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26th January 2010, 05:29 PM #1Member
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how to plane & thickness a large slab?
Hi All,
I just acquired a couple of rosewood slabs 1.5m * 400mm * 40mm.
I plan on making 2 bedside tables 400mm wide using the 2 slabs with continuous grain running up the sides, over the top and down the other side.
Problem is my planer/thicknesser only handles 260mm width and my hand skills are not up to flattening and squaring the slabs. (They would probably end up 10mm thick by the time I finished.)
My plan was to slice the slab down the middle so each half would fit through the planer/thicknesser. Then I would glue the two halves back together to achieve the 400mm width. Hopefully the glue line would be invisible or virtually so.
These slabs are bloody heavy too, so halving the weight by slicing down the middle will make them more manageable.
Does any body have a better idea on how to square up and flatten the slabs?
Cheers,
Dan
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26th January 2010 05:29 PM # ADSGoogle Adsense Advertisement
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26th January 2010, 05:37 PM #2Senior Member
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- Oct 2007
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Find someone close to you who has a larger Thicknesser/Planer ( a shop would charge a small fee...or try and find someone kind enough to do it for free...)
Are they very cupped along the grain?Buy the best tools you can afford and you'll only cry once...
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26th January 2010, 08:31 PM #3
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27th January 2010, 02:12 AM #4Member
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- Mar 2004
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Thanks for the responses gents. Problem is here in Jakarta I don't know of anyone with a drum sander or wide thicknesser.
Will keep looking around.
Cheers,
Dan
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27th January 2010, 02:58 AM #5
Router rails
Another option is to set up two parallel blocks to the ground (timber or metal) and then to use another 2 parallel straight edges at right angles over the top to guide a router with a straight bit as you make progressive cuts across the surface.
This will then invariably need cleaning up with a plane and then sanding smooth. You will however be able to keep the timber without cutting it only to joint it together later.
I have done this for a coffee table and found that it works ok (slow though) where the timber is vastly different in thickness.
I have attached a sketch to help explain it a bit better.
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27th January 2010, 12:19 PM #6
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27th January 2010, 03:02 PM #7Senior Member
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Yeah I didnt look at your loaction either.
But as stated, have a look in a Telephone Book, or on the internet, for a shop close by.
Otherwise...get out some handplanesBuy the best tools you can afford and you'll only cry once...
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