Dumb planer style question

Bob Spare

Member
Messages
480
Got the go ahead and get it "Honey" Referring to a planer.

As most of you know my products are made with 90%barnwood.

The cost factor is not the consideration, but the style factor.

Would one get the lunch box planer or the held one style.
Knowning the style of wood working with.

Intended use would be to knock off weather exposure as opposed to be true and flat.

Hand held would be quick & easy, as opposed to lunch box style taking up space in the shop.
 
Bob, If you are just using it to remove the weatherd finish, I would get a drum sander. A planer will remove much more stock quicker then a sander, so you will have to decide which way you want to go. As far as hand planer vs a lunch box, I would go with the lunch box. They are much more usefull then knocking off the gray wood. If you do get the planer be sure to use a wire brush on the barn wood befor feeding it thru. This will remove some of the dirt and grit traped in the wood. It will also keep your blades form dulling as fast.
Al
 
bob, for planing old barn wood i`d suggest shopping on replacement knife cost more than anything else.......check locally to see what you have available,ie; 3-1/4 bosch reversables for a hand held vs deltas 13" reversables for their lunchbox......knowing that you`re going to be hitting trash in the wood i wouldn`t plan on life after warranty on either tool so cut your losses and buy the one you`ll be able to keep cutting for the least amount of money......tod
 
What they said!

Just to relate a little story to this. I finished the restoration on my old Powermatic planner and ran a couple boards through it for fun. Once I had it right I ran some OLD red oak through that was stored in an old attic for years. Didn't clean them except for just shaking off the loose dust. After 6 passes through the blades were dull and I mean totally dull! Just floored me how fast that dirt dulled those blades. Next time I brushed them with a stiff bristle brush and an air hose. No problems this time.

So I strongly second Todd. Look at the cost of blade replacement and/or sharpening.

Jeff
 
Bob, I would get a drum sander.
Al

Thanks guys for all your inputs.

The more I read up, blade cost factor, dirt control you name it for a planer, this seems the way to go.

Dont know where my head was should have considered a drum sander. Got ad on the Craig listing.:dunno: :dunno:
 
bob, i`m afraid that you`re going to find that abrasives are much more expensive than knifes or sharpening. the process will be much more labor intensive and will consume 3-10 times the amount of electricity to remove the same amount of wood....your first inkling was correct using a planer....but the research on type and brand is something only you can do.....tod
 
The handheld power planer would actually be a good choice if you just want to blow off the surface weathering and keep a 'rough hewn' sort of look to the wood. Like the guys have said, it's going to be tough on blades (and loud / messy), but it will work.
A thickness planer is better if you want perfectly flat boards, but they(and their blades) cost a lot more, and if thats not the look you are actually going for :dunno:

Cheers

Ian
 
I have no patience for that old grey barn wood look... sooner or later you will have a fresh cut edge that will contrast with the barn wood.

What i have been doing to save time is to just shave off the top layer of "stuff" using my MM16's "premium expensive blades" that came with my bandsaw. Even the MM guys would see the humor in that sentence.

The Patina of the old oak is still there and when I do need to cut through the wood there is less contrast betwen the cuts.

What does this have to do with lunch box planers? Well, using the bandsaw to clean the grit is a whole lot faster using a wire brush and easier than with a drum sander.

Also, try as you might to find all those nails, sooner or later you will find one deep inside a rusted out hole. With my method, at least you get closer to those old rusty nails and hopefully see them before they get shaved by the planer blades.

Also, invest in a metal detector. they work great, if you pay attention.

Joe
 
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