planer?

[Full Draw Too]

Good Morning bowyer world, Ok, just wondering if a planer is a must in the shop? buying some equipment and wondering if this is a necessity? riser work etc..?


John 12:48

[Bowjunkie]

Nope, not a necessity.  I've been making bows of all kinds for 16 years and just got a planer a couple months ago.

[JamesV]

My planer is the most important and useful tool in my shop. If you are building glass bows a planer will pay for it's self many times over.  

James

[beachbowhunter]

James,
Are you talking about a planer or a jointer?

[Roy from Pa]

Have a planer and hardly ever use it.

[fujimo]

for me, a jointer and  a thickness sander.

a jointer to square things up nicely- a sander for everything else.
if one was going to do some joinery- cabinets etc- then a planer would be an asset.
just my .02c

[beachbowhunter]

I have a planer new in the box and havent opened it since I bought it a couple of years ago.

[bamboo]

nice for rough sawn stock

[Buemaker]

I don't think I could live without my combination jointer-planer.
 http://www.hammerusa.com/us-us/products/jointer–planers/jointer-planer-a3-31--310-mm.html
This is not the one I have, but Hammer makes good machines. There are many other makers. Bue--.

[rmorris]

A drum sander can do anything a plainer can plus a lot more, that would be my vote. I am not sure what I did before my grizzly baby drum sander or why I did not get it earlier!

[wood carver 2]

It's very useful for bow building and a must for most other wood working.
I used to have a 4 inch jointer and I wish I could find another one for planning bamboo.
Dave.

[LESKEN2011]

James is talking about a thickness planer, Norbert. He uses it for tapering core lams instead of a thickness sander. After he showed me his method, I use one for the same purpose since it was a much cheaper way to go for me and works great. I got the thickness planer from Harbor Freight for about $200 with a coupon. I also have a grizzly jointer that I use for other things.

[eflanders]

I am fortunate to have both a jointer and a planer and I use both for bow building.  But I use a lot of rough-cut lumber not just for bow building but for boat building as well. I should also mention that I do not make very many bows in a year either.  I currently do not have a drum sander or an edge sander even though both are on my tool wish list.  

I use a sled for my planer for lams and it does work quite well with some experience.  However, a drum sander is truly best suited for tapering lams and for producing tight-tolerance lams.  If this is your intended primary purpose, by all means, get a drum sander.  

If you plan to do other woodworking projects (especially when using rough-sawn) lumber, then the planer is by far the tool to get first. By the way, you can get a decent portable planer for less money than a portable drum sander.  

IMO: Because a drum sander of this size is not used for too many other woodworking projects, it just didn't pay for me to get one yet. Personally I will buy the edge sander before the drum sander accordingly.

[canopyboy]

Originally posted by rmorris:
A drum sander can do anything a plainer can plus a lot more, that would be my vote. I am not sure what I did before my grizzly baby drum sander or why I did not get it earlier!

Roy is correct. Kinda. Both machines reduce the thickness parallel to the bottom the surface. For bow making, I think a thickness sander is way more useful. It doesn't care if there is fiberglass, gnarly grain, glue, etc. It gives you more control on height.

But, a thickness sander is a slow and painful way to bring rough stock into dimension in any quantity. I use my planer all the time, but I admit it is almost never for bow making. Really more of a furniture/cabinet thing.

So if you're planning to use your shop for woodworking in general, I think a planer might be worth considering. But if you're looking to do risers and laminated bows, you may think about a thickness sander first. In an ideal world, you just buy both.

[canopyboy]

Originally posted by eflanders:
IMO: Because a drum sander of this size is not used for too many other woodworking projects, it just didn't pay for me to get one yet. Personally I will buy the edge sander before the drum sander accordingly.

x2

Currently building an edge sander. It really is crazy useful and I really, really want one. Have had trouble buying a small drum sander after growing up in a cabinet shop with 36" wide-belt sanders. And I don't have the space or money for one of those.

[Bowjunkie]

Why is an edge sander a must-have? I've made bunches of bows of all sorts and never used an edge sander once.

I think it would be a nice addition to my shop and plan to get one someday... it'll probably be my next major tool purchase... but for me it's more a wanna-have than a must-have.

[canopyboy]

You make a good point. While I grew up having one at my disposal, I don't have one yet in my current shop. I've survived and even made a few bows that seemed to turn out ok.

So, I revise my previous post to "an edge sander is crazy useful and I really, really want one."

 

[Roy from Pa]

Cause you haint a real bowyer till ya have one.    And once you get one, you will love it.

[Full Draw Too]

Thanks all of you for your input on the planer. with all the experience you guys have and input I truly do appreciate EVERYONE'S input. I can't wait til the day comes that I can pass on good sound advice to another who is just staring out like I am..I would love to shake the hands of all you guys someday and say thank you....I truly am a Traditional bow nut and now buy making my own bow with everyone's input is very special to me...Thanks again guys!


"For I am the way, the truth, and the life, no
one comes to my Father except by me. John:14-6