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sawdust: projects
Mobile Base for 15" Planer
27 June 2009

Mobile Base for 15" Planer, part 2 - building the base

Lumber selection and prep

The first step was lumber selection. This was pretty easy for this project, I just grabbed some of my big stash of oak panels and started making measurements. Watching David Marks on Woodworks taught me to use chalk to label the lumber during the initial stages - you can see some of the markings on the 4 panels I started with:

planer stand step 1 - lumber selection

Everything was first ripped to smaller widths and then planed to 3/4". I've found that having stock that isn't all exactly the same thickness can lead to some surprisingly large errors later in the project, so I now attempt to prep all the stock at once. I send everything through the planer for the final pass without making changes to the planer height.

After the stock is all surfaced on two sides, I edge-jointed one side of each board. I recently sold my jointer (a Delta 37-190) because I found that (1) it didn't work any better than this router joining jig on small peices and (2) did not work at all on really long boards due to the short bed (46"). Here is the router jig I use, basically a long straight board (MDF shelf) with an aluminum angle on one edge.  A bearing-guided straight bit rides on the straightedge and the board is clamped to the jig. I can joint 8' boards on this in one pass with pretty good accuracy. It takes up a lot less space then my jointer did, too!

Planer Stand step 2 - edge-jointing with router jig

After getting one straight edge on all the stock, I ripped everything to width:

Planer stand step 3 - ripping stock to width

Now it is time to cut the parts to length. Another trick I've picked up to help with project accuracy is to identify parts that need to be exactly the same length and cut them using the same setting on the cut-off sled. These boards were too long for the stop on my sled, so I simply cut them all together to ensure identical length:

Planer stand step 4 - cutting to length

After everything is cut and labeled, most of the parts for the stand are ready:

Planer stand step 5 - parts marked and ready for joinery

Legs

Technically, they aren't legs - they are part of the sides of the cabinet, but since they are designed to transmit the weight of the planer directly down to the casters, I'm calling them legs anyway. The legs will be supporting a 375 lb machine, so I wanted them sturdy. They are pretty beefy...I think I have erred on the side of caution.

Planer stand - legs

Each corner is supported by a hollow 4" square post made from 4 smaller boards. Two are 4" wide and the other two are 3" wide - joined with rabbets and glue. I chose to cut these rabbets on the table saw, primarily for speed. First I cut the short side (2 rabbets in each of the wider boards):

planer stand - rabbeting the legs (1)

Then the long side of the rabbet:

planer stand - rabbeting the legs (2)

Half of the leg parts are now rabbeted:

planer stand - leg rabbets (3)

The parts are now ready for glue-up. I almost designed the legs with a single rabbet in each of the 4 boards. My thought was for all the parts to be the same. Then I realized the glue-up would be much easier this way.

planer stand - leg glue up

Top and bottom frames

I choose stub-tenon and groove construction for the panels, since it is quick and easy on the table saw / router table and quite strong when the joints fit correctly. I started with the top and bottom frames and then test-fit the top and bottom panels with the main support legs.


I assembled the top panel first, since it is very simple:



Next came the bottom panel...which is probably the most complex glue-up I've ever done. The panels are MDF and do not float - they are glued at each edge to increase rigidity. To keep it square, I start the first corner in my corner-clamping guide and then work my way to the other end. Here's a few of the steps:







Then, after more stub-tenon and grooving at the table saw and router tables, I was ready to assemble the side panels:



Next I assembled each end of the stand sides into this odd-looking assembly:



After many trial-assemblies and fine-tuning of the panels to fit together straight and square, I was ready for the final assembly. In preparation for final assembly of the cabinet you can see biscuits and slots that I used to help keep the parts aligned correctly during the glue-up:



Here is the first end assembly in place:



Then the back side panel:



and the other end assembly:



then some creative use of clamps:



Last, the top frame is added:



After some trimming, sanding, finish and hardware, the stand is ready to add the planer. Transferring a 375lb machine from one stand to another, by myself, was considerably easier than I anticipated...with a little help from a 1-ton chain hoist:



After bolting it down, I now have a usable mobile base...though without the infeed/outfeed tables I desire.



The door provides access to spacious storage:




Continue on to the next page for construction of the infeed/outfeed tables.