# Planer vs. router with a ski



## woodman44 (Jun 3, 2011)

I have several (12+) logs that I plan to have milled into 3/4" thick boards. I can get a used 12" bench planer for approx. $ 200 or I can build a ski using the plans from one of the member's that have posted in the forum.
I have 2 questions.
1. Will the ski/router process be too tedious and time consuming for this project?
2. Will the planer give a smoother finish & a more uniform surface and therefore requiring less sanding than the router/ski ?

Thanks in advance,
Ken


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Ken; just to clarify what you're asking, did you mean 1" rough sawn stock which you'll plane down to an actual 3/4"? That would be the normal process. Also what type of wood is it? Is it (I'm assuming _not_) already dry and seasoned?
After it's sawn, you'll probably need to stack it with thin spacers, in order to let it dry and shrink naturally. Could be awhile before you can plane it. The generally held view is that it shouldn't be planed until you're actually ready to use it.
Here's some helpful info...
How to Succeed at Air-Drying Lumber

Cheers,
-Dan


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Ken,
a planer would be a wise investment in my opinion. That much wood would take way to long with your router.

The router ski jig could still be needed if the planks are too wide however.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I've had a fairly large planer for at least 15 years and I bought it because I have access to a lot of rough sawn lumber. A planer will plane any length of board although you may need another person to help. A router on skis has a limited range lengthways unless you do a section at a time and it would be far slower than a planer.


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## 59405 (May 15, 2011)

*Yes to both.*

IMHO the planer is the way to go. A new set of blades will smooth a lot of boards in a lot less time than a router. I've only tried it on a fairly large end grain cutting board but I still ended up running it through my planer after a lot of work with the router. .


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## DesertRatTom (Jul 3, 2012)

I'm with the planer guys and agree you should cut an inch thick, rack dry the wood, then joint and plane it to thickness just before you use it, otherwise you're going to get twists and warping. Get some sealer to seal the ends of the rough cut wood to avoid excessive checking (end cracks).


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## DBateman (Feb 24, 2012)

This past summer I tried using a router ski to flatten several logs. I had a difficult time finding a bit in my local stores that was wider than 3/4 inch. Finally found a 1 1/4 inch bit that worked well. It took several days and I only got about 6 logs done. Lots of saw dust only 4 inch thick wood. I was flattening 8 to 10 inch diameter logs. I found a local lumber mill that I paid to cut the the logs to 1 inch thick slabs. Now I will use my planer and and jointer to finish the lumber for my projects. The planner will be far quicker, and be useful for thinning wood in the future.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Don I see you have some nice old cast iron for power tools. I don't know if you've tried this but if the logs aren't too big or too long they can be milled by squaring 2 adjacent sides on the jointer and then running through the planer to get the other 2. Then you can run them over a TS if not too thick or finish them on a bandsaw. I have an 8 inch jointer and I've gone as large as 10" diameter or better. If the piece is a little big and heavy to bandsaw comfortably I handsaw or split the round in half with wedges and then run those faces through the planer. Then the 2 timbers can be double sawn on the table saw.This works great for picking up oddball wood that you find from people removing unwanted trees. It is a lot of work but if it's only a few pieces it is the most cost effective way to go.


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## woodman44 (Jun 3, 2011)

Dan & others,

My assumption is confirmed by all of you experts that the planer is the best option.

To answer Dan's questions, yes I plan to air dry all of the 1" milled boards before running them through the planer to get a finished thickness of 3/4". And thanks for the air drying tips, that's an excellent resource.

BTW, if anyone can recommend a 12" planer that would be appreciated. Based on my research it seems that for my budget the Dewalt 734 or 735 gets the best reviews, correct?

Thanks to all,
Ken


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## kp91 (Sep 10, 2004)

Ken,
my little rigid does a fine job


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

woodman44 said:


> Dan & others,
> 
> My assumption is confirmed by all of you experts that the planer is the best option.
> 
> ...


There was a tool test in Fine Wood Working recently and the DW 735 came out on top of the brands tested.


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## DBateman (Feb 24, 2012)

Charles, I am in the process of making a table for my band saw, and when I am finished I plan on running a few smaller logs through it. I get the trees from the property around our cabin which is in the Uintah mountains, about 100 miles from home. It has already had several snow storms go through, one of which dropped 8 inches of snow overnight. So I will have to wait until spring, to try your suggestion. Thanks.


