planer question

[Dan-o]

I need to square some rough sawn 18" to 24" long 6" x 6" blocks. Would a planer work well for this job? Also please recommend a good planer for this type of work. Thanks in advance.

[Leon]

Maybe, If the wood is square and straight to start with you can probably get away with just a planer.

If they are not straight or square to start with you are going to need a jointer to square 2 adjacent sides. and then the planer to smooth up the opposite sides.

[J. Clarke]

If you're only going to get one tool you want a jointer, not a planer. A jointer and a planer together would make short work of the job, but if you can only afford one then it would be the jointer.

For the size you're using one of the inexpensive Delta benchtop models would do fine, but if you can afford the price and the space you'd do better to go with a floor-standing model.

[Duane Bozarth]

As Leon noted, "maybe"...I'll amplify slightly.

At that thickness they'll not distort too much as would flat material so if they're not too bad to start with an initial pass that just barely takes any material off will begin to establish an initial flat. Get one side well started to where it won't rock and then take the other side down, then finish up the first. That will get you two parallel sides. You'll then have to square up one side with these to finish the job. That will take some hand operation of some sort to true up the first side. A jointer would be fastest (but, of course) if you had one of those you would have used it to start w/ to begin with, so you'll have to either hand plane or make an initial pass on the table or bandsaw to get close and then finish up.

Unless they're a really hard exotic, most any of the current planers should be able to handle them--it's really quite remarkable what a fine job most of these little guys do any more.

[BillyBob]

I don't think he'll get very far on 6x6 material with a table saw, at least not without pinching up his undies tight.

Bob

[Duane Bozarth]

I certainly would have no problem w/ mine, albeit it would take two passes...

[Duane Bozarth]

...

As noted elsewhere, I wouldn't have any problem w/ mine, but given the obvious level of OP, probably shouldn't have suggested it here...

[CW]

[Dan]

On Wed 22 Dec 2004 06:44:01p, "CW" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I'm not going to say I'll NEVER have a jointer but it keeps moving further and further down my wish list. I'm finding I do just fine with a hand plane and the thickness planer. Sometimes I do edge jointing with the table saw, usually with a plane. I'd like to have one, but there's still so many toys I can justify better than the jointer, which at this point would only save me time, and not a lot of it at that.

I can't think of a way to easily get boards to a uniform thickness that doesn't involve a planer or a drum sander - which actually is higher on my list of wannahaves than a jointer is.

If I found a decent jointer at a good price at an auction - then all bets are off. I'm not that strong.

[bridger]

first I bought a lunchbox planer. then I inherited a 6" jointer. I upgraded it to an 8" one. then I bought a thickness sander. one of these days I want to get a bigger thickness planer....

[J T]

Tue, Dec 21, 2004, 9:25am (EST-1) [e-mail] (Duane=A0Bozarth) says: As Leon noted, "maybe"...I'll amplify slightly.

I'd say planer sled would do it.

JOAT Sanity is vastly over-rated.