Replies

1. 
   stantheman | Jul 30, 2009 01:34am | #1

   AZMO

   I use double-sided tape between the pieces.  It doesn't take much force to resist the tipping over once the group gets started.  The problem is that the planer wants to grab the tallest piece and run it through.  I find the tape to be enough to resist that.  I'm interested in other low-tech solutions

1. 
   AZMO | Jul 30, 2009 04:33am | #4

   DaMan,

   Tape, when in doubt use duck... I mean double side tape. Makes sense. Thanks AZMO                  <!----><!----><!---->

   -----------_o

   ---------_'-,>

   -------(*)/ (*)   http://www.EarthArtLandscape.com

2. 
   KeithNewton | Jul 30, 2009 01:50am | #2

   I will run about four pieces over the jointer at a time, while gripping them tightly together, and keeping downward pressure the same as I would if there were only one.

   However I normally don't run over two at a time through the planer. When you run multiples through the planer, if there are some wider, and others that are thinner, the clamping pressure pressing them together, needs to be pressing them together as it passes through the cutter. Otherwise, only the wide ones will be getting the pressure applied by the feed rollers, leaving the thin ones vulnerable to being lifted off the bed by the upward rotation of the cutter.

   I seem to have faint memories of having one shot out from a cluster long ago, so I am not big on that idea.

   There is a lot of vibration going on in there, with potential for a clamp coming loose, so I don't think I will be sending any metal through my equipment.

   Another way to save time, is to put one of the small planers alongside your TS while ripping the parts. When I have a lot of repetition, I will set up a power feeder on the TS. I try to send the next board into the feeder right behind the previous one, then grab and send the ripped part through the planer, then get the next part into position to follow the next rip through the TS.

   Depending on the board length and feed rate of the power-feeder, it can get pretty furious. Which reminds me of the "I Love Lucy" episode where she got a job in the chocolate factory. ha

1. 
   AZMO | Jul 30, 2009 04:38am | #5

   Kieth,

   I think we have our axis different. My board are surfaced on one edge and both faces. I then stand then on edge, group them, and run them through the jointer once, and then the thickness planer until they reach my desired 2" measure.

   3 armed paper hangers, Lucy in the Chocolate factory (I remember that as well!) and me don't mix well. Not having a power feed (OK I do have and arm....) I just saw and then joint seperate.

   Thanks Morgan                  <!----><!----><!---->

   -----------_o

   ---------_'-,>

   -------(*)/ (*)   http://www.EarthArtLandscape.com

3. 
   gb93433 | Jul 30, 2009 03:35am | #3

   I joint the boards one at a time and then clamp up to enough that the width of the planer will take. Once the boards start going through I remove the clamps one at a time and place them on the other end that has gone through the planer.

4. 
   ring | Jul 30, 2009 07:19am | #6

   We usually prepare large piles of face frame material and door frames from poplar, oak, whatever we will be needing for the next few weeks. And we routinely do it the way you describe, going straight from tablesaw to planer, but just simply by having 2 people work the planer, holding the pack of 8-10 pieces together as much as possible from both the infeed and outfeed sides. When arranging the pieces in the pack, put curved ones so that they "negate" one another. The clamp system is fine if you're working alone, but with 2 people one can finish the job before you've even got the clamps in place.

   David Ring

   http://www.touchwood.co.il/?lang=e&id=1

1. 
   AZMO | Jul 30, 2009 03:05pm | #7

   Clones! That would be nice indeed, but the son of gun would probably drink all my beverages at the end of the day as well. OH well, just the one of us, but multiple hands would be outstanding.

   Any clamp ideas that dont involve metal? I could imagine a plywood U Shape piece a wedge...

