Thread: Thicknesser needed Melbourne - HELP!

Try contacting the fella at recycled timbers in Hastings. He has the machinery, and seemed like a great guy when I was dealing with him.... And it's down your neck of the woods

700mm wide is going to be a problem. Thicknessers that are wide enough do exist, but they're extremely uncommon, most industrial machines top out at 630mm wide. If you're happy to rip it down to 620mm wide and re-join it after (we can also run it through the sander if you want), we can do it at work in Moorabbin. Company is Dewhurst Furniture, PM me for contact details.

Originally Posted by dan-melbourne

Hi all,
I'm trying to find somebody with the right equipment/care to help me out reduce a large 60mm thick bench down to 30-40mm.


Its a long bench made of joined vic ash. Slight cupping, but not bad.
Current size: 60mm x 700mm x 4m.
Ideally somebody can collect and return in South East Melbourne, but could move it myself if it's not too far, its damn heavy at 4m long!


Please help, I'm about to give up on this project as nobody seems interested in 1 off jobs these days, most business's want easy bulk work


Thanks,
Daniel.

why do you want to bring the thickness down to 40mm?

There may be options that don't require taking 20mm off the whole bench

Test

SORRY. Trying to work out how to use a tablet.

Originally Posted by ian

why do you want to bring the thickness down to 40mm?

There may be options that don't require taking 20mm off the whole bench

We were thinking of bringing it down to 40/50mm to reduce the weight of the piece, not because it needed it.

It has to go upstairs once finished; it will just make it through the stairwell, but it will be extremely difficult due to the current weight even with a few people helping out.

Dan can you post some pics of the bench perhaps the best option would be to break it down then take upstairs in pieces. The trouble with joined top is unknown joining method if its some sort of biscuits,dowells or tenons they maybe within 20mm of surface.

Originally Posted by dan-melbourne

We were thinking of bringing it down to 40/50mm to reduce the weight of the piece, not because it needed it.

It has to go upstairs once finished; it will just make it through the stairwell, but it will be extremely difficult due to the current weight even with a few people helping out.

Hi Dan

on the basis that
the bench is going to be used domestically
AND
you can really make a mess where the bench is currently located

I'd attack it with a power planer

something like this

can take up to 3mm off per pass,
though I'd limit the depth of cut to around 2.5 mm
taking 25 - 30mm off the top would only take a little over 10 passes. It would be best to take an approximate equal amount from the top and bottom of the bench
(It would of course generate a fair bit of "disposables" -- I'm guessing around 1 cubic metre of chips)

I'd then remove all the plane tracks with a long sharp hand plane, and a combination of smoothing plane and ROS

suggested Method
1. make yourself a set of winding sticks
2. use the sticks to find the high spots -- which locate the cup
3. use the planer (with a shallow cut) to remove the high spots -- work along the length of the bench
4. turn the top over and repeat 2 & 3 on the underside

If you can leave the top for a week or so to settle back down
5. working at about 45° diagonally across the slab, remove a full 2.5mm depth cut from the entire slab
6. repeat, but working on the opposite diagonal.
7. use your winding sticks to check that the underside is still mostly level and you haven't induced any twist or wind -- if you have, set a shallow depth of cut on the planer and take off the high spots
8. repeat 5, 6 & 7 till you've taken about 12-15mm off the underside
9. using your ROS sand the underside to say 120 or 150 grit
10. turn the top over and repeat 5, 6 & 7 till you've taken about 12-15mm off the show surface
11. the top should now be about 25-30mm thinner than it was when you started
12. sand, finish, move up stairs

ENJOY USING