Previous Thread
Next Thread
Print Thread
Rate Thread
Power planer to square timbers? #34426 05/05/18 06:01 PM
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 72
Joe Wood Offline OP
Member
OP Offline
Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 72
I have some 4x10 timbers that are slightly out of square on their edges so I bought a 4 3/8” wide power planer, both to plane the edges smooth and hopefully square them up to the faces. Has anyone made a sled to run the power planer down the 3.5" wide edges, squaring them up? Or is there another technique I could use? I haven’t done this before so would appreciate any pointers or tips!

Last edited by Joe Wood; 05/05/18 06:03 PM.
Re: Power planer to square timbers? [Re: Joe Wood] #34427 05/05/18 07:54 PM
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 72
Joe Wood Offline OP
Member
OP Offline
Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 72
I'm sorry guys, here, a pic is worth a lot of words. With this 4x10, these two edges are slightly out of square to the faces, and I'd like to use a 4 3/8" Makita power planer to square them as I also surface them smooth.

I'm wondering if anyone has made a sled / whatever, to hold the planer square to the timber face as you go down the length?

my 12" T saw will square them up but I don't want to push a 14' 4x10 thru it!

Attached Files
1 edges.jpg (70.53 KB, 377 downloads)
Last edited by Joe Wood; 05/05/18 07:55 PM.
Re: Power planer to square timbers? [Re: Joe Wood] #34430 05/07/18 09:33 AM
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 582
Jay White Cloud Offline
Member
Offline
Member
Joined: Nov 2008
Posts: 582
Hi Joe,

I have seen (and used) different Router, Hand Power Planner, Jointer and related methods with and without jigs for certain "truing" operations, so your idea is more than plausible should you wish to go down that path.

I think back in the archives here on the TFG Forum among the posts are some different examples covering all manner of jigs like this; including one for logs and making flat spots on it. There are tons on the web as well...

Many in the contemporary world of timber framing do take the time to totally square up a timber (aka Mill Rule)...but many of us do not.

Traditionally (in many timber framing cultures) this isn't something that is taken time to deal with. The timber is planned to smooth aesthetically. "Near square" (or whatever shape is desired) is the only real goal.

Joinery is "trued" to the given geometry of the specified intersection dependent on the layout method being employed (e.g. scribe rule, line rule, edge rule...etc)

Mill Rule is a much more contemporary modality of layout, and seems to be what you are wanting to employ if going for the entire timber being squared up?

Achievable (to a point) but a lot more effort for sure...rather than the other more traditional methods.

Regards,

j

Re: Power planer to square timbers? [Re: Joe Wood] #34431 05/07/18 02:27 PM
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 72
Joe Wood Offline OP
Member
OP Offline
Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 72
Thanks again Jay I'll take your advice and deal with it in other ways!

Re: Power planer to square timbers? [Re: Joe Wood] #34442 05/11/18 03:01 PM
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 305
T
timberwrestler Offline
Member
Offline
Member
T
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 305
I've never done it, but I've heard of taping a thin strip the thickness of the out-of-squareness to the planer. Once you have enough of a surface to run the planer on, you take it off.

Re: Power planer to square timbers? [Re: Joe Wood] #34446 05/12/18 01:26 PM
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 72
Joe Wood Offline OP
Member
OP Offline
Member
Joined: Jun 2006
Posts: 72
I was going to try that but we just leaned on one side or the other, whichever was out of square and when finished they came out almost square, as Jay said close enough!


Moderated by  Jim Rogers, mdfinc 

Newest Members
HFT, Wrongthinker, kaymaxi, RLTJohn, fendrishi
5134 Registered Users
Powered by UBB.threads™ PHP Forum Software 7.7.3
(Release build 20190728)
PHP: 5.4.45 Page Time: 0.027s Queries: 17 (0.007s) Memory: 3.1473 MB (Peak: 3.5814 MB) Data Comp: Off Server Time: 2024-03-28 17:11:57 UTC
Valid HTML 5 and Valid CSS