Planer sled for tapers w/pics

[JamesV]

I cut my lams on a planer using a sled made for the planer. It has a lead-in to limit chatter on the ends. The sled will cut parellel without the tapers screwded to bottom. I have cut as thin as .080 on most material. Cut the lams long and cut from the tips to the fades, go slow and don't try to take off too much materail in one pass. Works great for me.

[PapaB]

Thank you very much for the pictures.  You do not have any problems with the lam sliding off or shooting back on you with the 80 grit sand paper?

[NYArrow]

Great idea. Seems like it would kick. You've had no problems?

[JamesV]

The lam stays put. The rollers inside the planer are pushing down on the lam and pulling the sled and lam forward and only cutting a few thousand's from the high end on each pass. I have had the lam try to jump the stop but never try to kick back and if you hold down on the lam it will feed smoothly with no problems.

James....................

[PapaB]

James,

I just got back from my shop and tried to just make a parallel lam with your flat lam set up.  I was able to get a Black Walnut lam down to .055 before the planer started to wreck it. How do you make your tapered boards for the sled?

[JamesV]

PapaB,

I plane both sides of two 2X4 4' long, then I shim them to the proper taper. After you get them shimmed, screw them together and countersink the screws so they don't hit your planer blades. you can use printer paper for shims, the paper I used was .003. Make your .002 first, then make another .002 and screw them together to make your .004.

James.................