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

I met an old timer when I lived in Portland in my early 20s who told me he had logged in the Wasatch range when he was young. He was in his early 80s then I think. He told me of cutting down Douglas fir 4' in diameter. I'm not familiar with the Uintah range but it was probably similar back then. If you can cut the trees before the sap comes up in May or early June it will work better. I've had good luck turning small logs into lumber. You should too.


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## MikeMa (Jul 27, 2006)

My Dewalt 734 has proven itself in my shop.


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

I have router ski jigs, router jigs for planing (rails and jigs to ride on those rails), bottom cleaning planing bits for my Radial Arm Saw, etc...

I have those for odd sized pieces that are too large for my thickness planer. Planing with a router is a bit slow and tedious. I use 1-1/2" to 3" surface planing bottom cleaning bits:
http://www.magnate.net/index.cfm?event=showProductGroup&theID=136#
http://www.amazon.com/Magnate-Surfa...8&qid=1380760871&sr=1-1&keywords=magnate+2709

They still take a while, but when I have something 36" wide and 20 feet long... 

Second to the time and effort is that that the finish quality is somewhat rough. It will leave light lines where the cuts transition from one cut to another (pass to pass)... which need to be sanded down. They usually don't need much sanding to make them go away, but they are visually there.

Especially for what you plan to do, a good thickness planer would be a good investment. I don't have a Dewalt. I have a Rigid. Both are good, but other owners of Delta and Steel City have good things to say about theirs also.

Research on those. Check reviews. See if you can test drive one somewhere. Check the initial prices and the long-term prices of expendables. The expendables include the blades (cost of replacement, can they be resharpened).Once you pick one, decide whether you want something new or if you would be happy with something used. If new, look at the warranty. A lifetime guaranty can go a long ways. If used, decide on alternate choices. Then check Craigslist... 

You can do a lot in short time with a thickness planer. There are also jigs and mods that can extend the capabilities of or to make things you do with it easier and/or more accurate.

Good luck on your decision. If money is tight and you have a router, go with a router jig until you can afford a thickness planer. That will give you the capability until you can.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

Following on Mike's comment, there's also the option of helical cutters vs the straight type. Here's an interesting piece on the topic:
Steel City Portable Planer 13 inch Helical Head


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

DaninVan said:


> Following on Mike's comment, there's also the option of helical cutters vs the straight type. Here's an interesting piece on the topic:
> Steel City Portable Planer 13 inch Helical Head


Quick comment- Beside spiral helicals doing a great job... You have a bunch of little cutters with 4 sides. So when it comes to getting dull, instead of replacing the blade, you loosen each mounting screw, one per blade and rotate the blade to a new surface. So you have 4 "chances" at a fresh surface before you have to change blades. The blades do seem to be a bit more durable. Another plus is they cut quieter. 

Drawback to that is that after you use those 4 surfaces... You change to a fresh set of blades. About $35 for a set of 10... But they take many more than 10 blades on a head!. You cannot DIY resharpen. (Imagine trying to get 4 surfaces of multiple blades the "same." So for an aftermarket head for a Dewalt, Jet, Rigid, Dewalt, you are really looking around $105 for a blade change of 30 blades. That's based on those having 3 rows of 10 1" blades. Others use more blades. Such as a 15" with 6 rows is 90 blades and would cost around $315.) Doing a blade change, being there's more blades, does take longer than a normal head.

On spiral helical heads, it's cheaper to start out with a helical head thickness planer... meaning you start out with a planer with that head. You can buy a spiral helical head for most planers made as a replacement/drop-in upgrade... But some of those heads are as much as a new planer. An Accu Head will run around $250, while a Bryd will run around $440.


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## Mike (Nov 22, 2004)

Although the model numbers and voltages are different both Harry and I own Delta 12" planers and they perform well as long as you take the time to adjust them properly. At about 1/2 the price of the DeWalt's I think they are an excellent value worth consideration.


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## harrysin (Jan 15, 2007)

Isn't yours, like mine 12.5" Mike, every half inch counts! The thing that I particularly like is the ease of changing the double edged blades.


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## woodman44 (Jun 3, 2011)

Well I think I lucked out. I founnd a used Dewalt 733 on CL from a Pro. Normal wear with an extra set of blades and roller with a metal hood for $ 185. Jury is out until I fire it up and create some shavings.

