# A question about the ski-based planing sled



## Harvey Dunn (Oct 18, 2013)

Hi all, love the idea of the ski-based planing sled. But there is something that is bothering me - I bet I'm overlooking an obvious answer, but here goes:

If you are milling boards in a fully-equipped shop, your first step is to flatten the first face on the jointer. The tables of the jointer are the flat reference. Then everything else builds off that that. In other words: the next step is to plane the other face on the thickness planer; it uses the jointed face as the flat reference. Then you joint one edge on the jointer, using a flat face against the fence as the flat reference. Then on to the table saw, etc. etc.

So if you are using the router-on-skis to plane a board...where is your first flat reference coming from?


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## Semipro (Mar 22, 2013)

To me it make no difference which side you reference from you just need to start some where ,so with a router sled the side you flatten would now become your first reference side


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## captain brumby (Feb 5, 2014)

*planing sled*

Hi there, what semipro said is correct. my way is to place the timber you want to plane on you sled bench then place wood shims between the timber and bench (wherever there are gaps) then using a hot melt gun run a small bead of glue to keep the shims and timber in place. Then presto you have a surface ready to plane flat. When that side is finished you simply pry the timber and shims away. The key is to only use a small amount of glue.


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## GulfcoastGuy (Feb 27, 2012)

Harvey Dunn said:


> ...
> So if you are using the router-on-skis to plane a board...where is your first flat reference coming from?


The bench top or surface the ski is riding on. If it isn't flat, the finished product won't be either, in addition it's determined by how flat the operation of the ski is.


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## Harvey Dunn (Oct 18, 2013)

Thank you, Gulf Coast Guy, that makes sense. Does it have to be perfectly level as well as flat?


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## GulfcoastGuy (Feb 27, 2012)

Flat -yes - side to side and corner to corner, no gaps using a good straight edge to check ... level - no. 

If flat the surface of the work-piece will be made parallel to the reference surface as long as the sled is held firmly to it. I say no to level but of course if the bench were at too steep an incline control of the router sled would become a safety issue.


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