Poor Man's Planer/Sander

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Diane Kauffmds
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Poor Man's Planer/Sander

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

I desperately needed a planer/thickness sander. I had planned on buying a small planer, then I ran across Robbie O'Brien's Tip du Jour on YouTUbe about the Safe-T Planer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hfaLmBG ... 3OrINsp6NQ. I have a drill press, but even better, we have a large 10" radial arm saw, which can be converted to a drill press, which means I have a nice big table to use with it. Unfortunately, Wagner doesn't make the Safe-T Planer anymore.

I searched the internet and found the Woodtek Drill Press Rotary Planer, which is copy of the Wagner Planer. I ordered it and got it yesterday. Since I know my husband was like a school boy waiting for Christmas with this tool, I let him play with it yesterday. I'll set it up today and use it on a top that I need to plane.

The planer came with instructions for a drill press, as well as for a radial arm saw. Frank tried it on a scrap piece of lumber yesterday. The tool still needs to be set up so that it's perpendicular to the work surface (that's the reason you see a small ridge between the 2 overlapping cuts). The width of each cut is 2.75". Since I have the large work surface of the radial arm saw, I can join the top/bottom plates, then plane.

LMI used to make a sanding disc which attached to the safe-t planer, to use as a thicknessing sander, as demonstrated by Robbie on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l98KobH ... NQ&index=1. Unfortunately, they don't make it anymore. But, it looks like something that's very simple to make.

The Woodtek Planer cost $39.95 + $4.95 shipping. It came with the planer with the 3 attached cutters, and a sharpener. Woodtek also makes replacement cutters for the planer.
radial arm saw.jpg
planer.jpg
ridges.jpg
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Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
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Kevin Sjostrand
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Re: Poor Man's Planer/Sander

Post by Kevin Sjostrand »

Good for you Diane,
I had that exact safety planer and used it some, but found I could do what I needed with my thickness sander, so I sold the planer off. Probably should have kept it in hind site.
Diane Kauffmds
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Re: Poor Man's Planer/Sander

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

Kevin Sjostrand wrote:Good for you Diane,
I had that exact safety planer and used it some, but found I could do what I needed with my thickness sander, so I sold the planer off. Probably should have kept it in hind site.
A thickness sander would be a blessing. It's another tool that I can't afford right now, but maybe some day I'll find a good used one.

I planed the top that I joined. I still have to refine the table setup, but it didn't do a bad of a job. I planed the top to ~.110. With sanding, it'll come into thickness. This is a photo of the top after I spent about 10 minutes with the palm sander. The next time I think I'll thickness each plate before joining to see which way I prefer to use it. I still have a ways to go with sanding, but you get the idea:
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Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
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ColestineGuitar
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Re: Poor Man's Planer/Sander

Post by ColestineGuitar »

I too have a tool (not a Wagner) that looks similar, if not identipickle to yours. And I too have been experimenting with it. The disks from LMI... were they simple circles cut from MDF? You would have to get the screw holes exactly right to make one... With the addition of the sanding disk the safety planer approximates a thickness sander (which is what we all actually want, right?). The results of my experimentation are this: It is a pain to adjust the drill press table with any accuracy. Ditto, methinks, with the radial arm saw. Still, this tool fills an important role in my shop, and does so without great expense.

I see that Stewmac has started selling a Safety Planer as well. Perhaps they will also produce a sanding disk! This, I would buy, because it could be years before I afford a drool-inducing drum sander.
Slowest builder on the forum. These things take time. Apparently.
ruby@magpage.com
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Re: Poor Man's Planer/Sander

Post by ruby@magpage.com »

Diane

10 minutes ago I got a Stew Mac catalog in the mail. I opened to the first page inside the front cover and there was the Stewmac Safe-T-Planer for $49.90. I have heard that you have to be very careful and take small bites with it.

Ed
Ed M
johnnparchem
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Re: Poor Man's Planer/Sander

Post by johnnparchem »

I use mine quite a bit, mainly to thickness the head stock and the neck as well. I use a shim under the nut location when I am initially tapering a neck. I do use a thickness sander for my back, top and sides, but I have seen plenty of videos of people thicknessing sides with one.
John J
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Re: Poor Man's Planer/Sander

Post by John J »

I built my drum sander for about $250 if I remember. I cannot imagine being without it. Top, back, sides, brace stock, headstock veneers, rosettes. I don't have a jointer so I use the sander for cleaning up a neck blank as well. It really wasn't difficult. Bought most of the parts online.
Learning every day.
Diane Kauffmds
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Re: Poor Man's Planer/Sander

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

A thickness sander is on my wish list of tools. I've thought about building one. LMI used to sell a sander attachment for the safety planer. It's a very simple attachment, so I'm going to make one for my planer.

It did a credible job of thicknessing the top I'm working on now. It literally cut my work in half.
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
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Diane Kauffmds
Posts: 3246
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:13 pm

Re: Poor Man's Planer/Sander

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

ColestineGuitar wrote:I too have a tool (not a Wagner) that looks similar, if not identipickle to yours. And I too have been experimenting with it. The disks from LMI... were they simple circles cut from MDF? You would have to get the screw holes exactly right to make one... With the addition of the sanding disk the safety planer approximates a thickness sander (which is what we all actually want, right?). The results of my experimentation are this: It is a pain to adjust the drill press table with any accuracy. Ditto, methinks, with the radial arm saw. Still, this tool fills an important role in my shop, and does so without great expense.

I see that Stewmac has started selling a Safety Planer as well. Perhaps they will also produce a sanding disk! This, I would buy, because it could be years before I afford a drool-inducing drum sander.
Wow. I didn't even see the Stewmac planer. It looks identical to mine. It would be nice if they started making the sander attachment.

I put a piece of mdf on top of the saw table and adjusted it, rather than the table, to square up the planer. It took me a while to do since it was the first time, but I'm sure with a little practice and experience, it won't be too bad. The planer is a blessing. It's been impossible for me to thickness evenly. It's had an adverse affect on bending.

Thicknessing this top was a breeze. I ran the thickness gauge over it after it was done. The Guage showed that the top was .110-.120", which is a variation of ~1/4mm, mostly on the edges. I'm sure I'll do a better job as I learn to use it, but it's laying nice and flat and the rosette went in with no problem.

I'm definitely going to make a sanding attachment. I'm going to use hard maple, and probably laminate it go ensure strength. I'm going to taper the edge up a but to make sure no edges catch the wood as it's fed through
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
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Bob Gleason
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Re: Poor Man's Planer/Sander

Post by Bob Gleason »

I use my Wagner with the cutterhead flat to the table. I see that the O'Brien video shows slightly tilting the table out of square to the cutter so that the leading edge does the cutting. Although it cuts fine at square, the tilt might make some sense for ease of cutting. I have a 25" wide belt sander and another homemade 18" drum sander in my shop. The Safety Planer will do some things that neither of those will do. I see that they are suddenly back in fashion in the catalogs, with the Stew-Mac one and another Woodtek model avaiilable. Wonder how that happens with old tools?
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