Timber Framers Guild

Power planer to square timbers?

Posted By: Joe Wood

Power planer to square timbers? - 05/05/18 06:01 PM

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!
Posted By: Joe Wood

Re: Power planer to square timbers? - 05/05/18 07:54 PM

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 File
1 edges.jpg  (377 downloads)
Posted By: Jay White Cloud

Re: Power planer to square timbers? - 05/07/18 09:33 AM

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
Posted By: Joe Wood

Re: Power planer to square timbers? - 05/07/18 02:27 PM

Thanks again Jay I'll take your advice and deal with it in other ways!
Posted By: timberwrestler

Re: Power planer to square timbers? - 05/11/18 03:01 PM

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.
Posted By: Joe Wood

Re: Power planer to square timbers? - 05/12/18 01:26 PM

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!
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