# how to plane thin boards



## elginrunner (May 13, 2011)

My wife needs some 1/8' thick boards for a project. We've bought some 1/2" aspen at lowes. Can I safely plane down to 1/8" with my Delta 12" planer? (Delta TP305)


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

Have a bandsaw?


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

Not to mention the waste from planing a 1/2" board to 1/8". I would use a bandsaw to resaw the boards to a little over 1/8th, (if you have a bandsaw). Also, I would prefer to use a handplane for a board that thin. How much stock do you need?


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## Loren (May 30, 2008)

It's pretty tricky to plane that thin on a lunchbox planer. A William
and Hussey will do it though; slower feed and the rollers are closer
to the cutterhead.

You can try the tape method, or glue the wood to construction paper
and glue in on the other side to a carrier board. What a hassle.

Aspen is pretty easy to work. With limited tools I would plane it 
down to 1/4" with the electric machine (or better, resaw the boards - 
at 1/8" she can't be working on too large a scale, can she?) and
then hand plane to thickness. It goes pretty quick on softwoods.

Another slightly bizarre approach is to cut kerfs in the board with
a table saw and split out the waste pieces with a chisel, then 
hand plane to smooth.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

If you just need a little bit, you could get some from woodcraft.

http://www.woodcraft.com/Family/2083019/Thin-Stock-Hardwood.aspx


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## wb8nbs (Jan 11, 2011)

The hobby stores like Hobby Lobby have wood in sheets as thin as 1/16 for not too much. I bought some to use as shims, they were more precise than I could make.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

I regularly plane maple and walnut to .120" on my Dewalt 735. It has to be straight grained and NO KNOTS. You will get snipe as the boards exits so make them longer than you need.

As others have mentioned, sometime you'll get a piece exploding inside the planer- caused by wild grain or a grain defect.

Now cherry- that's another story.


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## elginrunner (May 13, 2011)

I don't have a band saw, i'm saving for that now…. She is building prototypes for a projecs that will given away at xmas. I knew hobby lobby had thin balsa, but not hardwood, I may go there.

Thanks for the advise everyone, it's much appreciated.


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## Towtruck (Apr 4, 2011)

After I got my Ridged 13" planer, I noticed that the settings went down to 1/8". I wasn't aware that you couldn't or shouldn't try it so I ran a piece of white pine about 8"x20" down to 1/8 without any problem. I've never found any use for it, but I think I could make more like it if I had a need.


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## JJohnston (May 22, 2009)

Here's a vacuum sled as an alternative to double-sided tape:


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## Finn (May 26, 2010)

Hobby shops…..you know, model airplanes and trains…..my have some thin spruce in their stock.


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## WayneC (Mar 8, 2007)

I was in the local Woodcraft today. They had a ton of thin stock…


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## dkirtley (Mar 11, 2010)

Also, look at the veneers. Some are available thicker such as 1/8.

But for prototypes, the thin plywoods are much easier to deal with. $10 or so will get you a 4'x8' door skin around here.


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## cloakie1 (May 29, 2011)

try a false bed in the planer….make sure that it has a lug on the infeed side so it is not dragged thru….and then make sure that the bed is well lubed and a slow feed….also don't take off to much at a time….but as someone else said you would be better to cut it down as close as possible first.


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## DLCW (Feb 18, 2011)

Find out if there are any cabinet shops nearby that have a wide-belt or drum sander. I regularly thickness wood to 1/8" or less on my drum sander. I first resaw, as many have recommended, then sand out the resaw marks. I've gone as thin as 1/16" on the drum sander.


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## Kentuk55 (Sep 21, 2010)

I have used a piece of melamine shelving as a "filler-board" with double stick tape to plane some stuff pretty thin. The melamine slides very nicely through the planer. I only take about a 32nd or even a 64th off when doing that. 
If you have a bandsaw, I'd first resaw to something close to your thickness.


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## cranesgonewild (Jun 9, 2010)

I've done it many times without a problem.
I use a false bottom like what cloakie1 was saying.
I use a 3/4" piece of melamine about 13"W x 24"L with a small piece of wood screwed on one end of the melamine at the infeed side so that it hooks the table and can't get pulled through.
I've also used MDF, which is what I'm using right now. But, melamine would be better.
I've never used tape.
Good Luck.


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