Chuck I am interested in your method to mill logs but I am having trouble visualizing it. I have a TS, 12" band saw with a 5" high cut and the 12" planer. No joiner however. Do you have any photos or additional Info to help me do the process?
Thanks
Ken


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## Cherryville Chuck (Sep 28, 2010)

Ken I've always used the jointer first but I can think of a way to use the planer instead. If you make a sled to go through your planer you could attach the log to it and flatten 4 sides this way. I would take a piece of 3/4" ply or mdf and attach a cleat at the back end about 4" high to butt your log against. Put the log on the sled and drive 2 sturdy screws through the cleat into the back of the log to keep it stable going through the planer. Flatten the top side. Turn the log 90 degrees and while holding it against a framing square drive the screws back into it. Flatten that side. You could get rid of the sled and flatten the other 2 sides now. Now go to the table saw and you can make a 3" cut from one side and flip it end-for-end and make a matching cut on the other side. If the flattened log is 6 1/4" or less it will come apart. More than that and you will have to split it or finish sawing the timber in half with a handsaw. The practical limit this way is about 8", at least for me, as the handsawing is tedious. My band saw has a 12" cut so I've done logs almost that diameter. If you do much of this you might want to get a riser for your saw. 

You won't make a lot of lumber this way but it is a way to turn small logs into something you can use. I've collected some Douglas maple in British Columbia and made them into squares this way. It is mostly just a bush but I've gotten some up to 10". I've tried making lumber but it won't stay flat, too many internal stresses I guess. But it makes beautiful turnings on the lathe and for some reason they stay straight.


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## DaninVan (Jan 1, 2012)

A long while back, there was a discussion about types of Maples native to Canada.
I'm pretty sure Acer _glabrum_ wasn't even mentioned. I must have seen hundreds of them over the years and didn't even know they were called Douglas Maple *shame*.
Douglas maple
It's likely that a casual observer would just assume they were a hybrid of Acer _japonica_ (Japanese Maple). Lovely looking ornamental tree, Charles.


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## MAFoElffen (Jun 8, 2012)

Cherryville Chuck said:


> Ken I've always used the jointer first but I can think of a way to use the planer instead. If you make a sled to go through your planer you could attach the log to it and flatten 4 sides this way. I would take a piece of 3/4" ply or mdf and attach a cleat at the back end about 4" high to butt your log against. Put the log on the sled and drive 2 sturdy screws through the cleat into the back of the log to keep it stable going through the planer. Flatten the top side. Turn the log 90 degrees and while holding it against a framing square drive the screws back into it. Flatten that side. You could get rid of the sled and flatten the other 2 sides now. Now go to the table saw and you can make a 3" cut from one side and flip it end-for-end and make a matching cut on the other side. If the flattened log is 6 1/4" or less it will come apart. More than that and you will have to split it or finish sawing the timber in half with a handsaw. The practical limit this way is about 8", at least for me, as the handsawing is tedious. My band saw has a 12" cut so I've done logs almost that diameter. If you do much of this you might want to get a riser for your saw.
> 
> You won't make a lot of lumber this way but it is a way to turn small logs into something you can use. I've collected some Douglas maple in British Columbia and made them into squares this way. It is mostly just a bush but I've gotten some up to 10". I've tried making lumber but it won't stay flat, too many internal stresses I guess. But it makes beautiful turnings on the lathe and for some reason they stay straight.


Jointer first? Really?

I used to help one of my friends saw lumber on his mill. He was an old sawyer. Since he didn't get around too well, I had to load the timber onto his mill and prep the logs for him. That was what he was most concerned about, the prep work. What I had to do was use a wire brush and clean where the blade would go through the bark, when cutting off the slabs to square it up. That is where he told me most of the blade wear came from, especially if it was not clean.

Hearing about do jointing first on small timbers, how does your jointer blades blades fair with bark?


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## Straightlines (May 15, 2013)

*Well put MaFo!*



MAFoElffen said:


> I have router ski jigs, router jigs for planing (rails and jigs to ride on those rails), bottom cleaning planing bits for my Radial Arm Saw, etc...
> 
> I have those for odd sized pieces that are too large for my thickness planer. Planing with a router is a bit slow and tedious. I use 1-1/2" to 3" surface planing bottom cleaning bits: ... They still take a while, but when I have something 36" wide and 20 feet long...
> 
> ...



@MaFo, excellent reply to the OP!


-- Bradley


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