# In Need of Router Planing Jig



## Tom5151 (Dec 5, 2011)

Greetings everyone.

First time post here.

I have been woodworking for about 3 years or so. In that time I have found that I am often making needing to make panels for cabinets or other miscellaenous peices of furniture. 

My typical practice is to mill my lumber, get it to "rough thickness", and then glue up the individual boards of the panel. After the glue is dried I knock off any dried glue with a chisel and, if the board is small enough, I run it through my 13 inch thickness planer to get to final thickness. My problem is with panels that will not fit in my planer. For those I take them to a lumber yard where they run them through a 36 inch thickness sander. They do a great job, but it's rather costly plus it's a 90 minute round trip. 

I'd love to get a thickness sander of my own but that's not in the budget right now. So I wondered if any of you would be able to point me to an easy to make, router planer sled? My skills are very elementary so I probably can't make anything really elaborate just yet. Is there anything that maybe you used as your first sled that you wouldn't mind sharing the plans for? I have seen pictures of what appear to be a couple rails attached to a flat panel where the workpeice sits and them some type of shopmade carriage that carries the router. 

I am brand new to this forum and have not yet explored all of its content so if there is even a link to a previous thread that you could point me to that would be extremely helpful.

I hope this all made sense.

Thanks in advance


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## istracpsboss (Sep 14, 2008)

Hi Tom

Welcome to the forum.
You could try http://www.routerforums.com/jigs-fixtures/23960-planing-jig-sled.html There are photos by Soapdish that show his set up quite well.

Cheers

Peter


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Tom

If you have about 250.oo in your pocket Woodhaven has a very nice setup just for that type of job..about the same price as a so so golf club 

Woodhaven Planing Sleds - YouTube
Video
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## Tom5151 (Dec 5, 2011)

Thank you Bob. I actually did see that one when i did some google searches. I went to the Woodhaven site and it says it's no longer available and then I went to Amazon and it's no longer available there either. I will keep checking.

Tom


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## Tom5151 (Dec 5, 2011)

Thank you Peter. I will check this out carefully


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Tom


No big deal just buy the parts and make your own 
I'm sure one phone call and you can get it all done easy.
(800) 344-6657

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81w3G-KFq9L.pdf

Woodhaven : Router : Scarfing Sled
Woodhaven : Router : Planing Sled

Woodhaven : Do It Yourself : Raw Track

Parts also from 80/20
http://www.ebay.com/sch/8020inc/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=&_trksid=p4340
http://www.ebay.com/itm/8020-T-Slot...582?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item3353d60b26
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## Tom5151 (Dec 5, 2011)

You're giving this noob too much credit ....lol.........hmmmmm...is that the number for Woodhaven? So if I call and tell them I want to build it, they can tell me what parts to buy?

Thanks
Tom


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

Hi Tom

Just select the size you want on the PDF file and give them the model number that should do the trick..

Just a Note +++John a member of the forum has one with the router bit and likes his..

http://www.routerforums.com/jigs-fixtures/29319-woodcraft-planing-jig.html

http://www.routerforums.com/members/jschaben-27718.html

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Tom5151 said:


> You're giving this noob too much credit ....lol.........hmmmmm...is that the number for Woodhaven? So if I call and tell them I want to build it, they can tell me what parts to buy?
> 
> Thanks
> Tom


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## Tom5151 (Dec 5, 2011)

Thanks for your help Bob. So it sounds like you would suggest this over trying to build something myself? I assume this would probably end up being far more accurate that what I would end up building.


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## bobj3 (Jan 17, 2006)

HI Tom 

The Alum. rails is the key.
Yes they are very accurate, if it's worth doing it's worth doing it right or try to,
I should say I'm a cheap old SOB and I have 6 ski jigs but by using the rails they are dead on all the time ,I should say I made my set with the 80/20 stock and a HF router plate cheap SOB I am... LOL 

Router Forums
Router Forums

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Tom5151 said:


> Thanks for your help Bob. So it sounds like you would suggest this over trying to build something myself? I assume this would probably end up being far more accurate that what I would end up building.


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## darrink (Sep 7, 2009)

Tom5151 said:


> Thanks for your help Bob. So it sounds like you would suggest this over trying to build something myself? I assume this would probably end up being far more accurate that what I would end up building.


Tom,
At set of skis will work also. Here are two links for skis. One is for building them and the other is my first use.

http://www.routerforums.com/jigs-fixtures/29019-first-use-my-skis.html

http://www.routerforums.com/jigs-fixtures/25155-wanted-pictures-your-skiis.html#post224587

There are a lot of good threads for building and using skis on the forum if you search. Search for both "skis" and "skiis" without the quotes.

Bob is exactly correct on the aluminum rails. They are the key to getting a flat finish. His set up is better for what you are wanting to do, mine works for this and other things skis are used for.


