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Slab surfacing

4K views 27 replies 9 participants last post by  Tiny 
#1 ·
Hi guys!
Does somebody have experience in using Arbortech products? I had a thought to use one of them atached to a grinder and to my MMC (manual muscule control)(manualy controlled CNC). It would be much faster to fix the job.
 
#4 ·
I have an old Elu Mof 96E 900W and a not so good bit to do the job. I was considering options to surface thick and broad slabs now that Ive desided to do more products and do less restauration (who knows maby Im wrong since Im not yet familiar with how interested people are in this part of Finland about buying restoration services). An okay 1/2" router costs about 350-400€ that is Hitachi, Makita +600€ and Bosch even more but a sufucent grinder would be around 100€.
I have also thought of using a plane but it must be exact paralel to the surface othervce you make more job for your self and without a jig you will never Be ready. My surfacing jig isnt anything fancy basicly just the prototype I will one day replace with a solid aluminium build
 

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#8 ·
Tiny it's possible to make a sled like for a router and attach an angle grinder to it instead by using the threaded holes for attaching the handle to the grinder. It won't do as smooth a job as the router will but it would be much faster.
 
#16 ·
I had thought about one of those when the same subject was being discussed on an earlier thread as I have one (never used) that I'd bought to use with my radial arm. Thinking that this would be quicker than a router as the cutting diameter was much larger. The one I have has a female threaded socket, meant to thread on the saw arbor. I would think that you could get a threaded male stub that mounts on a motor shaft. If the motor had a mounting flange, it should be fairly easy to make an adapter to fit it on the sled. Just by coincidence, I was talking to the buddy that I helped stack a few piles of freshly sawn red oak slabs; he now thinks that they're dry enough to finish so we've been discussing how to get things set up. I remembered the video by Michael Gildersleeve showing how to level the 4x8 sheet used as the basis for a torsion box work top and felt that the same method could be used to level a single sheet on top of 2x4's sitting on saw horses to get a flat surface to sit the slabs on for milling.
 
#11 ·
#14 ·
I've thought about that one Gary and I have a 3" Makita but there are no points on it to use to attach it to anything.
 
#15 ·
I have seen pictures of stands made to hold those, and use them upside down, something like a mini jointer. If I recall right they mostly used a piece on each side of the handle, with a couple of bolts going thru the hole, and clamping it tight. It would take some figuring to use one right side up, but I would say it could be done, especially if you used a center piece in the handle hole, so it would be must less likely to shift.
 
#17 ·
What you are talking about is a large operation fitted for a thickness planer. Might be well to look for someone with a planer already set up and pay them to plane them. A dewalt 735 or larger planer will take 12" wide boards, if you are talking wider then use a router sled set up. It will be slow going for that much lumber both sides, depending how long the boards are.

I have never done the router sled, but I am guessing that after you plane them they will have to be run through a sander to smooth out the machine marks. A thickness planer will give more of a finish surface.

Good luck on what ever you decide.

HErb
 
#18 ·
Ihan guess I have to change the question.
Are there many options in surfacing bits? How much must I Be prepare to pay of them? What are the biggest bits you can saftly use If the chuck is 8mmø or 12mmø?
Can you tell me of US/Canada tool stoors that send overseas?
Thank you very much for your ideas, hints and tips in advance!
 
#22 ·
Hi Dan.
You have a point there! I think that othervice it coses wobbling on high speed. Just a tiny tilt to the right side on the longitudal axel. I will keep that in mind If/when I buy that Arbortech product.
Thanks Dan for lifting that fact to the day light!
 
#23 ·
Hi Herb.
I didnt know you can get things like that to a drill! Could be a good option to a small and special configuration. I allready have something in My mind that could work perfectly!
Herb I keep this in mind with smaller coming pfojects. Thanks!
 
#28 ·
It would be taken to concideration to ask somebody to surface one or two slabs with a surface planer at some friends place (havent any friends with planer thicknesser) but since I run a company Its not an option.
I was thinking of an 735 but its max width 12" is not much If yo need more than 16".
Tools are quite expencive specially here in Finland and thats why I try to think of a solution that would be usable in many tasks.
 
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