Without the benefit of a level workbench to reference, the rails need to be parallel and co-planar to each other, but also perpendicular to the ground. Getting the tops of both rails at the same height can be a little complicated, so best to have a second pair of hands help out. With one rail attached, affix the second rail on the opposite side of the work. Then attach securely with a second screw to securely hold in place. Use a spirit level to set the rail perpendicular to the ground. Mount one rail on the side of your work using a single screw, ensuring the rail top is higher than the tallest area of the surface you intend to plane. Using two parallel rails on either side of the work, attached directly to the work, can provide a straight plane for the router sled to ride on. Mounting rails to the work itself takes a few more steps, but follows the same principle. The rails will need to be moved away from the work to allow for chip collection, this image is just for illustrative purposes. This will make your planing life much easier than using warped wood, which will yield an inconsistent result.Ībove, the two rails are taller than the work to be planed down, allowing the router sled to pass over top without obstruction. Use straight, flat, and square stock to make the rails. The rails need to be taller than the highest point of the piece you want to plane. I usually leave about a finger's width on either side. Missing this step will result in your planing area getting clogged, or spitting chips all over the place (which will happen anyway - this is just makes it much worse). There needs to be room on either side of the work that is going to be planed to allow for chips to go when planing. Small dabs of hot glue were attached along the bottom of the rails and they were adhered directly to the workbench. Hot glue is used to hold down the rails and work, which makes a sturdy lateral bond that is easily broken when lifted upwards. The rail heights need to be parallel, in line with the work, and taller than the highest part of the work so the sled can glide over. The router sled will ride on rails over the piece to be planed down. Though you can use the router planer on long boards (as the cuts will still not be against end grain), if you're doing lots of planing of regular planks then you'd be better off investing in a thickness planer or handheld power planer. Inserting end grain in a planer means the knives have to cut perpendicular to the wood, which is much harder and results in poor results and dull knives.įor end grain using a router turns the cutting angle to perpendicular to the grain, since the cutting approach is from the side of the material and not the top. This means planers are great for long boards, but not good for end grain. Planers have cutting knives on a rotating drum positioned above the wood, making cuts parallel to the grain as the material is passed through. Aside from cost, planers are designed to cut along the grain and not against it. Why a router instead of a planer? There's a few great reasons to reach for the router for your next planing project over using the planer.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |