router jig for surfacing odd shaped wood slabs

Millingman, I will watch with interest. Most I have seen are very expensive. Have you searched the LJ’s site?, I seem to remember someone may have posted something.

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

Slow going to do it with a router.

The slab will move after every surfacing attempt, so I plan for that
if I want to flatten a big slab.

I use a 4” Makita hand planer, working crosswise and sighting
by eye to get one side flattish, flip it and do the other. Let it
sit and then it’s at least a couple more flattenings of each side.

Then I go to a belt sander and ROS after that.

I honestly think doing it with a router is way too slow – but I’ve
seen a couple of jigs that use a rail system. The Legacy ornamental
mill can be used to flatten slabs with a router but it’s tedious and
noisy.

If you wanted you could build a CNC machine and
walk away and let it do all the work – in that case you don’t have to
put up with all the noise and the slowness of the router process.

-- Would you like to recession-proof your present business using the internet? - my revealing 9-page free report gives you the straight facts: http://copymatch.com/rec/cap.html

loren: can you use a power planer on end grain as well? i have never used a power hand planer so i do not know its limitations. now i know that if you send a piece of end grain through a normal planner. you had better get down on your knees and prey to the wood gods that nothing happens. nine times out of ten it is going to make a real mess and damage to anything in and around the machine. i reall need something that can handle some end grain as well. my sawmill will cut the slabs fairly straight and flat but, after the slab dries it wll more than likely be cupped and i do not want to spend hours with a belt sander.

one day i would like to get a small cnc router but it really is not in my budget. I would like to get a 50” belt belt sander i know that would do the trick.

-- www.tackettmillingandwoodworks.com

I’ve done something like this.

I had a couple of aluminum tubes that were part of my Incra TS3 Table saw fence. I mounted them on each side and then used a trough where the router fit and moved it back and forth to surface the workbench top.

It not hard, just dont take very much in depth as you go.

Mark DeCou in one of his postings has done somethink like this also.

-- What happens in the workshop stays in the workshop. No wait that doesn't sound right. Karson Southern Delaware karson_morrison@bigfoot.com †

One of the members of Canadianwoodworkingforum made one – see it there.

-- Regards, Steve2

end grain – yeah, within limits. Take light cuts and just be
careful. I haven’t had a power planer kick back on me much and
I’m not that concerned it will but be careful anyway with end
grain. Unsupported fibers will get munched by a planer so if the
wood is pithy or not dense enough it won’t work well on end
grain.

-- Would you like to recession-proof your present business using the internet? - my revealing 9-page free report gives you the straight facts: http://copymatch.com/rec/cap.html

Have you seen GaryK’s blog
http://lumberjocks.com/topics/1992

-- Grumpy - "Always look on the bright side of life"- Monty Python

Grumpy – I was going to mention that!

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Thanks for the link grumpy

garyk : that is a nice jig that is somthing like what i had in mind but about 10 ” wider and i was doing to use aluminum angle on one piece if 3/4” plywood but I see how yours is two pieces and i might change to that style.

thanks for everyone inut and keep them coming.

-- www.tackettmillingandwoodworks.com