   Thanks Morgan                  <!----><!----><!---->

   -----------_o

   ---------_'-,>

   -------(*)/ (*)   http://www.EarthArtLandscape.com

1. 
   Jfrostjr | Jul 30, 2009 04:29pm | #9

   Yes. I've done this frequently. It has always worked well for me.Frosty"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922

2. 
   ring | Jul 30, 2009 05:15pm | #10

   There's gotta be somebody near you just waiting to lend a hand and get a cold beer in return...David Ring

   http://www.touchwood.co.il/?lang=e&id=1

3. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Jul 30, 2009 06:06pm | #13

   I joint an edge.. rip to 1/16" over and then take it to the jointer to do individually. My jointer is set for exact 1/16' so I don't have any variance. I did about 25 pieces yesterday. With that said.. if I were doing production runs then the method John White mentioned would be my choice and the method Ring mentioned if I were other than a one man band.

   I don't like the idea of running metal through a machine about as much as I don't like the idea of doing production with a deadline to get it done. That's just a side note. ha.. ha...

   Good luck...Sarge..

   Woodworkers' Guild of Georgia

5. 
   JohnWW | Jul 30, 2009 04:19pm | #8

   AZMO,

   I wouldn't ever run a clamp under the head of the planer, the bars are hardened steel, if they get caught there would be a lot of machine damage and a high potential for injuries.

   Do it this way:

   1. Rip the pieces around 1/4" to 1/2" wider than needed. Now straighten one edge of of each piece on the jointer.

   2. Next, re-rip the pieces, cutting off the unjointed face of each strip, so that they are just 1/16" oversized. Now the pieces are straight and all very close to the same width.

   3. Group the pieces together, sawn edge up, on the infeed table of the jointer and wrap a piece of tape around each end, with the tape parallel to the table and wrapped onto the faces of the two outside boards. Good quality masking tape will work and not leave a residue.

   4. Now feed the bundle through the planer, taking them down to width in two light passes. Since the boards are all the same width there won't be any tendency for one board to grab which would tear the tape. It helps to have sharp blades, clean rollers and a freshly waxed table to make the process go smoothly.

   John White
   Shop Manager for FWW Magazine, 1998-2007

1. 
   AZMO | Jul 30, 2009 05:19pm | #11

   John,

   Like the tape idea, low tech and simple. Funny, I did steps one to three just like you describe... Flat, striaght, square and uniform size pieces make everything so much simpler for this production work. I did not like the clamp thing at all and knew there would be safer ideas.

   The worst is to come, 10 sheet of specail order melamine come in on Friday.... My shoulders hurt already. Would love to slide them off of my truck onto the saw, but my driveway is so steep it wont work. Have to make a rack for this many, or perhaps you would like to visit sunny Phoenix and lend a hand? It's only 92 in my shop at 7 AM and by 6 PM it will be 110.

   John, my outside blades on my Dado set are getting dull. If they get sharpened they will be smaller diameter than the chippers. Do you send in the whole set to someone, and if so who?

   Later Morgan                  <!----><!----><!---->

   -----------_o

   ---------_'-,>

   -------(*)/ (*)   http://www.EarthArtLandscape.com

1. 
   JohnWW | Jul 30, 2009 05:46pm | #12

   AZMO,One of my goals in life is to never have to work with sheet goods again, someday I hope to get there. You have my sympathy, especially with melamine. One of those simple sheet goods hooks that you hold in your hand and which reach down a foot or so to catch under the sheet will help to take some of the strain off of your back.All of the blades in a dado set should be sharpened together, as you suspected, to keep the diameters the same. I use Ridge Carbide Tool or Forrest, both in NJ, for my saw blade sharpening, they do excellent work.John W.

2. 
   Boogalee | Jul 31, 2009 12:26am | #14

   AZMO

   Check this out for sheet goods.

   http://www.gorillagripper.com/videos/dvd.html

   or I like this one better.

   http://www.gorillagripper.com/videos/commercial.html

   Edited 7/30/2009 5:29 pm by Boogalee

1. 
   AZMO | Jul 31, 2009 04:37am | #15

   I look good in shorts! Gotta be man to rock those shorts though. Saw that one a while back, and what a laugh.

