# Planer sled options....



## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

I've done some research and can't decide which to build here.

First, I got rid of my Makita 2030 planer/jointer combo due to space, fantastic little machine, loved it but I replaced it with a 20" Powermatic planer so now I am without a jointer. FWIW I work with a lot of slabs or wide material so the 6" jointer the Makita had on board was really too thin for more than half my work anyway.

Knowing I won't be replacing the jointer because I don't have space for one, I was thinking of building the FWW Keith Rust sled because it seems easier to setup than the other option. The thing i worry about is the spacing between the supports leaves your board unsupported. Thoughts on this?

I hope people know what I'm talking about because FWW pulled down the article for the free public links so I would really be going off of pictures for my build since I don't have the article or a link to it myself. It doesn't look difficult.

The second option is a much easier build but a pain to setup it seems. I would just take a couple 3/4" pieces of plywood or MDF and laminate them together and glue on a stop block. This would take a long time each time you wanted to throw things through the planer having to shim things exactly each time, I could be wrong so I would need to get opinions on this.

Thoughts on what to build. For edge jointing I already have a sled for the table saw I use to cut off live edges on anything I mill and want to turn into dimensional lumber so I can edge joint that way.


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## builtinbkyn (Oct 29, 2015)

A few years ago I had a need for a sled. I had a benchtop planer and no jointer. I did similar research and liked the Keith Rust sled, but in the end and because I only had need of it for one particular job, I made the wedge sled with the stop block. It worked fine. However if I were going to be using one extensively, I would have made the Rust sled. Not sure that helps you, but that was my experience.


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## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

Thanks Bill. That is precisely my dilemma. I figure if I'm going to use it consistently then I'll just build a couple 20" wide and different lengths like 4' and 7 or 8'. I have four slabs now that will be joined and used as my dining table top so I will need the 7' plus length.

Any thoughts on the space between the supports? I read in my research someone did it 8" apart. I wonder if that's too far.


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## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

For those interested the FWW article is in issue 175 from 2005. Again, I don't have it or have access to it but it's out there somewhere. The build looks fairly self explanatory though.


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## builtinbkyn (Oct 29, 2015)

The supports move fore and aft. They are not affixed to the board. To use that sled, you need to have the ability to move the supports as required by the piece you're planing. So the spacing isn't fixed. I guess you can add more as needed too.


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## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

Ok, that's making more sense. Hence the rope through the supports keeps it adjustable and still keeps the supports to the sled when storing or whatever. It's more work than I want to do but I'm thinking it'll probably be worth it in the long run.


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## builtinbkyn (Oct 29, 2015)

It doesn't seem like a complicated item to make. Most of it could be cut from leftover material from other projects. The "rope" is actually a bungee cord. It allows for easy removal or addition of supports and for easy repositioning of them. A rope would complicate that.


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## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

It doesn't seem complicated at all, it's just not as easy as sticking a couple of pieces of sheet goods together with a board on the end is all. Of course if it's my only face jointer then it would be worth the effort.

Bungee makes sense over rope. Thanks for the info on this.


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## builtinbkyn (Oct 29, 2015)

If I were to make one, and I have been contemplating that recently as I too only have a 6" jointer, I would add non-skid material to the bottom of the supports as well as the tops. That was the only shortfall I thought it might have, as the supports may want to move and shift a bit under load and vibration of the planer.

The wedge sled was pretty straight forward. Cutting wedges as needed for the board being planed wasn't too much of a bother.


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## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

Cutting wedges would be a bother if it was used often though. I was thinking of just having shims and a deck or two of playing cards with the other sled. The FWW sled would negate that and would be quick to setup. I think I'll start finding the supplies and give it a go.

I agree with the non slip tape. It's already going on several pieces, why not add it to the support bottoms as well. Good observation.

I read the wedges and the slots for them are at 15 degrees. What's the best way to get the 15 degrees into the slot portion? A hand saw, sawing to the lines would work, a little jig on a cross cut sled on the table saw or router table too. How would you go about it? (nice to hear other's thoughts)


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## builtinbkyn (Oct 29, 2015)

OK I just found a video on this sled. Scratch the non-skid material on the bottom of the supports. He put that on the bottom of the wedges, which makes more sense as they contact the sled while raising the supports.

For the slots you'll need a jig for your table saw or miter saw. Or hand saw and chisel away.

Video


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

Here's my sled I use for boards my 6" jointer can't handle:










IIRC, it works basically the same as the FWW rig but uses jack screws instead of wedges. Set screws in the sides allow me to position them as needed.










It works a trick for sure!


