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I have 4 back sets of Sapele and Mahogany that are around 0.220", and am looking at options for thicknessing.

First, I tried my Millers Falls #5 on one plate, thinned it to ~0.180", and realized this is going to take a few days. I think it's fairly well tuned... I flattened the sole, sides, iron, and chip breaker. Sharpened to 4000 on a waterstone... will pull 0.002" shavings and works well for jointing (thanks to all the advice from Todd Stock and others). No tearout if planing diagonally. I set it for 0.006" for thicknessing, but it takes a good effort to push. Not sure how much faster it would be if sharper or toothed. I also have a Sargent VBM #6 (not tuned yet) whose added mass might help. But even with an ideal hand plane, I'm thinking this will be pretty slow.

I have a shop-built 20" thickness sander that works well for tops... but it doesn't seem like a good choice for 0.220" backs. I can use it for the final 0.020" or so.

I've no experience with any of the other options:

Wagner Safe-T-Planer, which I see many of you use. Sounds like this would work, though safety is a concern. How often do the blades need sharpening?

A benchtop power planer like the Delta TP305. How thin can these go without tearout? I wouldn't be using figured woods, but can't guarantee zero runout on the boards.

A handheld power planer, like the Bosch 3365...
http://www.finehomebuilding.com/ToolGui ... ?channel=1
This one seems promising to me -- fairly low cost, safer than the Wagner, no jigs to build, carbide blade, and can be used diagonally to the grain to minimize tearout? Has anyone tried one of these? Could it go to 0.125" if used diagonally?

Thanks for any tips, David

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David Malicky

In your shoes, I'd just use the hand plane.

I already have a Wagner, so in _my_ shoes I'd use it. It's easy to sharpen and set up, and the outfit usually comes with the proper sharpening wheel that goes in your drill press, so don't let that bother you. It's also a safe enough tool to use if it's sharp and properly set up, and IF you always remember to keep your fingers pointing away from it.

I would be leary of a bench top or hand power planer. Usually these sorts of things are risky on thin stock.

The saf-t-planer is nice, but it's ideal with a nice flat table that is absolutely perpendicular to the drill chuck. Setting precise height is finicky on a drill press, too. I'm not as good with a saf-t-planer as a lot of guys here are, though. If I were you, I'd probably just throw some 40 or 60 grit on the drum sander and go to town on it with that until you get closer to your desired thickness. Might take a while, but it's not strenuous work.

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Jonathan Kendall, Siloam Springs AR

A safety planer would be real nice on a drill press with a big table and a rack & pinion table adjustment... I just use mine on my little bench top drill for thick stock removal. Also, are you sure thats the best you can do with the hand plane? I can get a plate down fairly quick, but then again thats with a veritas smoother.

I like the idea of the Safe-T-Planer - but I just managed to screw up my walnut back set - it was really my fault.... but either way -
I went out and got a replacement set of wood for me to test my skills on.
I am actually hand planing .25" maple pretty well, although it will take longer than the Safety Planer - with a toothed blade. The toothed blade works much faster than what you have in there now.
My hand planing set up is an old Stanley #5 - with a Buck Brothers - $2.97 replacement planer blade, which I filed to make into a tooth blade. Eats wood like no one's business. After getting to about .10" I plan to switch to my Hock blade, which will shave hair off of a pit bull's chin without waking him up.

With the other spare side set - I will try my hand at some self control and use the Safe-T-Planer - and practice some patience.

The picture in my avatar is using the toothed blade. That much shavings can be generated in about a minute of hand planing.

(by the way - I tried to use the Safe-T-Planer to get my back set down to about .09 to .085", and that is how I screwed up my back set. I did not have out feed wheels on my fence - and I think I did not do a good job of holding the board down. I may have tried to plane too much at one time. I was actually thinking to myself - "If Alan Carruth can plane down to veneer thickness with this, then I can certainly use it to get down to .085" - ugh I was wrong, I am not yet as skilled as Alan. But I will give it a second shot and only try to thin down to .10")

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Thanks, all, for the helpful replies! Sounds like I have many good options. I'd forgotten I could just try 40 grit on the drum sander--that sounds like a good first attempt--thanks, Jonathan. Our drill press is a large and decent Jet, so the Wagner would probably work well with a few hold down wheels. On hand planes, yes, I have much to learn for technique and setup. I didn't know the toothed blades was so much faster... thanks, John.

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David Malicky