Timber Framers Guild Forums Tools Tool Forum 12" Planer

I'm likely to be planing most of my timbers in my shop, that is if I ever have a shop . . .. Anyway, I've been looking at the big Makita. Someone posted a question about this one on the FF website. Just wondering if anyone here has had any experience with this planer? Seems pretty cool.

http://huntertimberframe.com/planer/default.htm

That's a cool video. I'm thinking the timber has to be pretty straight in order for the planer to work. If you have a wanky timber, I'm guessing you'd have to go over it with a smaller planer to take the high spots off. Is the point of the planer in the video just get a smooth surface?

I think you're right, brad. I'm sure it works fine if the timber is right off the sawmill. But if it's had a chance to crown or bow, it may be a different story. There's more finesses to using a handheld power planer than one might think. Sometimes you need to apply some manual "torque" to make it cut more on one side than the other. CB.

It seems like sometime back someone, maybe Derek, posted about a moveable frame/stand he had designed to hold a power planer that could then be moved across a timber. That sure seems like a good idea. Or, perhaps a track on which the planer would ride that could be squared up over one side of the timber.

The Hunter planer has adjustments that can be changed to cut deeper on one side then the other, if you need to try and square up a timber.
I've seen this planer up close and personal when he demonstrated it at a logging equipment show in Bangor ME. He asked the woodmizer sawmill guy to cut a log to make a 12" wide timber and then he set his planer up on it and planed it right in front of us. He brought with him his own personal generator to get the power he needed to run his planer.
It was a very smooth surface.
What Mr. Hunter does, besides selling planers, is he cuts timber frames and sells them to other people who erect them.
He told me that he just planes the timbers he's going to use that day, so everything is fresh planed when he brings them into his shop. All his joinery is square rule layout, and I'm not sure if he planes the non showing sides or not.
I almost bought one of these but the job that was going to pay for it fell through, so I didn't.

Jim Rogers

You just set it on the beam, turn it on and step back. It walks itself down the timber planing as it goes. You only have to start it on it's way, and catch it at the end before it falls on the floor. It's not that heavy.....

Does anyone out there have any experience with the Lucas Mill planing attachment?

The Hunter planer is for just cleaning a surface smooth. Not for trying to make a timber true with 90° side to side angles, or true in thickness. You're square rule joinery layout will make your frame square and true.

Did they mount a stationary planer head on a lower face bracket? Or is a completely designed tool? Is the base cast iron or aluminum?

If you are asking about the Hunter planer the base is aluminum.