Thicknessing wth a router

[brianhabby]

Hi everyone,

I have some wide (15") board to handle.

I've often seen reference to thicknessing with a router but can't recall reading any details of how it is done. I assume it would involve a suitable jig but am at a loss to figure the jig out.

Has anyone any experience of doing this or ideas that might help?

regards

Brian

 

[RogerM]

Brian - This is probably a definite no-no, but for narrow pieces I've occasionally fed the piece to be thicknessed through the router table between the fence and the bit, feeding from left to right rather than the usual R-L to prevent it becoming a climbing cut and sending it off down the workshop like an assegai. DAMHIKT. I only take a couple of mm off at a pass to prevent break out and use a largish bit - say about 18mm.

Anyway, right or wrong, it works for me. I see no reason why it shouldn't work for wider pieces so long as they are not too thick and you only take a couple of mm off at a pass.

 

[MickCheese]

What I have seen is two rails either side of the board to be thicknessed with the router fixed to a sled riding above and spanning the board. You then lower the cutter to just skim the board and just move it around until the whole board is flat.

Or

Like this

http://www.leestyron.com/sled.php

Mick

 

[9fingers]

Brian,

have you got a local woodworking shop who could do it for you for a couple of beer vouchers?

I guess we don't have many members with a 15" thicknesser

 

[brianhabby]

Thanks for the replies so far.

I could ask if here's anyone local who could do the job for me but I quite like the idea in Mick's post. I think that would work quite well as long as the piece is held down securely

regards

Brian

 

[Chems]

I've done it, pics here: jewellers-bench-wip-t34974.html?hilit=jewellers%20bench&start=15

 

[RogerM]

I've done it, pics here: jewellers-bench-wip-t34974.html?hilit=jewellers%20bench&start=15

Interesting. I think I got hold of the wrong end of the stick entirely with my offering, which was more directed to producing finished pieces with a constant width. Sorry Brian!

 

[Chems]

Do you mean a 15 inch wide rip then?

 

[jimi43]

I made one for thicknessing fingerboard blanks for guitars...

Two aluminum rails from track lighting...and some of that thick phenolic sheeting...

If you use a fairly light router...it doesn't need to be powerful as you are skim passing....it should be possible to use a cross member of aluminium or steel to bridge the gap and make it wider for panels.

It works superbly...to within a thou (dial gauge used only to check....you just have to level everything out first so MRMDF for base is best for flatness...check that with slide and dial gauge without any stock for consistency...then if one side is flat..place that face down and off you go.

Don't take too deep passes...that's the key...and use a good router bit...the cheap ones are pointless.

Jim

 

[yetloh]

...and use a good router bit...the cheap ones are pointless.

Jim

+1 I use a 12mm CMT bit with a single replaceable solid carbide cutter. They come in various lengths but mine is 30mm which is enough for most purposes. The cutters are reversible and seem to last for ever - much longer than the edges on conventional bits. Not cheap but worth every penny.

Jim

 

[brianhabby]

Do you mean a 15 inch wide rip then?

Yes, the board is 15" wide, that's why I can't use my thicknesser which is 12".

I've done it, pics here: jewellers-bench-wip-t34974.html?hilit=jewellers%20bench&start=15

Interesting. I think I got hold of the wrong end of the stick entirely with my offering, which was more directed to producing finished pieces with a constant width. Sorry Brian!

No problem Roger, I'm grateful for all replies anyway. I think I am going with the idea mentioned by others of some kind of sled.

Jim, I don't think I need quite the accuracy that you have got but interesting about the aluminium rails. I have some angle iron that I'm thinking of using, it shouldn't flex at all
regards

Brian

 

[jimi43]

Yeh...I didn't need the accuracy to that extent...I just like playing with dial gauges...I have a bit of a thing about them...

I forgot to say...if you hadn't already worked it out...stick the stock to the MRMDF with a couple of strips of double-sided tape.

Jim

 

[mailee]

How about this Brian: http://www.woodwizz.com/

 

[brianhabby]

I forgot to say...if you hadn't already worked it out...stick the stock to the MRMDF with a couple of strips of double-sided tape.

I had already thought about that, had visions of the piece flying out from under the sled

How about this Brian: http://www.woodwizz.com/

It would certainly do the job, fascinating piece of kit. Looks expensive though

regards

Brian

 

[Hitch]

I seem to recall seeing or reading about doing this somewhere, using the Trend pivot frame jig.
Perhaps there may be too much downward flex in the rods for such width though, plus you'd need to get your hands on some longer rods anyway.

 

[Tony Spear]

Bob Wearing is yer man:

"Router Tips and Techniques"

GMC Publications

ISBN: 1-86108-214-2

 

[RogerM]

This month's edition of FWW has an article on just this subject and shows a simple router surfacing jig to surface large pieces of uneven timber.

 

[Benchwayze]

Brian,

I have a 12" P/T myself, and in the past to get at least one surface flat, I have planed as wide as I could, and then with the planer set as fine possible, turned the boards around and planed away the 'step'. That always worked for me in the past, with easy working timbers, that don't too much mind being rubbed against the grain on the second pass. I appreciate this method depends on how long your 15" wide board is, as it might need another pair of hands.

Once one side is approaching flat, I finish off with hand planes. That's going to make the router sled method more accurate, for the other side.

In general though, if I am making something with a large area top, I rip the planks down anyway and rub joint them back again. Maybe I just like the work!

I just thought! My machine is an under and over, so the table/cutter-block is fully accessible. (And I would probably plane half way across with each pass, come to think of it!) If your planer is one of those closed in bench models, then you can ignore all the above!
Regards
John

 

[Sawyer]

Brian - This is probably a definite no-no, but for narrow pieces I've occasionally fed the piece to be thicknessed through the router table between the fence and the bit, feeding from left to right rather than the usual R-L to prevent it becoming a climbing cut and sending it off down the workshop like an assegai. DAMHIKT. I only take a couple of mm off at a pass to prevent break out and use a largish bit - say about 18mm.

I'll give that one a miss, but can't resist a little historical aside here. According to some (very) old books on wood machining, if no thicknesser was available, a similar set up could be used to thickness on a spindle moulder, generally set up with minimal guarding and a massive square cutter block. #-o

This is for interest's sake only: if you have a spindle moulder, don't even think about trying it :!:

 

[Benchwayze]

This month's edition of FWW has an article on just this subject and shows a simple router surfacing jig to surface large pieces of uneven timber.

Yep... And a weal big wump of wood it is too the guy's surfacing! :mrgreen: