flattening slab with planer

A torsion box that is 2" thick is roughly as rigid as a 2" thick board but much lighter. The new carriage adjusts in height by a full 2-1/2". So you found your perfect slab, … Follow along as I make a router sled/slab flattening mill. It may be best if it cups slight the other way, so that when it settles the slab will probably come back to flat. I'm Matt. It’s an exercise in hand planing fundamentals and a bit of manual labor. 99. Another benefit of a commercial shop is a large jointer, we have a 12″ jointer in our shop. This step is typically done with a separate machine (a jointer), but for boards that are too wide for your jointer (or if you don't have one), the approach shown here can be used. How to Make a Router Sled to Flatten Slabs: Hi! Flattening Sled Woodworking Plan. Or you could just chuck the board into the planer and cross your fingers. However, slabs present some challenges in the shop. It seems like if you left part of it touching the support and shimmed the high spots, it would be less likely to flex during planing. Is it completely necessary to shim the board so the whole surface is lifted off of the backing? Flattening or planing slabs and setting board thickness to specific values is a common operation with many CNC machines. The hot glue can be removed with the help of a chisel. The coolest slabs are usually too big to go through a planer or sander, and end grain slabs shouldn’t go through a planer anyway. In this case - the board was shimmed in such a way to get the top side as level as possible to begin with, to reduce the amount of material that needed to be removed. Answer Have a wood slab that is too large to fit through your planer? In order to use the material, I've been splitting the beams in half using my bandsaw. It takes an investment to flatten wood, though. But with the rollers pressing down on the board, you’re more likely to just end up with a thinner off-kilter slab. I meant initial flatness of top surface when you shimming the board up with laminates on the sled you made. ( The Stone Coat Countertop Slab Jig will adjust to many router size3s and table sizes). Reply. You explained it perfectly and the method is dirt simple, Thanks!! 3 months ago Sabre Tools CNC Spoilboard Surfacing Router bit Planer for Slab Flattening and Planing (1/2” S, 2” D, 1/2” H) 4.4 out of 5 stars 31. The assembled sled lets you pass your router back and forth in an XY-plane to consistently flatten an entire slab. How to Make a Router Sled to Flatten Slabs: Hi! The router mount glides effortlessly along a set of X- and Y-axis tracks, allowing you to flatten, or effectively surface plane, virtually any wood slab. 2 years ago In woodworking, there are often many routes to reach the same destination. I need to do this soon, so nice timing! So frequently I stood in a pile of shavings. The sled will move along an inch at a time; it is slow, but you get a deadly flat surface when you’re finished. Or you could just chuck the board into the planer and cross your fingers. Since you’re using a router instead of a planer-style cutterhead, tear-out is minimal…the surface will only need light sanding afterwards. With smaller projects like a cutting board, you can absolutely do that, and I actually used that method in the second video. I am happy to say that flattening a slab of wood with a router was even easier that I thought it would be! Hi. 5% coupon applied at checkout Save 5% with coupon. Subscribe ». Just my opinion. One has to take shallow cuts and it makes a mess, but worked very well. Depending on your router and router bit, you can work on stock just a fraction of an inch thick or up to 3-3/8” without ever shimming either the rails or the slab. Hand Plane. And the narrower you make it the more it flexes. Here are some supplies and tools we find essential in our everyday work around the shop. We built this jig to last, very high end materials are used to build this jig. Now the job gets done to perfection whilst the boys are having smoko, it still amazes me. 2 years ago. Doolland CNC Spoilboard Surfacing Router Bits, 1/2 inch Shank Slab Flattening Router Bit Planing Bit Wood Milling Cutter Planer Woodworking Tool (2inch) 4.3 out of 5 stars 105 £13.39 Creating beautiful furniture from a live-edge slab is easier than you think! The new carriage adjusts in height by a full 2-1/2". Learn the ins and outs of power tools with this digital collection! on Step 8, I have actually tried something similar in the past... this looks like a much easier and more precise method..... Great Idea, For all of you wanting to just put it on a flat board the longer you need it the more it will flex. MB200 SlabMizer Slab Flattening Mill. The concept is to support the piece well enough in a fixed position that we can send it through the planer and incrementally remove the high spots from the imperfect top face of