Woodworking

Intrinsic

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You could consider a belt sander or electric hand planar? I'm notoriously bad with both tools and ruin things more than fix them, but have seen YouTube videos of people proficient knocking down a lot of rough stuff and finishing off with the surfacing bit.

Hell, I hate my electric planar so much I'd even send it to you for free just to get it out of my shop :) :)
 

Cutlery

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You could consider a belt sander or electric hand planar? I'm notoriously bad with both tools and ruin things more than fix them, but have seen YouTube videos of people proficient knocking down a lot of rough stuff and finishing off with the surfacing bit.

Hell, I hate my electric planar so much I'd even send it to you for free just to get it out of my shop :) :)

That piece was 1.5" on one end, 2.5" on the other end. It's a lot more than a belt sander can take off.

The electric planar I had considered, but my pieces are 2-3' wide. Way more than a normal shop planar is capable of handling.
 

Intrinsic

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That piece was 1.5" on one end, 2.5" on the other end. It's a lot more than a belt sander can take off.

The electric planar I had considered, but my pieces are 2-3' wide. Way more than a normal shop planar is capable of handling.

I mean one of these bastards...

1701100290044.png
 
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Kolohe
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Huh, don't have a CNC. Can you use those bits in routers?
Yes. The CNC is a router. You might be able to get a bigger one too, like half inch or three quarter.

I do see the time estimates on the CNC though. The last one I did was 68minutes with a 1/4 endmill + 13 minutes with a 2in surfacing bit. Compared to 212 minutes doing the whole thing with a surfacing bit (which clogs up constantly or causes static with epoxy)
 

Cutlery

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Yes. The CNC is a router. You might be able to get a bigger one too, like half inch or three quarter.

I do see the time estimates on the CNC though. The last one I did was 68minutes with a 1/4 endmill + 13 minutes with a 2in surfacing bit. Compared to 212 minutes doing the whole thing with a surfacing bit (which clogs up constantly or causes static with epoxy)

Huh, that's crazy. Biggest endmill bit I can find is 1 inch, but if it's really that big of a difference even with a small bit, maybe it's worth it. They're fucking spendy though.

I had to take it in layers because eventually I was removing too much material for the bit to handle without bogging/lifting the piece.
IMG_20231126_152338429.jpg
 

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Kolohe
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Huh, that's crazy. Biggest endmill bit I can find is 1 inch, but if it's really that big of a difference even with a small bit, maybe it's worth it. They're fucking spendy though.

I had to take it in layers because eventually I was removing too much material for the bit to handle without bogging/lifting the piece.View attachment 502085
I've never tried any of this stuff on a manual sled, but I'd imagine it's all the same concept. Hog out the material with whatever chews through it best and save the surfacing bit for the last level.
 

Intrinsic

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I don't know how i'd maintain a consistent surface on that. The pro of the router sled is keeping a consistent depth.

You wouldn't, that's why you take off 90% with that and then do the finish on the sled and don't worry about the surfacing bit getting bogged down. I mean, you can do it all with this... people do it and it is the same as a manual hand plane, just more aggressive. But I've tried to use it for more finishing work and just destroyed the top lol.

Not trying to convince you either way just sort of shooting the shit. Probably a better use for that tool is turning it in to a miniature jointer.
 

Cutlery

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You wouldn't, that's why you take off 90% with that and then do the finish on the sled and don't worry about the surfacing bit getting bogged down. I mean, you can do it all with this... people do it and it is the same as a manual hand plane, just more aggressive. But I've tried to use it for more finishing work and just destroyed the top lol.

Not trying to convince you either way just sort of shooting the shit. Probably a better use for that tool is turning it in to a miniature jointer.

Jointer is gonna be the next thing I'm gonna have to work out, because while some of these are gonna be live edge pieces, I am gonna wanna square up some of it.

But yeah, you guys are right. Could do that....that just worries me that I'd go too deep. At least this way I'm not gonna fuck up pieces I have limited supply of.
 

Captain Suave

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that just worries me that I'd go too deep

That hand planer is only taking off 1/8 at a pass max. You'd really have to be going at it blindfolded to fuck it up badly. There are lots of ways to gauge depth. I've even got a buddy who uses a laser level to mark the line.

I am gonna wanna square up some of it.

If the piece is known flat & parallel you can use a circular or track saw. Those can be easier than trying to manhandle big slabs over a jointer.
 
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Cutlery

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You guys are great. I don't think this gets said enough, but this entire site is a wealth of knowledge. It's fucking awesome.
 
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Intrinsic

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You guys are great. I don't think this gets said enough, but this entire site is a wealth of knowledge. It's fucking awesome.
Everything I need to know from Angle Grinders to Zipper Tits I learned from FOH.
 
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Captain Suave

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Anyone looking for a router plane, this is a good deal in the next 8 hours. I did some pretty comprehensive research on the available models and decided that I liked the feature set and value proposition of the Katz-Moses 17 compared to Veritas, Lie Nielsen, etc. I haven't used it yet, but it just arrived today and I really like the feel & weight, and all the mechanical parts are smooth-moving and well finished. (Only complaint is the the handle flanges are a little sharp. Nothing 10 seconds and some sandpaper can't fix.) Link below is to the factory direct version. Ships with a extra pointed double-edge blade and and edge guide.

 

Intrinsic

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Anyone looking for a router plane, this is a good deal in the next 8 hours. I did some pretty comprehensive research on the available models and decided that I liked the feature set and value proposition of the Katz-Moses 17 compared to Veritas, Lie Nielsen, etc. I haven't used it yet, but it just arrived today and I really like the feel & weight, and all the mechanical parts are smooth-moving and well finished. (Only complaint is the the handle flanges are a little sharp. Nothing 10 seconds and some sandpaper can't fix.) Link below is to the factory direct version. Ships with a extra pointed double-edge blade and and edge guide.

That looks real nice! I still have all the hardware for the Paul Sellers Router Plane kit. Haven’t found the time to make it yet though. I’d feel bad picking this up and not using the hardware I have sitting here.
 

Captain Suave

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That looks real nice! I still have all the hardware for the Paul Sellers Router Plane kit. Haven’t found the time to make it yet though. I’d feel bad picking this up and not using the hardware I have sitting here.

I thought about going that route, but I'm now about two years late on making my son a nice loft bed with classic joinery and my list of pre-project projects just keeps getting bigger. If I DIY'd all my tool needs I'd never end up making anything.
 
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