Planer question

[Doug]

I have a Ryobi AP13 (I believe that's the model) about 3 years old now. It's serviced me perfectly. However, I've noticed one problem. When planing wider boards, say 10" or so, that have not been jointed (because my jointer is 6") I can wind up with pretty inconsistent thicknesses in my final boards, even though I'm obviously running them through at the same settings. I'm wondering why this might be happening. Are my blades wearing unevenly (I tend to doubt this) or does it have to do with the fact that the boards are not jointed? Anyway, this winds up being very annoying when doing a glueup. I also don't like the idea of having to rip down my boards to 6" in order to joint them first.

[Ed Bennett]

Hi Doug,

It sounds like the boards need to be face jointed. As you can imagine, the pressure rollers on the smaller benchtop planers don't always have the power to push down the warps and other minor variations. So, it's not the cutting depth that varies, it's that the board will ride high in some places. Planers really rely on having one flat face for use as a reference.

You don't need to rip the boards down to joint them. Go get yourself a block plane and a smoothing plane. All you need to do is get one side relatively flat. This will allow you to plane the opposite side. I've done big tabletops this way. It's really not all that hard and it can be very satisfying work.

Ed Bennett [e-mail]

of the TS-Aligner

[Toller]

I don't have a solution for this, but don't believe it has anything to do with face jointing. I am on my second small planer (a Dewalt 735 after a Makita 2012). Both will give perfect thicknesses without benefit of face jointing. They won't help twisted or curved board, but they get the thickness right; I have never had a problem on glueups that I would blame on the planer.

Do you use biscuits? If your boards aren't flat (and a planer won't help with that) then you have to rely on biscuits to make everything line up. Well, you can use a hammer and clamps if it is not too bad, but biscuits make it much easier.

[dpb]

The knives aren't parallel to the table for some reason or another.

I don't know how the Ryobi is built nor what kind of knives it uses, but somewhere there's an alignment problem.

Possibilities include

Knives not mounted evenly if adjustable Knives were ground but uneven (unlikely probably on one of these) Cutterhead bearings bad or mounting shifted/loose Table support problem...

Would hope a decent owner's manual would discuss such alignments/adjustments.

Those are mechanical reasons for the problem.

If stock doesn't have one flat face to start with, however, a planer won't fix that problem. If the stock is then enough, the feed rollers will mash it flat as it goes through and take off an even amount relative to the surface of the lower table. Once it comes out, though, any bow, etc., is going to reappear. When it goes through on the other side, it can behave somewhat differently as the bow is the other direction and you end up w/ nonuniform stock.

If a piece is thick enough so as to essentially not deform, or you can take a thin enough initial cut to avoid pressing it flat, you may have some success flattening stock that way but the best is to face joint initially the one side sufficiently.

It's one of the reasons I always recommend "wider is better" for the jointer...

--

[Leon]

???

If your boards are not flat or straight you can get inconsistant thinknesses along the board. This is especially true if the board is long and tips up or down as it goes through the planer.

Then you have been getting relatively straight boards to start with.

[Leon]

Lack of having a flat reference face on the board can cause this. Also if the board is long, unsupported, and bounces on the ends as it feeds.

Try cutting the boards to 4 "or 5" longer than the finished length on the boards that are not straight and long.

[Bill Ray]

I have found that I can can get away with planing boards without face planing one side only if they are relatively flat. If the boards are warped or bent it is hard to accomplish this. You can often plane out cupping without face planing first--if the board is thick enough to start.

I also have a 12" portable planer. I used to use a 6" jointer, but mostly to joint boards, not face them. I now joint and face plane boards by hand. I found if I only had a few boards to joint or plane I could do it quicker by hand than I could get the jointer moved into position and then set up.

I don't have a specific recommendation. I don't think you will be satisfied glueing panels that are not flat. You will probably end up with more problems later. That leaves buying flatter rough sawn wood, ripping the boards to fit your jointer, or doing it by hand, or ?????

Good luck.

Bill

[joeljcarver]

that have not been jointed ... I can wind up with pretty inconsistent thicknesses in my final boards, even though I'm obviously running them through at the same settings.

plane and a smoothing plane. All you need to do is get one side relatively flat.

An alternative suggestion is to use a scrub plane. You can also use a couple of winding sticks, if you need to. Ed's right: "All you need to do is get one side relatively flat."

Joel

[J T]

Mon, Sep 17, 2007, 11:00am (EDT-3) [e-mail] (Doug) rightfully or wrongfully, doth exclaim. I have a Ryobi AP13 (I believe that's the model) about 3 years old now. It's serviced me perfectly.

I won't ask.

JOAT What is life without challenge and a constant stream of new humiliations?

- Peter Egan