   M                  <!----><!----><!---->

   -----------_o

   ---------_'-,>

   -------(*)/ (*)   http://www.EarthArtLandscape.com

3. 
   flairwoodworks | Jul 31, 2009 07:59pm | #17

   Morgan,Melamine is not in my vocabulary. Must be some kind of very expensive exotic wood. Seriously though, I like John's goal. I am close, but not quite there. There is a reason I hate building cabinets. Better you than me!Chris @ http://www.flairwoodworks.com and http://www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com)

    - Success is not the key to happiness.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

6. 
   WillGeorge | Jul 31, 2009 07:27pm | #16

   It all depends on whatever you are doing! If I gang plane or drum sand I usually just hold them together with my hands until the 'stack' is under the outfeel roller. Then I let go... My drum sander I love BUT the pressure of the infeed-outfeed rollers suck... Or should I say less that ideal in a mixed group?

   One thing I ALWAYS do, unless the 'sticks' are very short, is place a roller stand at the infeed and outfeed. Adjusted for level and height.

   If possible have the 'sticks' longer than needed. If you get 'snipe' cut it off. Takes way more time but more passes with minimum cut depth helps ALOT! No need to cut deep.

   For some parts #Expensive wood and none more to match it# I had a bit of extra length. Just last month.. I glued the boards together just at the ends. A thin strip of glue that was cut off when finished.. Worked! AND hardly any wood lost..

   By the way... I have about 30 of the small standard sized blue Irwin clamps. I love them. They are slicker than a greased Eel.... I have one with a saw cut in it.. It works as it did before... I have some of the bigger ones.. Same thing but bigger that hardly ever get used. Not that they are bad.. Just hardly ever need them..

    

7. 
   mike4244 | Aug 01, 2009 10:22pm | #18

   I've done something similar often, usually leave ends long and screw them together. I had 1 3/8"x5/16" slats for louvers ,lots of them. Left them about an inch long and a single 3" drywall screw in predrilled holes did the trick. Tape, clamps ,etc all would work. Even rails and stiles for cabinets can be run thru the planer, most of the time without the aid of clamps etc.

   mike

8. 
   philip | Aug 02, 2009 02:07am | #19

   Azmo,
   I think it is too risky to run clamps through a thicknesser-and anyway there is no need to do so if you use a suitable work method.
   There are two issues: the tendency for taller widths especially to tip off vertical and the risk of one or more pieces being kicked backed because the rollers haven't pressurised them enough.
   Both problems can be addressed by using the right work method ie joint one face and edge then table saw to width then thickness the remaining face-then bunch them together with sawn edge up and grab them say four at a time in hand and feed them until the out roller grabs them. Because you have just sawn them the width variation will be very small and the in feed roller and pressure bar will be able to hold them without kickback.Because you jointed the first edge it will be square to the face so there will be no tendency to tip-especially if they are all bunched together.It may be better to take a light cut and do two passes.
   If you had only one or two wide pieces say 6 inches or more, such as drawer sides, then it is better to place them in the middle of the table so that the feed rollers and bars rise more or less parallel to the table, and take a light cut.
   It also depends on what type of machine you have and variables like the amount of pressure set for the rollers, and the amount of cut. Machines which have segmented rollers are more suited to gang feeding.
   There are other dodges like feeding at a skew, or feeding equal numbers at each side of the table to keep the rollers level with the table, but not using clamps or time consuming methods like screwing or glueing.

   Philip Marcou
1. 
   AZMO | Aug 02, 2009 04:23am | #20

   Thanks Phillip,

   My machine is a Griz 15" wide with carbide teeth, and a segmented feed bar. I have tried to feed pieces through it by grabbing them in a group. It was not easy as they had slight height variation. Some would move other would not. These are not long boards, just 24" to 40" long styles and rails, so it is hard to get one side and get to the other side to catch them and squeeze the group together. First time I am really building a producton run of the same parts.

   As I said the clamp worked, but I realize there must be a better way. Running steel parts through this machine is playing with Murphys Law.  I think you and John White have the answer there, rip them closer to width after facing the first edge.  They will make contact with the feed bar and not move. That was the part I missed. I ripped them, faced an edge to get it smooth and level, sometimes taking more passes on one piece than another, and I had uneven widths.

   Thanks for your thoughts. Morgan

   No laugh about table saws?                  <!----><!----><!---->

   -----------_o

   ---------_'-,>

   -------(*)/ (*)   http://www.EarthArtLandscape.com