the board, to create a top face that is one perfectly flat surface. That would let you get thicker material through the planer. To cut the bottom of the sled, use your router’s base to set the width of the cut. Reply Reply FREE Shipping on orders over $25 shipped by Amazon. I don't get why the box is better than just using say a 3/4in MDF or plywood board by itself? Where to stand and how to position your hands and body for the safest, most accurate performance. However, this does not impact our recommendations. You are correct. You won’t have to shim it, since this side is already flat. You can use a regular #4 hand plane to do the entire flattening process if you wish. Wide capacity slab flattening mill with 56" wide or optional 72" wide x 8" thick x 13' long capacity, powered cutter head directional controls with variable feed speed, optional auto feed, 5" router/planer cutter head with five carbide knives, and orbital sanding head attachment. I would get as flat as possible prior to adding any epoxy. I need to flatten them before glueing them together. I’ve got a couple of live-edge table tops that I’m going to be building coming up here, and I’m getting them milled up next week. The way it works is you mount your router—with a straight bit installed—to the mill. Since this board was so beefy, I felt comfortable only supporting it at the ends. Woodpeckers Slab Flattening Mill guides your router over your slab in a controlled plane. Create flat faces on natural-edge slabs or boards too wide for your jointer or planer by using this fixture with a plunge router. The Slab Flattening Mill can mill slabs up to 3-7/16” and the minimum thickness depends on the travel of the router and length of the blade. The goal is to affix the imperfect board firmly to the support structure so it cannot move or flex at all. I grew up working in my dad’s custom woodworking shop standing in a pile of shavings on the outfeed side of a 24″ planer. We specialize in wide slab and burl tables and what a mission it used to be to get them flat, let alone of uniform thickness. Now place the newly-flat boardface downward, and plane the remaining side. WOOD Store. The Slab Flattening Mill starts with two aluminum extrusions. Each slab is made up of 9 boards with edge grain up. The shims keep the board from deflecting under the pressure of the rollers, just as you have said. 10 months ago But the torsion box is (pound for pound) more rigid than a solid piece of the same material as a Steel Tube is more rigid than a Steel Rod. Cnc spoilboard surfacing router bit 1 2 shank slab flattening router bit carbide planer router bits wood milling cutter planing tool woodworking tools by nitomak 4 6 out of 5 stars 326 31 76 31. DIY, flattening, jig, leveling, plans, slab, woodworking. My boards were all in pretty rough shape as you can see! Oh sure, we had dust collection, but we (me) frequently got too lazy to go empty the ten-foot-cubed collector into fifty-five gallon drums and drag them to the dumpster. Download the plans for it as a SketchUp file: 1. Get it as soon as Tue, Feb 9. So here’s a trick from Scott Francis on keeping the slab stable for the first few runs on one side to give you a flat surface to work from. Measure your wood slabs maximum width and length. The Slab Flattening Mill can mill boards up to 40-¾” in width and 58-⅜” in length. I've always wanted to try the Festool MFS Routing Slide and recently I got a commission to build a vanity desk using a myrtle slab top. This worked amazingly well. The board end closest to the camera was thinner, so it was propped high enough to avoid wasting time and losing tons of material to get the top side flat. Thanks. Using hand planes to flatten a workbench or a large slab isn’t difficult. Good question. This leveling platform is a good example of a tension torsion beam. The glue holds the board firmly in place while planing, but is easy to remove once the top face has been planed. With just 1/2 sheet of plywood and my router, I was able to surface and flatten some massive end grain butcher blocks! This service is performed using a router jig and can flatten up to an 7’ x 40” slab of wood. Below are pictures of the process. I made mine 3″ high. Slab flattening is now being offered! This might also work better if wanting to flatten with the epoxy in place. Brilliant! Each slab is 14.5" wide x 72" long x 1-7/8" thick. Dec 18, 2020 - I have some 8/4, 6/4 and 5/4 rough sawn Oak, Mahogany, Walnut and Maple that's been sitting for awhile, Most of it is pretty straight but still needs flattening. on Step 8. on Step 3. However, for boards or slabs that are too wide for a jointer (but still narrow enough to fit through a thickness planer), the approach demonstrated in this Instructable is one way to perform both steps needed to flatten boards using just a thickness planer, rather than using a jointer AND a planer. I just don’t want to pay for a $200 Amana bit or comparable bits and am looking for the next best bit. $3 Shop Plans or Jigs and Fixtures. The SlabMizer MB200 Slab Flattener efficiently surfaces and flattens wood slabs, boards, burls, cookies, and other wide material with minimal labor. So here’s a trick from Scott Francis on keeping the slab stable for the first few runs on one side to give you a flat surface to work from. Pretty clever! Step 2 no flex. Did you make this project? Saving me some $$$ here. How does this technique achieve parallel surfaces? For a thinner board where it is likely to flex in the middle under the pressure from the planer's cutter head, you will want to shim and secure the entire length. I've never had a big issue with snipe, honestly. The board to be flattened is placed on the box and made as level as possible using shims to fully support it. Ah, the luxury of the good old days! After having done the preliminary flattening with the power planer, I use hand planes to refine the surface, removing any ridges or tearout. If there's any chance the board would flex under the planer's cutter head, that would require full support of the board with shims in order to produce a flat top surface coming out of the planer. Follow along as I make a router sled/slab flattening mill. Learn. 38" x 56" Slab Flattening Mill Flatten uneven, live-edge slabs and rough-sawn lumber using your router and this innovative slab flattening mill from Grizzly. Since you’re using a router instead of a planer-style cutterhead, tear-out is minimal…the surface will only need light sanding afterwards. Or you could just chuck the board into the planer and cross your fingers. This created a lightweight, but perfectly flat box. I'm Matt. For larger slabs, the 3/4″ ply can potentially sag under the weight and throw off the middle of the slab flattening. Well, I don't have the Engineering answer either. Darth 2: a 3D Printed Animated Darth Vader Helmet. The 850 will get you close enough for sanding. Using the Slab Flattening Mill is as easy as sliding your router across the slab and back, moving over a little less than the width of your cutter and repeating until you're done. Thanks! The Slab Flattening Mill can mill boards up to 40-¾” in width and 58-⅜” in length. To finish the box, I sprayed it with a few coats of spray lacquer, followed by a light sanding with 220 grit sandpaper. 3:55 Straight to the ActionToday we are going to Flatten a wood slab with my Laguna IQ CNC Machine using Vectric Aspire Software. It works best with a variable speed router of 2 horsepower or more and spoilboard router bits. But generally speaking, the longer the plane you have the easier it will be on you for flattening wider surfaces. I'm not sure what these boards were used for previously, but they have a lot of character! I start with a long plane equipped with a convex blade which allows me to work fairly quickly, then I progress to a shorter plane with a straighter blade for a more even surface. Depending on type of epoxy and heat reaction you could gum up the planer or any sandpaper. If the slab is cupped, hose some sunny grass and place the raw slab concave or cupped side down over the wet grass. The Slab Flattening Mill starts with two aluminum extrusions. If you have access to a large, industrial planer, or don’t mind coughing up a pretty big chunk of cash to have a professional lumber mill operation level and flatten out a large slab of wood for you, then you have nothing to worry about. *The term "flatten" as I'm using it here means: make two boardfaces perfectly parallel to one another by removing warps, twists or cupping. For long boards and live edge stock, I use 1 x 2 pine glued to to the bottom on both sides. Good questions, I hope my answer makes sense! Great! View in WOOD Store. Place Your Slabs Into the Sled Base. Yes, hand planes and winding sticks are an option (but not one that I find palatable, especially in maple!) Woodpeckers Slab Flattening Mill guides your router over your slab in a controlled plane. Thanks for the quick reply. About proper drill press speeds for different bits and how to set the pulleys to match. Twisted boards don’t stand a chance! You only want to remove a tiny fraction at a time. The Slab Flattening Mill PRO is able to mill slabs … I assume that the gap to the box allows the oak to flex, but how does this help? Sure the individual boards are square and true, but with a glued-up slab, there’s always room for error. So here’s a trick from Scott Francis on keeping the slab stable for the first few runs on one side to give you a flat surface to work from. Next, cut out the sled sides. A very good idea. Have a wood slab that is too large to fit through your planer? Overall width and weird grain changes make the use of a jointer and thickness planer impractical if not impossible. Slab flattening is now being offered! However, the resulting boards all had twists and/or cupping, so they were flattened using the process shown in this Instructable. You could of course make your own router jig or get one of the router slab flattening set ups woodpecker or others sell. I would get as flat as possible prior to adding any epoxy. Fortunately, there is an easy way to flatten any oversized board using a shop-made jig and a router. This innovative kit provides the necessary hardware to build an inexpensive large-capacity router sled for flattening slabs. You are just establishing a flat plane to reference from , then flatten the other side, flip and dress the surface you routed. Jul 27, 2019 - Explore Jon Peister's board "Router sled for flattening" on Pinterest. from the WOOD Store. It works best with a variable speed router of 2 horsepower or more. This service is performed using a router jig and can flatten up to an 7’ x 40” slab of wood. Once the slab is acclimated and to rough size it is time to build a planing sled. Parado-Asi (Pardox. See more ideas about router sled, woodworking jigs, woodworking tips. I built a support box using baltic birch plywood. Question However, if your raw stock is a 16″-wide maple slab, even that huge jointer isn’t wide enough – so you’re headed for a glue-up. So I use the rigidity of the slab and shim under the 2×6’s so the runners will run even. CNC Spoilboard Surfacing Router Bits, 1/2 inch Shank 2 inch Cutting Diameter, Slab Flattening Router Bit Planing Bit Wood Milling Cutter Planer Woodworking Tool by NITOMAK (Carbide) 4.5 out of 5 stars 681. Sources: Add 1/32″ to this measurement to allow just enough room to prevent binding when the router moves across the sled. Dec 18, 2020 - I have some 8/4, 6/4 and 5/4 rough sawn Oak, Mahogany, Walnut and Maple that's been sitting for awhile, Most of it is pretty straight but still needs flattening. However, for boards or slabs that are too wide for a jointer (but still narrow enough to fit through a thickness planer), the approach demonstrated in this Instructable is one way to perform both steps needed to flatten boards using just a thickness planer, rather than using a jointer AND a planer. Slab flattening mill with 56" wide or optional 72" wide x 8" thick x 13' long capacity, powered cutter head directional controls with variable feed speed, optional auto feed, 5" router/planer cutter head with five carbide knives, and orbital sanding head attachment. Call anytime for free project support! In this video i make super fast and simple router flattening sled for a combo build with mike montgomery from modern builds. I flattened this slab right on my workbench! How to improve cuts using the proper blades. Second, by flattening dry, rough-sawn wood, you’ll end up with boards that are perfectly flat, straight and true, which is rare with store-bought boards. This is one way to flatten* large boards using primarily an electric thickness planer (without the help of a jointer). That is great for short boards and I have a somilar setup but with a lip in the back so no need for tape. Asi) Wearable Steampunk Style Spider, How to Make a Nightstand From Wooden Hangers || DIY Side Table. Enjoy flattening some slabs! When you seal the slab at the end of the project you must seal both sides. That makes more sense now. Since you‰ۡó»re using a router instead of a planer-style cutterhead, tear-out is minimal‰ۡÌÝ_and thanks to Woodpeckers uniquely engineered rails and enhanced solid steel carriage, the surface will only need light sanding afterwards. You can pull the glue off of the taped surface, or just remove the tape and the glue should come with it. It all depends on the shape of the board in question, and what twisting and various thicknesses you're trying to overcome. This slab jig will help you make wood slab projects flat! In order to flatten a warped, twisted, or cupped board, a common approach is to first use a jointer to create one perfectly flat face. Thank you! Please note that the router will leave shallow lines from each pass, which will need to be sanded out before finish. A planing sled is basically a set of rails that are co-planer and a bridge that holds a router so that the bit in the router can cut a flat surface without following the highs and lows of the slab. The router carriage is the main feature that sets the Slab Flattening Mill PRO apart from the earlier Slab Flattening Mill. The top face of the board is now planed using the thickness planer. The jig is adjustable to fit most router bases, we use a Surface Planing Router Bit - 3" Cutting Diameter and a 1.75 horse router. Then you run the board through a thickness planer with the flat face downward, and the planer makes the top face parallel to the bottom. I used a 1" strait bit and a 30mm template guide with my OF 1400 router. See more ideas about woodworking jigs, woodworking tips, woodworking. 