A logical continuation of the concept of a homemade desktop jointer based on an electric planer from Alexey Kuznetsov. had a number of shortcomings, which were successfully corrected in this one.
and with reverse side.
For me, it turned out beautifully, I would have painted the frame black, it would have been a branded fest)))
The entire structure is attached to the workbench with clamps. Now let's go into more detail about the components and assemblies.
This is how the plane stand is attached to the base of the table with four bolts 
The plane is fastened to the stand at the front through standard holes; at the back it is simply tightened with a pin and the walls of the stand clamp the plane. By the way, it clamps tightly, the plane does not fall down. 
The height of the front and rear tables is adjusted by shifting the bevel-cut bars, which are clamped with wing nuts. 
I screwed the tables to the adjusting bars using 4 self-tapping screws. The heads are recessed. 
After the tables are adjusted, we attach the parallel stop. We make wider holes on the front table so that there is free movement when adjusting the planing depth. 
The rip fence is set exactly at 90 degrees. If a right angle does not work, you need to place pads between the stop and the side of the table. Higher or lower, depending on which direction you need to tilt the stop. (For example, masking tape, electrical tape). 
Here I made a request to remove the stand with the plane without dismantling the entire structure and disturbing the settings. Then, during subsequent installation, you just need to adjust the back of the plane to the back table and that’s it. 
The length of both tables is 500 mm. But as practice has shown, when processing workpieces 1500-1800 mm long, it is advisable to make the front table 800-850 mm long. 
An industrial design costs big money, so here we’ll try to figure out how to make a jointing machine with our own hands, using a household electric hammer.
Various designs of jointing machines
Structurally, jointing equipment manufactured in industrial conditions, is very different from machines made independently. They differ in the materials used, technologies, auxiliary equipment etc. But this does not mean that it will not be in demand for home use homemade jointing machine from a simple electric planer. It is quite suitable for processing small parts in small quantities.
There are two main types of wood planing machines:
- Single-sided machines (the production of this option will be discussed). With such equipment, only one surface can be processed in one pass. Structurally, these are the simplest devices;
- Double-sided or two-spindle. Such a device can simultaneously process two adjacent surfaces of a part. It is quite difficult to make such equipment yourself.
In addition to the above types, you can also add that machines can be both stationary and mobile.
main idea
Yes, such a homemade jointing machine, unlike serious industrial designs, has a number of disadvantages, namely:
- Cannot boast of high processing accuracy;
- The width of the workpiece is very small - only 110 mm;
- Lightweight is a disadvantage, since a heavy massive base always gives the device stability and, as a result, ease of use, which ultimately improves the quality of the result.
- Low power, limited by the power of a household electric planer;
- The body material is wood, that is, not durable;
However, he also has undeniable advantages, which make it very useful for achieving certain goals and performing a number of tasks, since it has the following advantages:
- Low cost - serious jointing machines cost tens and hundreds of thousands of rubles, and the cost of this homemade jointing machine consists of the cost of the plane and materials;
- Compact and portable - it can easily be stored anywhere in the workshop and can be deployed for work in a matter of minutes.
- The simplicity of the design affects its reliability and maintainability.
- The ability to make the necessary dimensions of the machine “to suit you”, for example, you can increase the length of the work table or change the height.
Preparing the necessary accessories for work
To make a jointing machine with your own hands, you will need materials, equipment and tools, namely:
- Manual electric planer. Will be used as a woodworking tool. It is best to use high-quality, branded Makita or Bosh power tools - this is an additional guarantee of productive, long-term work;
- With . Alternatively, you can use a regular hand jigsaw, since we will only need it once to make one part;
- co or drill;
- or any other . Alternatively, you can use a simple handsaw;
- Wood screws (3.5x40 or 3.5x45);
- 10-15mm, for tables and other small parts, 18-20mm - for the side wall of the bed. Alternatively, you can use or, but this is an extremely undesirable option;
- Solid wood, for manufacturing side stop, approximately 15-20mm thick.
This is an indicative set of what you might need to make a homemade jointing machine.
