Hard Maple with a curve


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OK, so I should have been more picky when I bought this board.  This will be one of 4 boards that will make up my wife's desktop.  The boards is aobut 8" wide and I have a 6" joiner. So I decided to make one shallow pass on the jointer with the bow up.  I did not push down on the center of the board.  The joiner only made contact for about 8' one each end of the board. so I have 2" wide part of the board that did not sit on the joiner bed that has to be removed before continuing - Hand plane.  Hard maple with some erratic grain. I had to do much of the planing accross the grain to prevent tearout.  With the 2" wide "ledge" gone it's back to the joiner.  This time it cut for about 16" on each end of the board.  Once agin with the #7.  It looks like it will take at least 2 more repetitions to get the board to the point where The cut is almost full length and I can put it on a sled and send it thru the planer.  I started with 5/4 so I am still hoping that I will have 3/4" when I'm done.    Please share with me a better way to do this if you have one.

OK. I done complaining now.

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When I'm in a similar fix I use a thickness planner sled ( piece of plywood with some plywood runners I think mine are 2" wide to give the sled stability and keeps it flat it has a cleat at the leading edge so the planner rollers advance the sled and, board through. I use playing cards under the concave face to level and shim the voids till I get my piece stable and where I will take off the least amount of thickness then I screw, pin nail or, hotmelt glue some scrap blocks to the sled to keep the board from shifting side to side sneak up on a flat face set the sled away and then run the flattened face down on the planner until your happy. It sounds like more of PITA than it actually is I've had my sled for at least twenty years and the playing cards are reusable I use cards for lots of different things and they don't compress so they work as great shim stock. I see guys using wedges also but I like the cards. Check out some You Tube videos on planner sleds there a lot of ways to skin that cat.

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A friendly wood shop that specializes in stairs allows me a few minutes on the 12" jointer. I buy a six pack. It has gotten better. A neighbor moved in 2 years ago. Has a nice wood shop. In it is a completely overhauled relic 12" jointer. I have the key to the shop with privileges. Sometimes I rip the piece in half, true it up and glue it back together. It takes a trained eye to know there is a glue joint.

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Jar944 touches on a mistake I see more than we should; milling more length or width than required.  If your board is already at rough dimension and can take the material removal required to reach your final dimension then my answer is 'planer sled'.  These take a few hours to make and pay dividends for years.  I still use the basic Keith Rust version from Fine Woodworking. 

1757092872_planersled.JPG.b9deaf17213ebe17061876dd5684959b.JPG

Shop Notes had a more refined one years later.  Even a slab of MDF with hot-glued wedges can get you through.

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On 5/10/2022 at 10:22 PM, Jar944 said:

Did you cut it to rough length first?

Yes ,as short as I dared.

 

On 5/10/2022 at 6:49 PM, Drbwwing said:

Jointing boards wider than your planer trick- Rip some ply 6” and set the board on it with the “ledge” hanging off and sent it through your planer.  Flip and plan off the lip.

That's my method, too.

Ok, I now have a straight board ( It took 4 passes and on the joiner with hand planing in between) and the desk top is glued up and flat.  Just under 3/4" thick. Started with 5/4.  Filling a knot with epoxy (first time I've done that).  It's about ready for sanding and then finishing.

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