2 years ago. Router planing sled. If you have a large wood slab that's too wide to put through your jointer and surface planer, use these tools with your hand-held router and a Slab Flattening Router Jig (PROJECT-002) to accurately flatten and plane it to a working thickness. https://www.popularwoodworking.com/wp-content/uploads/popwood_logos-01.png, https://www.popularwoodworking.com/wp-content/uploads/planing-113x113.png, Shaker Storage & Shelving Shop Resources Collection, © 2020 Cruz Bay Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved, Woodworking for the Impatient – How to Make a Windsor Rocking Chair and More, PopWood Playback #7 | Top Woodworking Videos of the Week, Free Woodworking Downloads From Lee Valley, I Can Do That! Router Flattening Sled: If you don't have the money or space for a large planer, a router flattening sled is a great option for you to be able to plane large slabs without having to spend too much money to make this. – Simple Woodworking Projects, hand planes and winding sticks are an option. But with the rollers pressing down on the board, you’re more likely to just end up with a thinner off-kilter slab. Each board was aligned with dominos but the slabs have a slight bow. I wish I had a planer and wide belt sander big enough for 11’ slabs, but that’s far fetched. Ah! Both Sold Separately. I also rough-cut the slab to size because I don't want to waste time and energy flattening … And you basically run it on two long straight edges, and you use it for flattening out wide slabs of anything too wide to fit in your planer. The pieces of oak shown here were beefy enough that I was comfortable not shimming along the middle section of the board. A separate board with a straight edge could be laid on top of a newly planed board, and this will tell you if it's flat. The reason is that almost all of a board's rigidity derives from the surfaces and is increased by the distances between them. 0. Compared to a traditional router or planer, the SlabMizer flattens wider and thicker material in less time using powered cutter head directional controls with variable feed speed. How to Make a Router Sled to Flatten Slabs: Hi! In my case this was especially important because the middle section of the board was not shimmed, so it was still possible that any extra pressure from the cutter head could have made the board bow downward, resulting in an unflat cupped board. I surface plane very successfully with a router and sled all the time. I then waxed the two larger faces with furniture wax (so either side could be used face down, but this is also helpful to remove masking tape that's used as well - which is shown later). Description MB200 Slab Flattener. This is a great way to flatten work pieces that are too large to fit in a standard planer, drum sander or benchtop CNC. Some people use the winding stick method to see if there is any twist in a board too. The SlabMizer MB200 Slab Flattener efficiently surfaces and flattens wood slabs, boards, burls, cookies, and other wide material with minimal labor. but put two rails in each side and you’ve just built something you could drive you car on and it won’t flex. Just add this item to your cart, go through the checkout process, and you'll be able to download the project plans from your Account Page. Planer's Package for Routers This package features everything you need to work with a slab flattening router jig. Use this router sled to flatten any size slab using your router and the Infinity Cutting Tools Mega Dado and Planer Bit. Dec 25, 2019 - Explore Joseph Leeston's board "jig for flattening wood slab" on Pinterest. We’ve all done this pick up a piece of plywood from the end and it bends like a wet noodle. David Thiel has been part of the Popular Woodworking family for 20 years, and now oversees the woodworking video creation. Unless you're dealing with some crazy cupping, when removing board-twist at least one corner of the board will likely be able to rest directly on the sled. I have this glue gun, and it's a beast! FREE Shipping by Amazon. If I plan to cut the slab down to a smaller size or even into a couple of pieces I try to give at least another week to acclimate after the initial rough cutting to allow the slab to adjust to its new form. This is a great way for me to flatten work pieces that are too large to fit in my planer, drum sander or my CNC. Woodpeckers Slab Flattening Mill (along with your router) lets you accurately and easily flatten oddly shaped and oversized slabs … Read more about . In the first photo in step 3, the furthest back corner of the board is resting on the sled box, with all other corners shimmed. Does that top surface has to be level and if so how you check for that level? I've used a planer to flatten a slab many times. Slab Flattening Jig Sketchup Plans Or download the screenshots below: I made the plans *after* I made the jig, which is sort of backwards but I just wanted to have them on the site for other people to check out. If you have access to a large, industrial planer, or don’t mind coughing up a pretty big chunk of cash to have a professional lumber mill operation level and flatten out a large slab of wood for you, then you have nothing to worry about. Here’s how. Anybody have experience with the magnate bits?