Machine parts
Let's look at the main structural elements:
| Name | Description and purpose |
| Machine base | The bottom part of the machine where everything is mounted. |
| Side wall | The supporting structure of the machine, which serves to mount the electric planer and both tables. |
| Rear table (fixed) | Together with the front table it forms the plane of movement of the workpiece. Attached to the side wall. |
| Front table (adjustable height) | Together with the back table it forms the plane of movement of the workpiece. Attached to the side wall. |
| Fixed on the back table. Used to give direction to the movement of the workpiece. | |
| Spacer corners (stiffening ribs) | Serve for general strengthening design, as well as to support a given 90 degree angle. |
| Electric planer | The main element of workpiece processing. |
Making a homemade jointing machine
Side wall
First of all, we will make a side wall, for this we use plywood 18-20mm thick with dimensions 150x480mm. By cutting out a place in the workpiece in which the electric planer will be fixed. This should be done using an electric or hand jigsaw, since the sampling form has a complex configuration.
Front movable table
The front table, which must be adjusted in height, is made of two rectangular parts, fastened at an angle of 90 degrees. For greater structural strength, you need to make triangular stops between them. IN in this example everything is attached with self-tapping screws, however, it is recommended to coat the joints with wood glue for greater strength. The end result should be a design like this.
At a distance of 70 mm from each other you need to make two through holes with a diameter of 8-10 mm and hammer furniture drive nuts into them. It is better to do this before assembling the base.
Installation of the movable table is done using two screws on the back of the side wall. For convenience, you can use bandages with a winged head or make homemade holder mounts. The installation should be carried out so that the plane of the moving part of the “sole” of the electric planer is in the same plane as the movable table of the jointer.
The side stop is needed to ensure smooth and parallel movement of the workpiece, as well as to establish an exact 90-degree angle between the work table and the stop plane. The stop is made simply - from two parts, which can be made from either plywood or solid wood. IN in this case array used.
A do-it-yourself jointing machine made from an electric planer is ready for use.
Planing machine drawings
Here are the drawings of the proposed device.
Safety when working with homemade equipment
When working with any tool, you must follow safety precautions, as ignoring them can cause various injuries. We will briefly list the recommended measures to ensure the safety of the master’s work on this machine.
- It is recommended to remove sharp chamfers and sand all manufactured parts to eliminate the possibility of hand injury (splinters, etc.)
- When working, you must use a chip extractor or a special vacuum cleaner, for example, cyclone type to remove sawdust and dust from the sawing area, which can cause the following harm:
Video
Few people in childhood were left indifferent by their first visit to a carpentry workshop. The indescribable smell of fresh wood shavings, the cleanliness and smoothness of a freshly planed board, the fluffiness of the sawdust - this is the place where the magical transformation several gnarled boards with a scratchy surface from protruding fibers into an elegant stool.
The result of the surface planer was perfectly smooth lumber, which was suitable for making many interesting and beautiful things.
Design and types of thicknessing machines
Certainly, thickness planer was not the only one in that workshop. And many of these workshops could not boast of such luxury at all. But a circular saw, often assembled on the same shaft with the drum of the jointing machine, was almost always available. And then a simple device, which made it possible to control the uniformity of pressing the workpiece to the surface of the work table, brought the jointing machine closer in functionality to a thickness planer, which in in capable hands provided almost the same result, although somewhat more expensive both in terms of work and time.
We talk about this in such detail here so that the main topic of the article is clearer - making a thicknesser (thicknesser) machine with your own hands. After all, his main task is to plan the molded wood material with the same thickness. And several successive planing operations on jointer with such a clamping device, this result will be ensured.
But what is a real surface planer equipped with?
The thickness planer has:
- Desktop;
- working shaft (1 or 2), two - for simultaneous processing of two surfaces of the workpiece or one - for processing the workpiece on one side;
- rollers for pressing and pulling the workpiece (a pair on top or two - on top and bottom), with electric or manual drive;
- table height adjustment system;
- workpiece reverse protection system.
In the modification of the jointing machine, some of the listed systems are missing. But also, dual-purpose machines are produced industrially - planer-thicknessers.
In them, under the working table for jointing, there is a height-adjustable surface thicknessing table. Processing of the workpiece is carried out using the same drum with knives as jointing. In this case, only the upper part is processed. When the machine is operating as a surface planer, the upper part of the machine is covered with a protective cover to prevent injury.
Sometimes, instead of a drum with knives, a wide cutter is installed.
