Buying Lumber - Please help

[ziggy1979]

Hi Everyone!

I was thinking about buying some oak lumber sold by Timbmet (thanks to a previous post by JasonB ) instead of planed and sawn oak from a local timber merchant - if my conversion from cubic metres to metre length is correct it works out really reasonably.

But i have never planed lumber down to size and I was wondering whether it was as simple as feeding the lumber through a planer/thicknesser 4 times (once for each face).

I'd be really grateful for your help!!!!

Thanks a lot.

Zigs

 

[crank39]

I think it all depends on the length of each of the finished timber. You normally have to face the timber first using the planer to eliminate bows and twists then using the flat faces you just put on with the planer put them face down on the bed of the thicknesser and let that do thicknessing.

If you just feed a length of timber that curls up like a banana into a thicknesser it'll just come out like a banana but thinner

 

[EddieM]

Personally I'd take it to somewhere that had one of these

 

[Jasonb]

As Crank says You need to use the planer part of the machine to get a flat face & edge then put it through the thicknesser to get a uniform thickness. depending on the width you may be able to use the thicknesser to do the remaining edge or if its a wide board rip it a mm or two oversize on a table saw and then use the planer to finish the cut.

Eddie you still need to roughly plane the board before you stick it through a 4 sider as they won't straighten badly warped, twoisted, bowed or cupped boards.

Jason

 

[ziggy1979]

Hi

Thank you both for your replies.

Crank 39 - So you're saying feed it into a planer first then a thicknesser? Can i just use the planer for all 4 sides (ie 4 passes). I was thinking a planer like this (http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Axminster-WP150-150mm-Planer-21722.htm)

... and would a planer like that cure the "banana" shape?

Eddie M - I've not seen any of my local timber merchants offer this service (or anything other than cutting panels). Is it specialist places that offer this service? Also, how much is it likely to cost (is it done per metre lenght, etc)?

Thanks again

 

[ziggy1979]

Hi Jason

Thanks for your post.

Will a planer like that Axminster do and then a thicknesser like the Dewalt one or Makita one that screwfix sell?

Or are the cheaper Woodstar planer/thicknesser combos just as good?

Thanks again.

PS - Is there any real skill in using the planers and thicknessers or is it a case of simply feeding the timber in?

 

[crank39]

Hi

Thank you both for your replies.

Crank 39 - So you're saying feed it into a planer first then a thicknesser? Can i just use the planer for all 4 sides (ie 4 passes). I was thinking a planer like this

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Axminster-WP150-150mm-Planer-21722.htm

... and would a planer like that cure the "banana" shape?

Yes i guess you could do.

Normally if you have both you plane 2 faces to form a perfect 90 degree corner then using these faces flat on the bed of the thicknesser you plane the opposite face ending up with 4 planed faces all with 90 degree corners

 

[Jasonb]

You need to use a planer first, pass the wood over the top, this will straighten the wood

You then pass it through a thicknesser which will cut the opposite face flat and parallel to the planed one. If you just use a planer you will have flat faces but they are unlikely to be parallel eg you could get a long wedge shape.

The Axi one you link to is quite small. Basically the longer the table the longer the piece of wood you will be able to easily straighten, the Axi won't be much good for anything over 4ft long. You will also be limited to 6" wide boards.

If the above is OK then you would then need a thicknesser to feed the timber through, the makes you suggest will be fine.

A combined machine may well work out cheaper and you can usually also plane a wider board with them. The woodstars are a bit plasticy and bits like handles can snap off easily judging by some of teh posts I've seen.

Yes their is a bit of a knack to using them, plane the concave face & edge first and keep the work pressed down on the outfeed table and you won't go far wrong.

 

[cornishwizard]

you would be better off getting a planer/thicknesser. the thicknesser will get lots of use, the planer will only get used on the odd bit of squaring up

 

[Jasonb]

you would be better off getting a planer/thicknesser. the thicknesser will get lots of use, the planer will only get used on the odd bit of squaring up

How do you reach that conclusion? All sawn timber will need to be planed on one face edge and one face side before it can be thicknessed

Jason

 

[ziggy1979]

Guys ... thanks again for your help.

Jason, with regards to the table being short and therefore only being able to use 4ft long pieces of wood, would this be true if i built a little table the same height as the planer table to carry the workpiece, or alternatively if i used a stand like this one (http://www.itslondon.co.uk/pd_RECRPR400_RPR400_RecordRollerStand.htm).

Also, sorry for the "newb" question but what do you mean when you say to keep the "work pressed down on the outfeed table". Is this when planing or thicknessing? Also, does this mean to keep it pressed as it comes out of the machine rather than as it goes in?

Finally whats a reasonable amount to spend to get a decent quality planer/thicknesser without going for the absolute best (any recommendations also much appreciated)?

Thanks again!

 

[JonB]

What size is this bit of wood???

 

[Jasonb]

You could probably get a reasonable result on a longer piece of wood and an extension to the outfeed table may help.

The planer has an infeed (before blade) and outfeed(after blade) tables. The infeed one can move up & down to set the amount of material to come off when planing. You start by holding the work down onto the infeed table and push it over the blade, as soon as enough timber has passes under the guard for you to get your hand on apply most pressure to the outfeed side.

When thicknessing the machine has rollers either side of the blade which will keep the wood pressed to the thicknesser table, these have a power feed so you don't need to push the wood through the machine.

As for a starter machine then sonething like the Kity, DeWalt or Record would be the type of thing to look at. If budget will stretch then the scheepach does a good job.

While lookoing your the links above I saw this, may help you see how they work (note he's not using the top guard correctly)

Jason

 

[ziggy1979]

Jason - Thanks so much for your help again.

JonB - The size would vary - initially i'd like to work with 2 x 2 and 4 x 4 timber and planks maybe 1" x 10-12" if i can afford a machine that can plane and thickness these sizes.

Main uses would be to prep planks for flooring (i think that planks from timber yards look nicer than factory ready flooring - this is just my opinion), jointing to form larger panels for table tops, drawer fronts, etc.

Initially I'd like to try to get the 2 x 2 nailed and move on from there.

 

[Jasonb]

Do the sums on the oak flooring, I can buy 22mm finish thickness wide oak flooring already t&G jointed for less than I can buy 32mm sawn oak which is what I would need to get the 22mm.

This is not the pre finished short narrow strips but long - upto 4m and in random widths of 8, 10 & 12" looks like this when laid.

Jason