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Is it possible to thickness the top, back, or sides on a planer or does it require a sander? Is ther any option you can buy or make to make a planer a sander? Just thinking out loud that it would be nice if you could switch back and fourth between sanding and planing since it functions similarly. Since backs, tops, etc. are so thin I realize it may require a backer board.

Thoughts?

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

Well, you could use a planer, it would work with a slave board but some planers are better than others when it comes to very thin stock and even so you would have a certain failure rate where the planer would just eat one of your $$$ tops or tear it out. The chance of ruining a top is too great. A few ruined tops and frayed nerves would pay for a sander in no time.
As far as a combo I know of none and don't like the idea. I wouldn't want abrasives any where near my planer.
A lot of times combo machines are comprimises and neither function is as good as a dedicated machine.
Is it space or money that you are concerned with or maybe both. Those Delta, Rigid, Dewalt small portable planers are really pretty good and affordable. In fact I think they are very good and it is the one machine that I feel I could trade out for my industrial machine and not have much drop off in performance. One of those and a small performax sander can do you for not much space and money. (Relatively speaking of course ) Look for the sander used.
Also a hand plane is a safe and reliable way to thickness top back wood.
Link

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Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

I think the safest approach is to use the planer to its minimum (1/8" in the case of my Delta) and then use the sander for the rest. I've tried backer boards on the Delta sometimes with success - others with very unfriendly results!!!

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A higher purpose for wood.
Rich Smith
Issaquah, WA

Planers can eat your wood and shatter it to pieces. Some of the plate thickness that we use can be pretty fragile in a planer.

An inexpensive option that can work quite well is a Wagner Power Planer. I think that Stew-Mac, LMI, and Woodcraft sell the Power Planer and they are around $50.

Chuck one of these puppies into a drill press and spend some time leveling your table or making a surrogate table that is level and you can thickness stock pretty well.

From what advice here at other shops worked at and never seen one used to take stuff that is thin as guitar woods, wouldn't do it, as will probably mess up sets.

When my sander went down forever, and waiting to setup shop again, used the Wagner tool like Hesh suggest. I did three sets with it and included cedar. I used some scraps though to begin as for me at least there was a learning curve. Once built the table, fence and hold downs worked pretty well. I though still had problems with some swirl marks and little ledges in places. I found not going to, but getting close to final thickness, better to use a sanding board or like in my case scraper to smooth it out and final.

There are pic's here in archives on things folks have built to use it. I just gave mine to my bro in law and he loves it, but better wood worker all around than I am.

im not in any way recommending this is a standard practice, but... before i had my performax drum sander, i thicknessed several sets of quartersawn oak sides to practice some bending in a 15" grizzly planer. the machine is well set up, has a standard three knife cutterhead, and sharp blades. i thicknessed those sides to .080" with no backer board and no problems at all. like i said, not the best idea and you risk exploding an expensive set of tonewood, but it can be done. just a note, the specs on my planer say that .125" is the thinnest board it will thickness. i guess they were being conservative. so i guess it depends on what kind of wood you are running through.

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sweat the small stuff.

Thanks for the replies everyone.

I found a lightly used 13" Rigid planer here locally for $120. I need one so I'm getting it. So many creative folks here it made me wonder if someone might have come up with a sander assembly that replaces the assembly that holds the planer blades......so you could use the same equipment as a sander instead of a planer.

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Formerly known as Adaboy.......

I have never had any issue with planning unfigured, quartersawn wood, even as thin as .080". I did have some problems with figured wood where the grain direction is uneven, which is why I also have a drum sander. Just make sure your blades are sharp and you'll be ok.

Regarding you planer/sander idea, I think the speed of a planner is much too fast for sanding and just reducing the speed with some kind of a dimmer won't allow enough power. And that's without exploring the engineering needed to fit a sandpaper drum in a planner, keeping everything fit and parallel...

Regarding the Wagner Safe-T planner, I have one but never use it anymore. Maybe it's just me but I feel the thing is quite violent and I never felt safe using it.

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)