Schematic diagram of the operation of a thickness planer
Why make a thickness planer with your own hands?
The scheme of work should be clear to most home craftsmen even without visualization, but for ease of understanding the tasks of making a surface planer yourself, it will not be superfluous.
Motivations for self-made any equipment – two:
- desire for self-realization;
- desire for savings.
All the rest follow from those listed. And you can save a lot of things:
- first of all, money due to the abolition of auxiliary functions, which can be completely dispensed with in a home workshop;
- in the second - electricity by reducing the number of electric drives;
- thirdly, space in the workshop due to optimization and adjustment of dimensions.
If we talk about a full-fledged thickness planer, then, based on the three-dimensional drawing located below, its components can be reduced to the following list:
- electric drive from an electric motor with a power of 1.5 - 2.5 kW on a two-knife drum rotating at a speed of 5 - 10 thousand rpm;
- manual chain adjustment of the work table level;
- manual chain coupled feeding of the workpiece by two lingering pressure rollers.
But you yourself decide on the concept of your surface planer. Let's look at 3 approaches to implementing the idea of making your own thickness planer.
High-tech method for manufacturing a thickness planer
There are 3 independent electric drives, which:
- drive the cutting drum,
- are broaching pressure rollers,
- adjust the position of the desktop.
Torque is transmitted to the drum using V-belt transmission, and in the remaining two options - chain. Moreover, the uniformity of pressure on the rollers is regulated by interconnected spring-loaded intermediate sprockets, although in our opinion, such a system will still not allow us to avoid some temporary loosening of the chain at the moment the workpiece leaves the feed roller.
The tensioning of the drive chain for adjusting the height of the work table is carried out by two rigidly fixed sprockets.
Such an approach, obviously, can be justified if you have a flexible mini-production with a large number of equipment reconfiguration operations. Although here some schemes could be simplified. For example, like this:
Such a machine will not turn out to be cheap, but the abundance is sufficient complex nodes will require constant Maintenance. But, apparently, this is exactly the case when the desire for self-realization was in the foreground, because for the same money it would be quite possible to find a used thickness planer and, having slightly repaired it, provide a solution to the same problems.
Do-it-yourself thickness planer made from an electric planer
It is precisely this approach to solving most tasks for a surface planer that arise in a home workshop that we find most interesting.
First of all, this interest is based on minimal modifications already existing tool to get the job done expensive equipment with almost the same result.
By installing an electric planer on a platform with variable height, we get almost the same thickness planer. True, it is not the position of the work table that is regulated, but the position of the working tool in relation to the workpiece being processed, but this does not change the essence of the process. The role of the table here is played by a flat, powerful board with width limiters on the sides. They also serve as the mounting location for the main unit. But first, let's talk about him.
On the planer, we will replace the rear support plate with a homemade one made from OSB or plywood, with a thickness that ensures the same level as the front plate, which regulates the required gap (1 - 3 mm) for removing chips. Its width should correspond to the width of our improvised desktop.
On the sides of this plate, slats are screwed to attach the legs, the height of which is dictated solely by common sense. It is obvious that, based on standard width plane knives are 82 mm, the thickness of the workpieces being processed should not be more than 100 mm, so the distance between the axes of the leg fastenings can be taken equal to 110 - 120 mm. Accordingly, their total length will range from 140 to 160 mm with a width of 35 mm and a thickness of at least 10 mm. The legs are fastened strictly at the same distance from the edge of the bar.
Installation of the assembled movable upper unit with an electric planer on the desktop is carried out locally, so that the fastening is strictly at the same level. This is done to ensure that its movement is parallel with respect to the base surface, which will ensure accurate processing of the workpiece.
The easiest way to set the height during work is by selecting slats of appropriate thickness, screwed onto the work table width limiters, or using other stands.
And the clamping of the working tool is ensured with spring ties or a harness, but for small workpieces this is not required at all. Also, in a given position, this parallel platform can be fixed with self-tapping screws.
Video of using a surface planer assembled by yourself:
A budget option for a homemade surface planer
This is the simplest method of using an electric planer as a surface planer. Of course, it would hardly occur to anyone to call this design a thickness planer, but in terms of the function it performs, this is exactly what it is.
We deliberately selected an option for wide blanks. Indeed, in this form it performs work that most industrial thicknessing machines cannot do precisely because of the width of the material being processed, and in our case it is limited only by the length of your hands.