-- Whiskey Creek Woodmill & Co. Follow along as I make a router sled/slab flattening mill. The work piece will have tracks from the router bit when you are done flattening it. How to Build a 30 Kilovolt Wimshurst Machine! Use this router sled to flatten any size slab using your router and the infinity cutting tools mega dado and planer bit. If you want both faces of the slab parallel to each other, flip the slab over and repeat this process on the other face. There is always going to be plenty of planing/sanding after sled flattening. So i wanted to. The simple steps to keep mortiser chisels and drill bits sharp and cutting true. Tips for tilting & realigning the drill press table for accurate drilling. Please note that the router will leave shallow lines from each pass, which will need to be sanded out before finish. Pretty clever! With just 1/2 sheet of plywood and my router, I was able… Dec 25, 2019 - Explore Joseph Leeston's board "jig for flattening wood slab" on Pinterest. This extra step of sanding the slab can be done for an additional cost. With just 1/2 sheet of plywood and my router, I was able… Save up to 68% on 7 issues of woodworking projects and tricks. Ah, I see. With Power Tool Essentials – Digital Collection you’ll learn: AW Extra 2/6/14 – Vertical Panel Clamping. Simple maintenance and accurate setup and much more! How are you checking for flatness? Follow along as I make a router sled/slab flattening mill. My name is Sam and I'm a community manager here at Instructables. Two 2" wide strips were then cut from 3/4" plywood. I mis-stated. I should mention that with these large slab projects, I plan on using the Freud 1-3/4” x ¾”double flute straight cut bit ... the 3/4″ ply can potentially sag under the weight and throw off the middle of the slab flattening. Moonrock. It's also a bit tedious to create a model for it when you are entering similar parameters or drawing the same lines and arcs repeatedly, then creating a set of toolpaths to accommodate your project needs. It's also a bit tedious to create a model for it when you are entering similar parameters or drawing the same lines and arcs repeatedly, then creating a set of toolpaths to accommodate your project needs. Get it as soon as Tue, Feb 9. This was all done on top of a few strips of painters masking tape. With just 1/2 sheet of plywood and my router, I was able… I based my jig off of Nick Offerman’s design presented in Fine Woodworking’s Dec 2011 Issue No 222. The router carriage is the main feature that sets the Slab Flattening Mill PRO apart from the earlier Slab Flattening Mill. Pretty clever! To flatten a board with just a thickness planer, secure the board to a perfectly flat and rigid support structure (I show how I made mine in the following steps), Run it through your planer until the topside of the board is flat, Remove the board from the support structure, Run the board through the planer with the now-flat side down. These are easily removed with either a belt sander or a random orbit sander. I never before knew how to do this. I got an old sewing machine when I was just a kid, and I've been making stuff every since. Sometimes I just shoot for 60-70% of the underside of a slab to be flat on bar and tabletops. Depending on type of epoxy and heat reaction you could gum up the planer or any sandpaper. I've been trying for TWO YEARS to figure a way out of buying a planer AND jointer! But there doesn't seem to be any snipe when I use this setup. this is what it looks like after I place the slabs of wood into the … Add to cart. Ripping and cross-cutting tips for sheet goods and solid wood. Ah, got it. Or does need gaps at bottom between the sled and board bottom filled so it doesn't get pushed down with planner rollers.Appreciate it. The Stone Coat Countertop Slab Jig is built TOUGH! After a while the slab will absorb the moisture and flatten out. However, if neither of those is an option for you, then using a router, a router sled, and a large planning bit is the way to go. The board is now fastened securely in place using hot glue. How to set the mortiser bit and chisel perfectly to avoid heat build-up and improve chip removal. Using a table saw, I cut two 60" lengths of 3/8" plywood that were just narrower than the opening of my planer (in my case, the width capacity is 12 1/2", so I made these pieces 12 1/4"). So, mounting it to a sheet, shimming from the bottom and then using a router in a sled is one option.

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