish. I really do need to sort out an extraction solution for using a sled though, really does produce a few shavings!


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