Tool Question

[Wheaties]

Not really a "pen" question, but I know many of the great folks here have some knowledge about this tool.

I was looking into buying a hand power planer for a small project, and I have a question about them:

How well do they work on boards that are wider than the blade? In other words, can I make multiple passes on say a 10" wide board with a 3-1/4" power planer and get an even thickness?

I know someone will tell me to save and get a planer, and I won't regret it in the longer run, etc. I know... but it's not in the cards right now.

Thanks in advance!

 

[gallianp]

"Not in the cards"

As the song says -- know when to fold them -- walk away and wait for a better day... save for it...

paul

 

[hewunch]

Not likely to do the job with out much extra effort.

 

[Larry in Harrow]

Wouldn't advise it. Not a good tool for that purpose. Besides being noisy and dusty the results will be poor at best. Unless the grain in your lumber is perfectly straight (or you are just making barn sheathing boards) you will experience unacceptable tearout and a very poor surface quality.
Of course I'm a hand tool neandertal and an advocate of hand planes for this job.

 

[Wheaties]

Wouldn't advise it. Not a good tool for that purpose. Besides being noisy and dusty the results will be poor at best. Unless the grain in your lumber is perfectly straight (or you are just making barn sheathing boards) you will experience unacceptable tearout and a very poor surface quality.
Of course I'm a hand tool neandertal and an advocate of hand planes for this job.

Hmm... Well maybe I will save even more money and go with the hand plane route. I have very minimal experience with hand planes. What would you recommend for planing Cedar boards 4-5" wide and 3-4' long?

 

[Larry in Harrow]

Hmm... Well maybe I will save even more money and go with the hand plane route. I have very minimal experience with hand planes. What would you recommend for planing Cedar boards 4-5" wide and 3-4' long?

Hi Zach,

Unfortunately, the hand tool route is not a cheap way to go, actually more expensive after you get all the sharpening equipment required. Cheap planes are paper weights at best and an excellent source of frustration if that's what you need.
I can recommend that you take a night school woodworking course at your local high school or college. You will learn a great deal about tools required and how to use them. As a bonus you will probably be able to use their tools to surface your cedar as part of your class project. At the end you will walk away with knowledge which is far more valuable than a few flat cedar boards and a next-to-useless power planer.
If you still want to explore hand planes check out Lie-Nielsen tools at their website ( http://www.lie-nielsen.com/ ). You will need at least a #5-1/2 Jack Plane to get a reasonable flat and smooth surface. Suddenly night school sounds reasonable doesn't it? BTW, Lie-Nielsen isn't the most expensive but I wouldn't go too far below their quality level, Veritas at Lee Valley are also good usable planes and I hear Stanley has introduced a line of better quality models in the same range.
School is the ticket!

 

[grub32]

Buy a planer off craiglist for 100$ that would be the price of a crappy hand planer anyway. Your idea will bring you nothing but pain and suffering in an emotional sense. It is very difficult to control your way.

Here's a better idea...if you only have a small amount to do, ask and see if anyone on here has a planer that you could use...for lets say some blanks or kits and then you really wouldn't need to spend much at all...If you were near me...I would make that happen...I have even posted on CL to get the use of someones wide drum sander to flatten a large table top and got it done for 25$ finish sanded.

Just a thought,

Grub

 

[mickr]

a planer will not surface both sides of a board parrallel..you need a jointer first then a planer...you don't tell us much about what your plans are..10 inch wide boards are unusual in this day & age, and very few jointers will take a board that wide..planers that are normally in home workshops will...cedar can easily be planed by GOOD handplanes..but handtools are very expensive route to go..the "Harbor Freight" grade handtools are worthless...save your$$$$ and get good tools..you will never regret it

 

[mredburn]

It wouldmost an impossible task to use a power hand plane and get any kind of acceptable results. This is a path you dont want to go down.

 

[AeroClassics]

Wow! Some great replies. I am afraif that the power hand jointer may not be the best way to go. If you get a good on, PC for example, it will set you back almost as much as a DeWalt 734 will! If you are wanting the thickness the boards a planer is what you need. If you want to flatten boards then a jointer is what you need. A jointer that will take a 10" board will be very expensive. You probably want to rip those boards narrower anyway as wide boards tend to warp over time.

Hand planes will get you where you want to be. A jack would be OK (it's called a jack because it is the jack of all trades. It will flatten and smooth and is often the only plane someone might own) However, being a jack of all trade it is not spectacular at any of them. I would recommend a jointer (22" long) and a #4 smoother.

Lie-Nielsen are without a doubt outstanding tools. No question. But they are VERY expensive. Veritas are good. Woodriver from Woodcraft are good and the new Stanley Sweetheart planes are good also. Most of those will need a little tunig prior to use but they won't set you back 3 bills or more either.

Doug