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## builtinbkyn (Oct 29, 2015)

Kenny that's a nice sled. Came across that design earlier when I was looking for the Rust sled video. It's certainly a bit more work than the other two though. You see any advantage to it?


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## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

That's great Kenny and it doesn't look as hokie as the FWW one with the bungee. I like it. Sheet goods, pine inside frame then mdf and oak for the supports?

I might go this route because I can then make a bunch of supports and slide them easily between the two lengths of sleds I make and it just looks better.


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## Tabletop (May 9, 2016)

On you tube, I think it is a "fine woodworking" video where the man uses hot glue gun to keep wedges in place. The hot glue is easily removed when finished


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

Bill, I don't recall exactly how the Rust Sled worked but IIRC, I chose this design because I thought the jack screws would be a much quicker adjustment than the wedges and this design fixes the supports firmly in place without the need to have a bungee to hold them down. It also doesn't allow any movement of the supports. It is a bit more work up front probably but, I think it probably makes up for it in ease of setup.

Dave, I made mine with 2 pieces of 3/4 ply. Cut a rabbet on the long edges of the top one to make the "track" for the supports then face glued them together. It's stayed flat but, it probably would have been a good idea to have made it using a torsion box design with MDF skins and hardwood frame in between. 
And yes, the supports are easy to make. I made mine with Oak and 1/4 MDF. If I was doing it again, I'd replace the MDF with something stiffer - probably acrylic or aluminum. If you overtighten the set screws, the MDF flexes which can give a little flex to an otherwise pretty rigid rig. Other than that, my only regret is that I wish I had made it longer. Mine is 6', shoulda gone 8. The supports are super easy to make with the exception of installing threaded inserts and bolts and set screws. Not hard but kinda time consuming ;-)

I'm pretty sure I made a drawing for this jig for someone else. I know I have a 3D model so I can make a drawing if I don't have one already. If you're interested just shout and I'll e-mail it to you. Here is a link to the Shopnotes plan I started from. I did my jack screws a little different to get rid of the slop that their's allows. Here's a sled that geekwoodworker from the Shopnotes plans:


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

A router sled using a planer bit is another option for jointing a face flat on slabs or very wide boards.

I big factor for me is not having to wrestle a big plank + sled through the planer.

Once you get the tracks set up the rest is pretty easy work.

Heres a pic of a 36" wide workbench top I did but the principle is the same:


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## clin (Sep 3, 2015)

> .... It s stayed flat but, it probably would have been a good idea to have made it using a torsion box design with MDF skins and hardwood frame in between.
> ...
> 
> - HokieKen


While there can be reasons to have a stiff sled, it's not a requirement. I think some people believe the sled must be very rigid. But, that's not true. Since the planer is a "thickness" planer. All that is needed is that the sled be flat when securing the stock to it and setting wedges or other supports. At the moment the planer is cutting, the only thing that matters is the distance from the bottom of the sled to the planer cutter.

The bottom of the sled is a reference surface and functions like a temporary jointed surface. So just as it doesn't matter how flexible the stock is running through a planer, it doesn't matter how flexible the sled if the stock has been secured while the sled is flat.

Therefore if you have a flat table or workbench to lay the sled on while adjusting the supports, the sled itself doesn't need to be all that stiff. Of course, if you want to attach the stock with the sled supported at just two ends (for example resting on the planer and a roller stand), then of course it needs to be stiff. And I would agree this is an ideal reason to use a torsion box.

An 8' sled with stock on it, can get to be quite heavy. So the lighter the sled the better. Also, the thicker the sled, the less usable capacity you get with the planer. That's not going to be an issue with 4/4 stock, but could be if you're working with really thick stock.


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## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

This is what I was hoping for, a good solid conversation on how to make a better mouse trap here.

RWE, I don't think the router is the right route for me due to this needing to be the way I joint every board I work. I don't work with s4s very often at all unless I need a special species or get lucky and find boards at a yard sale or something. Having a station setup with rails might as well put a jointer in it's place. However I don't have space for either really and I want this to be a quick process. If it's less annoying, I'm likely to do it the right way.

