Mobile
Base for 15" Planer
Mobile Base for 15" Planer, part 1 -
pics and design
These are the features that I designed for:
- Saves space (with the tables stowed, it is shorter
than the planer with the original triple rollers)
- Quick setup - it takes about 15 seconds to extend or
stow the extenstion tables
- Does not require a flat floor (the table supports do
not contact the ground)
- Both ends of the tables can be adjusted to
be perfectly coplanar with the bed of the planer
- Tables are very flat (uses torsion box construction)
and will not be affected by seasonal humidity changes
- Handles 8' boards without additional support on
either end
- Maximizes unused space for storage
Before
boring you with the details, let's cut to the chase. Here's the mobile
base with the 15" Planer. It is about 10' long with the
infeed and outfeed tables extended.
The infeed/outfeed tables fold up for storage:
The
overall length of the base (with the tables stowed) is ~8" shorter
than it was with the original triple rollers (4" on each end).
Here is a
video demonstrating the process of extending the tables:
And
finally, a video of the stand in use. If you've ever watched a planer
before, this won't be terribly interesting :)
Design Process
I started with this very rough sketch (which scanned very poorly):
After
working through a few more detailed sketches, I turned to Google
Sketchup to help visualize the plans in 3D.
At
this point, however, I did not have a satisfactory design. I opted to
continue with construction of the base and the tables. I hoped a good
design would become obvious when I had a chance to work with the real
parts. Fortunately, it did.
Continue on to the next page
for
construction details.
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