Of course, we cannot recommend such a barbaric attachment of an electric plane - a rather expensive tool - to a moving platform. Where more interesting option securing it, described in the previous section of the article, but using a wider platform and moving the slats along the width, and not along the axis of the tool. In this case, the danger of damaging anything important inside the plane body is reduced to zero.
In the example given, a glued set of wooden slats various sizes and even types of wood.
Height adjustment is made by installing calibrated bars on the sides of the work table, two sets of which will allow you to process an unlimited number of workpieces on both sides to a given thickness.
By making a universal thicknesser with your own hands, you can significantly simplify the processing of lumber, saving on purchase professional tool. Thicknessers are used for planing lumber and giving surfaces an ideal, even shape. Homemade machines are versatile in use, allowing you to guarantee high-quality processing lumber and giving them the required shape.
Description of the tool
Thicknessers are machines for processing wood, which allow planing and leveling the surface of lumber to produce boards of a given thickness. This kind of wood processing is carried out when using lumber in construction and making various designs. Planing equipment is in demand on the market and is popular with ordinary homeowners who independently engage in construction at the dacha and in their own home.
Self-made surface planers are distinguished by their simplicity of design, which allows them to be made using an electric planer, grinder and other similar power tools as a basis. You just need to take care of the availability corresponding scheme, which should be followed when performing homemade equipment.
Advantages of homemade machines
A do-it-yourself jointing machine is distinguished by its versatility of use. The functionality of such equipment will be sufficient for high-quality wood processing. On homemade machines you can not only plan lumber, but also perform finishing boards, giving them required thickness and a perfectly flat surface.
The advantages of hand-made surface planers include the following:
To make a homemade surface planer with your own hands, you can use an electric planer, which is used to create a machine that allows for high-quality wood processing, including planing, edge processing and chamfering. It is only necessary to select a high-quality project for the manufacture of a homemade thickness planer, which will be the key to producing reliable and universally-usable equipment.
You can find it on the Internet various schemes execution homemade jointers, which are distinguished by functionality and ease of manufacture. Subsequently, you should adhere to the scheme on hand, selecting the appropriate components and correctly assembling the machine, the functionality of which will fully meet the requirements of homeowners.
Necessary materials
There are many options for making homemade planing machines, which will differ in their basis. The easiest way to make such a tool is using an electric planer or jigsaw.
To perform a surface planer you will need the following:
Plywood and timber will be required to make the base of the machine and manual table, onto which the electric planer and other elements responsible for the functionality and safety of using the equipment will subsequently be attached.
Nessesary to use quality wood, which is additionally recommended to be treated with anti-rotting impregnations.
Step-by-step instruction
Making a surface planer is not difficult, so almost anyone can handle this type of equipment.
The following work will need to be done:
This is the most simple design surface planer, which can be done at home. On the Internet you can find various drawings of a thickness planer made from an electric planer with your own hands, which will differ in their functionality and manufacturing method.
In the future, you can modernize the completed basic design machine by adding additional tools, which expands the functionality of the equipment.
Safe to use equipment
When performing any homemade woodworking machine, you need to take care of the safety of working on the equipment. The cutter should be closed if possible protective devices, and work on a machine where the worker cutting element does not have any protection, is prohibited. Majority homemade circuits Thickness planer manufacturers have high-quality protection for the electric planer, which eliminates injuries when working with such equipment.
- Working with homemade instrument, you must use safety glasses and work gloves. In particular, the latter will be required when working with coarse, dense workpieces, when beating of a homemade surface planer from an electric planer is observed when processing the material.
- The studs used must not have cracks, defects or damage. If cracks or damage are found, the defective parts of the machine should be replaced.
If you follow the simplest safety measures, working with a thickness planer will not present any difficulty, and the machine itself will last for many years. Using homemade machines, it will be possible to perform high-quality wood processing, saving on the purchase of industrial milling cutters.
Knowledge of the rules for working with a surface planer will improve the quality of lumber processing, relieving the homeowner of any difficulties in operating the tool he has made.
