Comments on: Planer Sled – Viewer Jig

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 22:59:12 +0000

I have built a couple of these. Unfortunately, for whatever reason, my first sled did not stay flat even with the torsion box design. (I have no answer on this one.) My second one I reinforced with angle iron. That helped.

While I have had good success using this sled, I find it cumbersome and time-consuming to use. (I’m not very patient while being rushed to complete forty+ raised panels for my kitchen.) I discovered that they actually have jointers out there that are 12″ wide. Despite the premium price tag, I am considering one. I like the idea of having similar jointer and planer widths. I’m curious if anyone thinks that there is a better investment for the shop when you have to do a lot of milling of rough-sawn boards?

By: Ross Ekberg

Ross Ekberg — Thu, 19 May 2011 03:08:33 +0000

It’s not free anymore.

By: Shaun

Shaun — Tue, 07 Dec 2010 06:29:39 +0000

I have built the sled as in the plan with the tosion box style and it worked great. I planed an 11 inch wide board of hard maple that I had drying on the side of my house for three years. I don’t think I ever got the first side truly flat but I got it close enough that I could then just start planing each side flipping it over with each pass. I found the adjustable levelers difficult to use. I think they would almost be better if they were cut in half and each side was independent of each other especially if this is some degree of twist across the width of the board.
Anyone else build/modify the jig?

By: Brad

Brad — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 01:34:46 +0000

I’m late to this conversation, but I thought I’d throw in a comment to agree with some of the folks here using MDF. I figure the beginners, like myself, would also benefit.

The torsion box/wedge design is like a Ferrari and the MDF with a stop at one end, shims, and just a few bucks is like a Honda. One is way cooler than the other but both will get you there. I doubled up two layers of MDF to combat the flex and have had no problems. Makes funky boards flat as a pancake so long as you have your shims placed well. Tape your shims to keep them in place.

By: Ray

Ray — Sun, 31 Jan 2010 23:10:09 +0000

Hey Charger,
I too have build this sled, but only recently. I have only the 15 degree cut outs to do to be finished. For those of you wondering about the weight, don’t wonder…it’s not light. It is a manageable factor and not so heavy to be unmovable or anything. Just don’t plan to swing it around your shop like a 2×4. I’ll let you know how it works out since I have a pile of wide cherry waiting on the sled’s completion.

By: Leed

Leed — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 21:04:08 +0000

I don’t subscribe any longer so this is the first we’ve seen this jig. I like the ideas presented by the design… not sure about the weight but we may just have to try this on some of this qtr sawn syc. Thanks for sharing your results with the jig!

By: Mark Conde

Mark Conde — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:46:09 +0000

I also saw a technique that called for using a 6″ jointer on a board that was greater than 6″. Joint as much of the board that the jointer can handle. You are left with 6″ being jointed and the balance being raised.

Then take a piece of MDF (dead flat) that is the same size as the jointed width of the board and use double faced tape to attached it. Run the MDF down on the lunch box planer and you result if the wide board being jointed on one side. Remove the MDF board and tape. Run that side thru the planer and voila you have a quick way to joint wide boards.

By: Charger

Charger — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 12:17:14 +0000

Hello again everyone, Well I made some changes to the sled after it’s debut. The supports kept sliding towards the front of the sled and changing the way they were supporting the work piece. So I took and pinned them with 1/2″ Dowels. I drilled and installed 2 per support and made them float up and down. I also found that you can’t skimp on the wood for the supports. The plans say make them out of a Hardwood, Do it. I made mine out of 2x material and they broke. So I ended up reinforcing all of them with plywood strips. Ok so how did it work after the changes you ask. Well in one word, “”Fantastic”". This jig is a “Need to have jig ” in your shop if you do allot of Building with wide boards and don’t have a wide Jointer. Keep Making that sawdust, Lance

By: Shaun Harper

Shaun Harper — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 01:33:06 +0000

Thanx – great point

By: Paul-Marcel ST-ONGE

Paul-Marcel ST-ONGE — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 06:31:01 +0000

A lunchbox planer is a benchtop planer. Both names imply they are quite portable until you try moving one :) A jointer is called a surface planer in other countries, which seems much clearer to me than ‘jointer’. That said, the beds on the jointer allow you to flatten the surface pressed to the bed. The flat side of a board is certainly a candidate. To do an edge, you press it simultaneously to the 90* fence and the beds.

This sled lets you flatten one surface; you’d have to use a table saw or router to square up an edge.