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  1. #16
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    Aug 2003
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    12,779

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    At the moment I am trying to research planer sleds to see how viable an option that is.
    Mine is just a couple of 4x2 hardwood rails with battens between them every foot or so along the length to hold them parallel and in line. Then the board I'm planing sits in between the rails, on top of the battens, with wedges as required to hold it flat. I've then got some long timber screws that come in from the sides and I screw them in until they bite to hold it all in place. A bit like someone's head in traction if you've ever seen that!
    "I don't practice what I preach because I'm not the kind of person I'm preaching to."

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  3. #17
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    Jan 2013
    Location
    Perth, WA
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    36
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    I was just going to go down to bunnies and get some 1800x30x18mm MDF. Your idea sounds good too though. I suppose I could get two thinner sheets of MDF and build some kind of torsion box. My struggle is going to be not having any flat reference surface larger than a straight edge.

  4. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2013
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    Jervis Bay South Coast NSW
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    354

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    What about a power hand plane, it could be used to dimension timber to rough size and then hand plane to the finish? And cheap!

    Sent from my GT-P3110 using Tapatalk

  5. #19
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    Jan 2013
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    Perth, WA
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    I suppose, but those things are aweful. Getting any kind of consistency from them is virtually impossible, especially on longer pieces. The sole just isn't long enough, and it's very difficult to feel for square, unlike a hand plane. It was actually the first thing I tried, it mostly just makes a mess. They are good for taking down masses of messy stuff though, instead of wearing out your good tools.

  6. #20
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    Perth
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    10,803

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    I think I need to explain myself a little more.

    My recommendation of a jointer before a thicknesser does fly in the face of the usual suggestion for it being the other way around. Stay with me here - I am thinking as one who prefers handtools (but has owned or owns these power tools), and would combine handplanes in the dimensioning process..

    A small ("lunchbox") thicknesser can work as a jointer but is a horrible machine for this task (I had a Delta 12 1/2"). You can indeed joint faces on one with the aid of a sled, however this is SLOW and VERY noisy. Working with Jarrah and doing double duty you will dull blades rapidly. I really do not recommend the thicknesser as a jointer. I am confident you will hate it. Your neighbours will hate it as well as you will need to use it outdoors unless you have a good dusty attached. Dusty? That is extra, and this is a messy machine. By contrast, a jointer is much quieter and does not throw out the same amount of dust.

    If you are used to using handplanes, and you have to dimension a board, the main effort lies in getting the face flat and coplanar - getting out the twists and turns. This takes time with winding sticks and squares, and it is a lot more work with hard timbers such as Jarrah. I think that it is less hard to flatten on a jointer, scribe the now flat board for thickness, and then hand plane to these lines.

    Furnituremakers in the days of olde were not fussed about thicknessing every board they used. Indeed, I've built panels and table tops that were flat on one side and irregular on the other. Who would know if they cannot be seen?

    Joint faces and edges, glue up, and then use a handplane to level. Tables and cabinet panels would be too wide to fit in a small thicknesser anyway.

    Do not be enticed by a 6" jointer. You will soon discover that it is really only for edges and not for faces. Ideally, a wider jointer is desired, a minimum of 8". The way one determines the best width is against the resaw capacity of your bandsaw. Most recent 14" machines have a resaw capacity of 10" - 12", while the older designs need an extender to do this. Their limiting factor is the motor, and this is usually powerful enough to do about 8" of hardwood at most.

    I still say jointer and bandsaw, then follow with a thicknesser. Better still, a secondhand 10" combo jointer-thicknesser.

    Regards from Perth

    Derek
    Visit www.inthewoodshop.com for tutorials on constructing handtools, handtool reviews, and my trials and tribulations with furniture builds.

  7. #21
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    Jan 2013
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    Perth, WA
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    36
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    Thanks for the clarification Derek. I too am not PARTICULARLY fussed about the exact thickness of boards. I just want something to take some of the grunt work out of dimensioning timber. It's a lot of work with hand tools, ESPECIALLY in Jarrah.

    At the moment my primary concern is getting a workbench going. My plans revolve around using those big jarrah beams I have, which are rough, but well seasoned and most importantly, free. I wanted to build a 6' Roubo as in Christopher Schwarz' most recent workbench book, using the beams laminated for the top. I would need to edge joint 4-6 6' long jarrah beams to achieve that though, and I'm not confident of achieving that with any degree of accuracy. Hence I was hoping to purchase a machine that I could use for that job, so I have a more functional workspace, and then use for other jobs after.

    Perhaps instead I should simply buy some appropriate lengths of pine from bunnings, and laminate them. It would potentially save quite a bit of time and money, although I'd obviously still have to flatten the bench top. So, I suppose that's another option, although it does leave me sans machine. I will have to think about it.

  8. #22
    Join Date
    Dec 2010
    Location
    Mornington Peninsula
    Posts
    2,741

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    Hare & Forbes have a sale on 27-29/3/2014 with prices cheaper than the catalogue list prices by circa 10%. It may be an option?

    http://www.machineryhouse.com.au/Thicknesser

  9. #23
    Join Date
    Aug 2003
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    Pambula
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    58
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    I was just about to post the same thing, got the flyer in the mail this week. There are 3 thicknessers in your price range, should you go that way. I bought mine from H&F 10 years ago and have had no problems with it. Mine is similar to the T-13S but has straight cutters. They are double-sided disposable, which means you need to buy new ones when both edges are blunt (about $60 a set for mine). Typically jointers have blades that can be sharpened - which is another task you will either need to learn to do or pay someone else for.

    Keep in mind what Derek said about thicknessers though: VERY noisy, and they produce cubic metres of shavings and dust which you need to capture and dispose of. Jointers also produce large amounts of shavings. I used mine without a dust extractor for awhile but there's a big clean up required at the end of every job. When you are jointing a face, they are quite loud, but nowhere near as loud as a thicknesser, especially the small portable ones which have very loud motors.

    If you have the option to buy your timber dressed, then you can get away without either thicknesser or jointer. But a bandsaw is a very handy thing
    "I don't practice what I preach because I'm not the kind of person I'm preaching to."

  10. #24
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    Jan 2013
    Location
    Perth, WA
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    36
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    I don't really have the option to buy pre-dressed timber, except maybe the odd bit of DAR Pine from bunnings, for a small project here or there. I also don't have any kind of powered extractor, since up till now I haven't needed it. So that's another cost I'd have to tack on.

    The noise of the machines isn't a huge issue for me, as I wouldn't be running them all the time, and have a fair degree of freedom as to when to run them. Also my workshop is surrounded by dirt on three sides, so they neighbours can't whinge too much. The bandsaw does sound like a good option, but I think I'd need to save my pennies and get a bigger one. Although it's going to have to be a trade-off between floor size, weight (I only have steps down to the workshop), and power requirements (I don't have a 15A plug available).

    Lots to think about. Today I am just going to get on with cleaning out all the junk that has accumulated, getting ready to re-floor the workshop so it's somewhat closer to even and level.

  11. #25
    Join Date
    Dec 2004
    Location
    Perth
    Posts
    324

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    PM Sent, I've got some gear you can have. Save for a bandsaw.

  12. #26
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Cecil Plains Qld Aus
    Posts
    61

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    Found This and thought it may help.
    He who dies with the most tools wins.
    My greatest fear is when I die wifey will sell my tools for what I said I paid for them.

  13. #27
    Join Date
    Aug 2004
    Location
    Perth WA
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    This might be of interest to you http://www.quokka.com.au/listing/136031/
    Experienced in removing the tree from the furniture

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