Somewhere along in my travels I have heard some one talking about using a power bench planner to clean up timbers. Some thing along the line of the timber is on saw horses the planner is slipped on the timber and started. It crawls along the beam the planner moves the timber is stationary. Is there any truth to this and has any one done it and how good vere the results or is there a link to some info or pictures
Thanks

some good info and pics here:
http://forums.tfguild.net/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=26303&page=1

Speaking from my own experience, I am a fan of the large hand held planers. Although big planers require a large committment of time and effort, very good results can be achieved in truing materials to a needed standard. I do not think mods to light duty bench planers will in the end reduce time committment or produce equal results compared to hand held planers or make up for the lack of finesse a hand tool will avail.

Several people have modified bench planers to beam walking planers. Not sure how long they will last/life. They will smooth the surface, but will not make a beam square. This winter I intend to buy the Woodmizer MP100 planer head. This is a heavy duty planer that runs on 2 rail sawmill tracks. This type of planer can be used to not only smooth the surface, but make it planar, and square faces on a beam.