Clin/Kenny, I completely agree with you and have struggled with how to build these sleds up. I think the torsion box would be good to keep it lighter but I do think I'll end up loading stock on the long sled (8') on a roller stand and planer table so that one would have to be pretty rigid, not to mention the 7'+ slab 8/4 or more that will be riding on something that long. I don't anticipate using this sled often but I want one available that will easily do 5-6' slabs since that's the length I get when I head to AZWoody's mill. I do have 4 that are over 7' that will be my dining room table top. Otherwise I just use slabs that are only about 2-3' long I mill myself from logs in which case I will build a shorter sled for these which should be much easier to set and load. So a torsion box for the shorty might be better? Of course, I would still have to make sure I can use the same supports between the two sleds, also if my short sled is only 36" long then maybe weight wouldn't be as big of an issue so I should just do the 2 3/4" sheet goods like the one you made Kenny? The bed on the Powermatic 209 is just over 36" total. So I was going to build my shorty 36" and sit it below the bed and leave it there. So face jointing a board should be literally a matter of less than a minute to set and send through, verify and send through again, etc.

Send over the file if it's convenient Kenny, don't go spending time drawing stuff up for me. I think I understand how you have the jack screws in there but if you have a better drawing or description that would be good. I will check out the shop notes version as well. I plan to build these up this weekend or next. I got a new tool in yesterday so I might have another project this weekend I need to do to play…errr test the new tool.

Overall goal is to get a sled that I can setup super quick, super accurate, and is convenient. I think we are on the right track. Thanks everyone for chiming in. I appreciate your experiences.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

Drawing sent Dave.

Clin is right about rigidity not being necessary but, for me it makes it much easier to set the supports and much easier to move larger pieces from outfeed side back to infeed without shifting the board. That's with my lunchbox planar. If I had a big ol' floor model with good infeed and outfeed supports, I wouldn't be as worried about it.


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## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

Got it Kenny and it looks like the jack screws are exactly as I thought they were. Cleaner design for sure.

The whole table from start to infeed to outfeed is just over 36" so there is support but not a ton. Maybe a foot in front and in the rear then the planer in the middle (rough estimate). So I'm still not sure I'll go with the torsion box design or the thicker ply, or a combo of both. Maybe 3/4 MDF on the bottom, torsion box design with 1/4' MDF on top. I'll use a roller in front and rear too but that will leave a portion unsupported.

As for replacing the 1/4" MDF with aluminum, that could get pricey seeing as I'm going to make mine just under 20" wide and would need several 20" X 2" wide pieces. I'm not opposed though. I haven't priced acrylic but would worry about that cracking if it weren't thick enough and that starts adding up too. I'll have to consider the options on the replacements and the torsion vs laminate. I'm on the right track I think. Thanks again buddy.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

The 1/4 MDF works fine. You just have to make sure you don't tighten enough to bow it up. You'd be fine if you stick with the MDF. You're right, that much Al would't be cheap. Acrylic would be even more most likely.


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## dschlic1 (Jan 3, 2013)

I use a piece of melamine board. I use hot melt glue in several places under the board to support and position it. Hot melt glue really does not compress that much. Nice thing is that it is quick and easy. I use masking tape on the melamine board so that the hot melt glue comes off easier. The glue can be removed from the board with a wood chisel. I also agree that the sled does not need to be completely stiff.


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## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

dschlic1, What you're mentioning is similar to the one option I mentioned in the first post. Not the FWW or Shopnotes sled. The problem with the one you're talking about is you mentioned hot glue gun, wood chisel, taping off things, etc. When you are using the sled for a special project and it's not common then that works perfect and I would easily do that because I won't be spending half a day building out two much more complex sleds. However, these will be my jointer going forward so I need to pull one out, put a board on it, set it up without the use of tools, send it through however many times is required, and then slide the sled back under the planer bed. All with barely any additional time spent. This should do the trick. I'm hoping.

Thanks for the input on the rigid part. I'm still contemplating my build out. I did consider melamine as well. Would slide nice on the planer bed too.


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## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

OK, I think I have this planned out on the cheap and still sturdy. I think I'll go with 1/2" MDF top and bottom with a torsion box center. I would do 1/4" MDF on top but I can't seem to find who sells 1/4" MDF sheets. I do see the 1/4" MDF project sheets at 2'x4' but that's not long enough. I will buy a sheet of it for my support braces though like Kenny has. Metal or acrylic centers would be too costly for a shop project that lives life as just a planer sled.

So my lip/track will be 1/2" thick instead of 1/4", I can't see the harm in that. I could rabbit the edge of MDF but that's messy and horrible so I think I'll just leave it at 1/2" if nobody sees an issue with it that I'm missing.

From there I'll use hard wood, mostly eucalyptus because I have a lot of that. I think I have a 1.5" dowel I will use for the knobs, if I don't I'll turn some stock, no biggie there.

Thoughts?


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## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

Or I could use two sheets of 3/4" MDF instead of a torsion box. Was thinking to save weight but since I can't get 1/4" MDF sheets in the right size I guess I'm not saving much.


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## clin (Sep 3, 2015)

I think 1/2 MDF is overkill for this. I wouldn't let the need for a lip decide what to use for the skins. An 8' sled made from two layers of 1/2" MDF is going to be heavy. Probably in the range of 30 lbs just for those two layers. May not sound like much, but think how many times you have to pick the sled up, and run it through the planer for a larger project.

I'd think in terms of the loads being carried by the edge of the sled. Perhaps nothing actually pushing on the skins. If so, you could use 1/8" hardboard for the skins. Or even Luan, like an interior door to make it even lighter. I would agree you need some puncture resistance, so hardboard would likely be a better choice. Though a high quality plywood would work well also.

You can go full Monte and laminate the sled with Formica or similar. That will add addition stiffness and make for a tough surface.

For your torsion box webs, you probably want to keep that light as well. MDF is heavy, but does cut very cleanly. There are furniture structures that use little more than cardboard for webs. Perhaps us 1/4" MDF for the webs. Assuming the sled is not too thick (webs not more than 1 1/2" tall), you could even use 1/8" hardboard for those.

Keep in mind that the webs in a torsion box do NOT have to be joined where they cross. Web joints do not add to the strength of the structure. It's the bond of the skin to the web that matters. So you can make half lap joints. Just like cardboard inserts in a case of beer bottles. No need to glue where they overlap.

This is also nice becasue you can assemble the entire web structure with no glue or fasteners. Then spread a lot of glue on the top edge of all the webs and lay your skin on. Add weights, and if possible, shoot a few brads to hold the skin down until the glue sets.

Here's an assembly table I made as a torsion box. While this used 1/2" MDF for the webs, it is much larger than you need and meant to be much stronger. But, you can see how I made the webs.


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## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

Thanks for the explanation clin, and the bench looks nice, really clean. I like it.

I would think the bottom or base would need to be fairly rigid not just to hold the slab of wood but it's also what the brace supports sit on so you wouldn't want it to bend outward. Maybe 1/2" MDF on the bottom the 1/8" hard board on the top skin? That makes it lighter and cheaper since I would only have to get one sheet of MDF for both sleds. The webbing I was going just use some hard wood as a frame mainly all around the edges and a few cross pieces through the center open area. Like the shop notes version if you looked at the link. Simple, light, and should work ok???If I went with 1/8" hard board the lip/rail would only be 1/8" thick at that point could be a problem but with the 1/4" MDF support brace across, might nto be a problem.

I am worried about weight and maybe I can't get past the rigid part in my head even though it makes sense. The wood I use most are Arizona native woods. I get the stuff at a good price or free and it's pretty cool stuff if it doesn't break apart or something. It also weighs far more than normal maple or walnut. A LOT more. Eucalyptus which is my main wood is 50% harder on the jenka than walnut. So a heavy sled with a heavier piece of wood would suck, but it might be what I have to deal with.

OK, plan is out the window. I still have a day or two to figure it out. I want to get started on my dining room table top, sorry, let me rephrase that. My wife wants me to get started on the dining room table top so I need a solution pretty quick.


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## builtinbkyn (Oct 29, 2015)

You can always put a hardwood edge on the MDF and go with 1/4" if you feel it might fracture from the stress. Lot's of ways to skin a cat.


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## builtinbkyn (Oct 29, 2015)

This is the way I would go if I were going to be doing a lot of slab work. I think there's more control over how much material you remove. Also, the first side doesn't need to be a perfect surface. It just has to be true so you can then run the slab through the planer. Tthis method probably does take a bit longer, but humping the slabs and the planer sled isn't fun either.


> A router sled using a planer bit is another option for jointing a face flat on slabs or very wide boards.
> 
> I big factor for me is not having to wrestle a big plank + sled through the planer.
> 
> ...


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## Lazyman (Aug 8, 2014)

If it is a one-time or rare thing, all you really need is a piece of flat MDF or plywood, door shims and some hot melt glue. Just slide the shims under the board you are flattening to prevent it from rocking and use a liberal amount of the glue to hold the board in place. A cleat on the end will give it a little more support.


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## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

It's definitely not a one time thing Nathan. this will be my permanent jointer so I want it easy and quick.

Bill, I know lots of people use the router to face joint boards but that just has a ton of setup. I want something quick and easy. The planer is already setup, sitting, calling my name to feed it some 20" wide goodness. The router sled would still need shims and setup but this way it's just moving screws up and down to meet the board. To add to it, I can't explain why but the router is literally my least favorite tool to operate in the whole shop. I have a plunge router and a permanently mounted in a table at the end of my table saw and the table one gets used plenty but I never enjoy it like my other tools. I think it's the noise, the precise sound it makes with or without hearing protection but I'm not positive. So the less I use the router, the better.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

You've seen my sled, you know which way I lean on stiffness. The 3/4 material I used may be overkill but I have no regrets. Of course I have a 12" planer, not 20" so my boards weigh less.


