Well, that didn't work out

[RobfromFL]

Trying to make the planer sled from the shopnotes 137 issue. Should have checked the flatness of my assembly/outfeed table first. I weighted the torsion box assembly down until the glue set and set it did. With the identical non flatness of my assembly table. Now I need to rip off the hardboard from the maple core and remove adhesive and hardboard from both sides while still keeping the core frame nice and flat. I'm leaning towards just lots of sanding with my orbital. Anybody have a better method of getting back to flat wood? I didn't follow the article exactly, I used pocket screws to put the core frame together.

[Steve N]

Ummmmmm, maybe just start over? Experience has told me on more than one occasion if it's glued up out of square, getting it back to flat and square can be done. However the work involved, and the expense usually is greater than the work, and cost of just rebuilding. Plus you need to build a flat platform to work from anyhow. Make it a 2fer


In the end you're going to be happier, and your work will be better for it.

[fredhargis]

I have to agree with start over, there just isn't that much wood in the core to make the sanding effort worthwhile.

[barryvabeach]

Rob,  I would try it first.   I made a sled for a lunchbox planer using just melamine, and it was better than the standard set up, and the melamine certainly had some sag in it.  I think the longer bed helps minimize snipe, even if it is not perfectly flat.

[Bill Holt]

I echo start over.  But if you don't please, please let us know about your journey!  All of us can learn a little from other's misfortune.

[Steve N]

I echo start over.  But if you don't please, please let us know about your journey!  All of us can learn a little from other's misfortune.

Ain't that the truth

[RobfromFL]

So I read about white vinegar today. I am soaking the adhesive and left over bits of hardboard with vinegar and scraping it off with a paint scraper. May take a while but the section I did today it worked. Luckily the frame core went together very flat, so hopefully after scraping this off and giving it a sand it should still be useable.

[Steve N]

If you get it real wet, make sure to set it on a few stickers as it dries, so air can get to top and bottom. Too much moisture on it, and you could get curly, and not the nice grain kind

[mouse jockey]

A planer will follow the shape of the wood you're trying to flatten, give it a try before doing anything else.

[Alan S]

I would start by shimming the assembly/outfeed table to make it flat.  That will make it much easier to make other things flat, and in fact will remove the need for a flat planer sled. 

If you use a flexible planer sled on a flat surface, shimming stock to fit, you can then plane it flat even if the sled could deform.