Wide Planer, or Compact Planer + Wide Sander?

[Nate B]

Saw a lot of stuff on Google about Planer vs Sander, but that's not the question here.

I was considering a 20" planer, but now thinking a smaller portable type planer to dimension stock, then a wide sander for after gluing might be a better deal. I don't have the space in my shop for a large planer and a sander.

If the lumber has been dimensioned well on a small planer, then glued to make wider panels, is there any compelling use for the wider planer at this point over making the final passes on a sander? Seems the Performax sander could do 32" at this point versus being limited to 20" by what most consider to be a pretty large planer.

IOW - what do you use your wider planer for besides cleaning up glued boards?

I've heard that your planer should be at least twice the width of your jointer. Any compelling reason I'm missing other than some sort of efficiency in gluing up wide panels? The jointer is 8".

I'm looking at building a few dressers, desks and bookshelves in my foreseeable future. Maybe some kitchen cabinets if I ever find the time.

Thanks,

- Nate

[charlie b]

snip

You're right. If the stock has been dimensioned right and glued up into wider FLAT panels, you won't need a wide planer. The wide sander's nice if the glue up got misaligned a little. Be aware that the 16-32's only do 16 widths. You turn the piece around and get the other half on the second pass - IF the drum and the feed table/belt are parallel. If not you get a high spot in the middle or worse, a low valley in the middle.

Weathered wood that I want to use for a kids' project which has or might have dirt and sand on it. Raise hell with planer knives.

Thin stock that, without a support sled, would be dangerous to run through a planer

Wild grained wood that'd tear out in the planer. I've got some oak that's hard as hell with grain running in every direction.

Wide drum sander is also handy if you're doing frame and panels. It's so easy to get the frame a smidge above or below the panel top. Drum sander solves that problem. Some people do the face frame of ply cabinets first and then cut the ply to fit, using the face frame to hold ply parts in position. Minor variations in face frame stock thickness get sanded to a single plane in a pass or two.

Never could understand that one. 4, 6 and 8 inch jointers are readily available but try finding an 8 or 16 inch planer. The combination machines make more sense - the same cutter head is used for the jointer and the planer. As a bonus they usually have a chuck on the end of the cutter head for a horizontal boring/moritser.

You wanting to do solid wood furniture, face framed ply cabinets or some combination of the two?

charlie b

[Nate B]

"charlie b"

Hi. Thanks for your time. I think you were mentioning what the wide sander is good for. I'm wondering what people would use the full width of a 20" or so planer for.

Seems a good question. I'm thinking most of my solid wood panels would be drawer fronts and doors - sometimes panel type construction. I think I would prefer plywood type construction for the rest, in general.

Given that most of my work would be, it seems, 18" or less on solid wood panels, does it seem I should be looking at a 22-44 kind of sander? IOW, is the 16-32 too tedious or inaccurate in general for work over 16" ??

Or - should I go with the 20" planer in my case (

[charlie b]

snip

A 16-32 would, with two passes, do adequately. Drum sanders are getting easier to adjust. As long as it's not digging a "V" down the overlap area you're fine - slight high spot in the middle will probably not be noticable.

[Upscale]

[charlie b]

Sure - BUT (there's always a "but") - there are two reason for post glue up panel surfacing 1. to remove slight alignment problems (exagerated (sp?) for purposes of illustrating a point)

+------------+ +--------------+ | |--------------| | +------------| |--------------+ +--------------+

or 2. cupping of glued up parts

+--------+ +--------------+ / +------+ \ / +------------+ \ / / \ +--------+ / \ \ +-+ +----------+ +-+

In both cases, you're planer knives are going to encounter dried glue. The dried glue CAN dull or knick your planer knives.

Note also that if you milled are your stock to thickness before any gluing, then thin the panel but not the stock for the rails and stiles the panel face will be low relative to the rails and stiles faces. Once the rails and stiles have been glued, with the panel floating between them, you CAN'T run the glued up door through the planer You CAN run them through the drum sander.

charlie b