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## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

Yeah, yeah, plus if I need to use the 8 footer I can recruit my wife or 14 year old son to help me out If need be. The other one will only be 3 feet. I'll go to the big box store Saturday morning and look at the sheet goods and come out with 2 - 3/4" sheets of something. I'll figure it out. Looking forward to having it. I should have my Wixey digital gauge for the new planer Saturday as well so I'll install that too. Loved it on my Makita, well worth the $75 IMO.


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## builtinbkyn (Oct 29, 2015)

3/4" ultra-light MDF. It weighs a little more than a third the weight of regular MDF. I think a full sheet of 3/4" weighs about 80lbs. The ultra-light is just as rigid as the regular stuff.


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## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

Never heard of it…is that for real? Where do you get it?


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## clin (Sep 3, 2015)

> I would think the bottom or base would need to be fairly rigid not just to hold the slab of wood but it s also what the brace supports sit on so you wouldn t want it to bend outward.
> 
> - ki7hy


Again, don't let the need at the edges drive the choice for the skins. There needs to be sides on the torsion box. Make these sides as strong as needed to support the weight of the stock and other forces created by the supports. But, that's a separate issues from the skins. Remember this will be very rigid side to side as well.

For example, make the sides from hardwood and route whatever shape you need, or laminate separate pieces to create the lip and the bottom edge.

I realize it is easier to use the skins to create the lip and the bottom for the supports to rest on. I'm just giving ideas for making it light. Lighter usually means more complex because you only make things thicker (and heavier) where they actually need to be.

Here's a cross section of what I'm talking about:










Concerning the webbing or blocks, wide blocks don't do much if anything, more, narrower ones would be better. But, the blocks are functioning as webs and note how these are effectively webs that are not joined.

In general, the thinner the skin, the closer together the webs need to be.

In the end, it all depends on how complicated you want the torsion box to be. But as I mentioned earlier, it's quite easy to cut webs as full length pieces with slots where they overlap. Takes a bit of effort to set up the indexing jig. But once set you can cut the slots very quickly.


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## KelleyCrafts (May 17, 2016)

That definitely makes it more complicated. Although not by much. If I do a torsion box it would be complicated enough compared to a couple 3/4" sheets. I'll think it through. You have great points Clin I just need to remember it's only a planer sled, of course it's my only jointer too. Sigh


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## builtinbkyn (Oct 29, 2015)

Yes it's for real. A goo lumber yard will carry it.



> Never heard of it…is that for real? Where do you get it?
> 
> - ki7hy


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

Giving this a bit more thought, I don't think I would use MDF to form the "tracks" on the side for 2 reasons. First, the core of MDF makes a poor sliding surface so, if you make the supports "hug" the rails, positioning them will be a bit more work and will eventually cause significant wear on the edge of the MDF. Second, if you use screws to prevent the supports from moving, like the set screws I used, they will tear the core of the MDF up in short order. I think I'd go with ply or if you use MDF, edge it with a couple pieces of rabbeted hardwood to make the guides.


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## dschlic1 (Jan 3, 2013)

In terms of time, placing a blob of hot melt glue is very quick. When a face a board, setup, placing the work piece on the melamine board takes less than 3 minutes. After finishing planning one side flat, takes less than two minutes to pop the work piece off and remove the hot melt glue. For the face that was down during the initial planning, no sled is necessary.


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## clin (Sep 3, 2015)

> In terms of time, placing a blob of hot melt glue is very quick. When a face a board, setup, placing the work piece on the melamine board takes less than 3 minutes. After finishing planning one side flat, takes less than two minutes to pop the work piece off and remove the hot melt glue. For the face that was down during the initial planning, no sled is necessary.
> 
> - dschlic1


I tried the hot melt technique and it does have merit. But, I found the glue compressed too much for larger gaps. Now, there may be differences in the stiffness of hot melt glue. But, in my case, I found that if the gap were larger than 1/16" the glue compressed too much.

But otherwise it is a pretty good method. I put strips of painters tape on both the sled and the stock. Precision isn't needed. And it is very quick to clean up.

Lot's of ways to skin this cat. Someday I'll likely build a sled with some sort of adjustable supports. A planer sled certainly is handy and is a reasonable alternative to having a large jointer.


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