The operating rules are as follows:
A correctly assembled thickness planer based on an electric planer functionality, efficiency and productivity will not be inferior to expensive factory equipment. All you need to do is find a high-quality plan for manufacturing a thicknesser on the Internet and then follow the drawings, assembling electric machine. The easiest way to implement such a tool is based on electric planer, which is mounted on plywood base. The simplest thicknesser, made independently, will differ in functionality in use, guaranteeing high-quality wood processing.
It is not for nothing that the thicknesser is considered one of the most commonly used tools in the woodworking industry. With its help, you can perform large volumes of work quickly and, most importantly, with high quality. It is quite possible to make the product yourself at home from an electric planer. The main thing is to know certain subtleties and follow the process technology. More on this later.
Thicknesser machine: design features, application
Thicknesser - exclusively important tool for any . A high-quality specimen makes it possible to work with lumber quickly, efficiently, and with a minimum amount of wood waste.
The result of working with a thicknesser is perfectly smooth, even lumber, suitable for making various wooden jewelry interior and furniture items. A real high-quality surface planer consists of the following structural elements:
- Desktop.
- Working shaft (in some cases - two). Thicknesser, equipped with one shaft, is designed for processing wooden blank only on one side. With the help of a two-shaft one you can process the floor ready product on both sides.
- Pressure rollers used to fix and draw the workpiece into the processing zone. Typically, a thicknesser is equipped with either two rollers at the top, or has one roller at the top and bottom.
- Regulatory system.
- Work piece reverse motion protection system.
A thickness planer is very relevant for large-scale construction, since it can be used to quickly and easily process a large number of wood blanks of various sizes. In addition, it will be possible to control the cutting depth and perform it perfectly. sharp lines on almost any surface with a minimum amount of errors.
Advice. Before working on a surface planer, it is necessary to pre-process the wood blank on a jointer. To work with polymers, plastics or insulation materials, only a product with feed rollers coated with a layer of rubber is suitable.
Making a thicknesser with your own hands
To make a surface planer from an electric planer, a simple set of tools and materials is enough:
- old electric planer;
- equipment drawings;
- bars and plywood (for the body of the product);
- clamps;
- hairpins;
- pads, etc.
Attention! It is very important to clearly understand for which workpieces the thicknesser will be used in the future, since, based on their size, a product with certain dimensions is manufactured (this includes the width of the body, the length of the guides, the width of the pin, etc.).
The process of creating a surface planer looks schematically as follows (before starting work, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the detailed photo and video materials):
Thickness planer
- The first step is to make the base for the desktop. For this, ordinary plywood is used (its approximate dimensions– 40x50 cm).
- Stands are also made from plywood. Then you need to fix them for the platform with the electric planer.
- Assemble the structure using screws and attach it to the base of the planer.
- Cut out a platform for installing the electric planer and secure it to it. Don't forget to make a special hole in the center of the platform, which should perfectly match the dimensions of the plane.
- Attach the threaded screws with gears to the finished platform. Screw-mounted strips are suitable for these purposes.
- At the corners of the thicknesser base, install screws that will serve as fasteners for the mechanism that moves the platform up and down.
- Place the surface planer platform on special stands, and then secure it together with the electric planer.
- Install electrical wiring. It is important to take into account the possibility of damage and take all measures to prevent such situations.
- One of last stages– installation of a handle that controls the surface planer platform from an electric planer.
- Install a measuring bar and pointer to obtain accurate measurements of workpieces.
After the assembly is completed, you can begin a preliminary check of the functionality of the finished product: the plane should work without failures, and the workpiece after processing should not have bevels or other defects.
When creating a surface planer from an electric planer at home, you need to have an idea of some subtleties in order for the result of the effort and time spent to be worthwhile:
- When making the fastening roller, its position must be correct: it should not be installed too low, otherwise transverse dents may form on the workpieces being processed.
- Carefully ensure that the tool's work table is perfectly level. If there are distortions, the finished product will not have a smooth, even surface.
- Make sure that the rear block of the thickness planer is positioned correctly: it should not put undue pressure on the workpiece. In this case, the feed force will decrease, but the knives will still work. As a result, grooves may form on the treated surface.
- It is worth paying attention to the cap visor of the product. If it is installed incorrectly, chips will fall onto the lower roller during operation, and dents will certainly form.
These are all the nuances that you should know in order to create a high-quality and durable surface planer at home from an electric planer. Good luck!
Do-it-yourself thicknesser: video