Jointer or Planer

[rbbhunt]

I have a jointer, planer and drum sander.  Rarely use the planer any more and use the jointer to square up risers.  The drum sander is used the most.  I bought some tapered laminations and glued one to a piece of plywood (actually 2 3/4" pieces glued together) that I had run thru the drum sander to get parallel and then glued a piece of sandpaper strip to it to make my tapered laminations.  I have a Jet 10/20 and it was well worth it.

[Ricky Wallace]

Could someone post a pic of a "sled"? My pea brain cant visualize what it looks like.  thanks.....Rick

[Dave Worden]

I am totally shocked and amazed that anyone would suggest using a thickness planer for making bow lams.  For thin lams (less than 1/8" thick) I believe the planer would provide more splinters for firewood than lams.  Even at 1/8" I wouldn't trust a planer.  Making lams on a jointer is an even worse idea (even if you cut a finger).  Jointers do not make parallel sides, they make flat sides.  You'd be  very lucky not to make a tapered lam, but of course you'd be unlucky to reproduce the same taper on any other lam.  A drum sander can make lams.  A thickness samder (which is actually a subset of drum sanders) can make better lams.  I have a jointer, a planer, a drum sander, and a thickness sander.  Lams are made with a bandsaw and the thickness sander.  No if, ands, or buts.

A sled is nothing more than a flat piece of wood, alum, steel, etc (alum is probably best) that you lay your lam material on and run them both through the thickness sander at the same time.  It gives better support to your lam than just running it on the table and also allows you to set your sander "higher" than you would if you were running right on the table.  

As for a tapered sled, glueing "store bought" tapered lams to a sled (as mentioned above) makes a tapered sled.  So does running a sled through the sander with "store bought" tapers underneath it.  This will sand your sled so that the top is parallel to the bottom of the tapers you placed underneath it.  Remove the tapers and you now have a tapered sled.  I used MDF for mine as I didn't have any aluminum available and MDF is flat and stable.  

If you want 6 foot lams, you'll need a 6 foot sled and I don't think it possible to make a reliable jig to make 6 foot tapered lams.  I guess one could be "Rube Goldberged" but it's SIMPLE to make a 3 foot tapered lam.  Why bother trying to make a 6 footer.
That's my $.02, but PLEASE don't try to make lams on a jointer and be prepared for many a failed piece if you try to use a planer.

[NTD]

I mention the jointer for lams but not for FG bows, cores for Bamboo and hickory backed bows.  Torges uses one and so does Marc St. Louis, both master wood bow builders IMO.  But I would imagine they wouldn't be ideal for FG lams.

[okie64]

I have both and i rarely use the jointer. I use my planer to go down to 3/16 but anything thinner than that and it really starts tearing up the ends. I been doin carpentry work for 16 years and that jointer still scares me every time i use it.

[Tucker]

Grizzly Baby Drum Sander for sure!

[JamesV]

Dave come on down and I will show you how to use a planer.