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## Tom5151 (Dec 5, 2011)

Thank you Darrin. Of course now that causes me to generate about 1000 more questions....lol......i can see there are a number of ways to do this from buying one to making my own in several different ways......while I have been woodworking for a few years I have to admit I have not really utilized my router to it's full potential in any way. This really opens up some possibilities. Now I just have to figure out which approach to take.


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## Tom5151 (Dec 5, 2011)

Darrin after looking more carefully at your skis, I see that you are using something other than rods to support your router. It seems that the method you are using (aluminum brackets) would resist flexing or sagging more than rods. I may be very wrong about that. That is just the observation of a total novice here. 

Having said that, I looked at your build process as it seems like something I may want to try. There did seem to be one or two steps that you may not have documented. I just wondered if you had by any chance updated your build documentation. More specifically I was wondering how you are attaching the brackets to the "cheeks" (I believe thats what they are are called) and how are you fastening the router plate to brackets. I see the hardware you used but am not seeing exactly how you are attaching it to the brackets. I have about a thousand other questions but I hope I am not imposing by asking these for now.

Thank you.


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## darrink (Sep 7, 2009)

Tom5151 said:


> Darrin after looking more carefully at your skis, I see that you are using something other than rods to support your router. It seems that the method you are using (aluminum brackets) would resist flexing or sagging more than rods. I may be very wrong about that. That is just the observation of a total novice here.
> 
> Having said that, I looked at your build process as it seems like something I may want to try. There did seem to be one or two steps that you may not have documented. I just wondered if you had by any chance updated your build documentation. More specifically I was wondering how you are attaching the brackets to the "cheeks" (I believe thats what they are are called) and how are you fastening the router plate to brackets. I see the hardware you used but am not seeing exactly how you are attaching it to the brackets. I have about a thousand other questions but I hope I am not imposing by asking these for now.
> 
> Thank you.


Tom,
You are correct about the aluminum extrusions, they are way more rigid than rod, but rods also work well, and some have used them successfully for a long time.

Here is a link to the panel retainers I used to hold the router plate in place. There are countersunk screws coming up through the bottom of the router plate, that thread into the panel retainers. There are T-bolts slid into the extrusions and the panel retainers a slipped over them and then a threaded knob holds it all together. 80/20 Inc T-Slot Aluminum 1" Panel Retainer 10 Series 2496 ANO | eBay

The square aluminum extrusions have 1/4-20 threaded holes in the ends, and I threaded all thread into that and then used knobs to hold them to the cheeks. I believe I actually threaded the holes, but they can be purchased threaded from the same people. You just save a lot of money doing it yourself.

If you view my uploads, you can see some pictures of the knobs, all thread and the panel retainers also. Unfortunately, that was one of my first attempts at a tutorial, and I have to say, I have a long way to go to be as good as Harrysin and some of the others. If I get a chance, I will upload some more pictures this evening.

So glad to see the enthusiasm, as I have not been able to get out in the shop much lately.


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## Tom5151 (Dec 5, 2011)

Thank you Darrin,

May I ask how long the aluminum extrusions are/ I am looking on the 80/20 site right now. Wow do they have a lot....lol........I am looking for the ones that have the threaded holes in the ends but wasn;t sure how long yours were. I am guessing maybe 26 inches or so?

Thank you


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## darrink (Sep 7, 2009)

Mine are 24". That was another reason I threaded them myself, I could not find the length I wanted with threaded holes. A lot of those items are over stock and left overs, so you have to get what you can while it's available. My extrusions are the 10 series, and they are 1" X 1".


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## Tom5151 (Dec 5, 2011)

perfect...thank you so much for your help...i have a lot to think about in a short period of time.....lol...thnaks again


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## KenBee (Jan 1, 2011)

Tom5151 said:


> Thank you Bob. I actually did see that one when i did some google searches. I went to the Woodhaven site and it says it's no longer available and then I went to Amazon and it's no longer available there either. I will keep checking.
> 
> Tom


I have the Woodhaven 27 inch model that is available if you are interested. It is brand new even though I did set it up per the instructions, but never attached a router to it. I have decided it is too large for my meager shop so I am going to sell it. I am also going to list it in the forum classifieds in a day or two.


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## Tom5151 (Dec 5, 2011)

Ken Bee said:


> I have the Woodhaven 27 inch model that is available if you are interested. It is brand new even though I did set it up per the instructions, but never attached a router to it. I have decided it is too large for my meager shop so I am going to sell it. I am also going to list it in the forum classifieds in a day or two.


Ken thank you so much for the offer. Since I have several options (buy one, make one or keep doing what I have been doing) I had to sit and really think about how many instances there are going to be over the next few months where I need to make panels that won't fit in my planer. Turns out only one that I can think of in the 3 or 4 months. So I think at this point I am going to keep doing what I am doing or build skiis. But again thank you very much for letting me know.....


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