Planer cabinet ideas

[JR]

I've been parking my Rigid 13" planer in the bottom of a mobile cabinet. When I want to use it I need to reach into the cabinet and lift the planer out. As you can imagine this process can charitably be described as "cumbersome." (I'll leave the uncharitable, but more accurate descriptions for another time!)

So I've decided to start planning a mobile tool cabinet for the planer. Are there any tips that can be offered from those with experience in this matter? Should I consider infeed/outfeed tables, or is that overthinking the problem? Should I try to make the integral tables the same height as my other work surfaces?

Any advice gratefully accepted.

JR

[gmack5]

You might take a look at some of the Miter Saw Cabinet designs for some ideas, also RAS setups.

A Thicknessing Planer Cabinet would require more "beef", but should follow a similar pattern with respect to infeed/outfeed considerations.

With this caution; you need to be able to elevate the outboard ends slightly on the infeed/outfeed tables to minimize "snipe".

[Imadunatic]

i would love to build one of those flip top planer carts that WOOD had in its workshops 2005 mag, i dont know if you caught it, but the planer is connected to the top and it pivots around a central point.

The planer is then stored in the cabinet (and out of the way).
I also think that some flop down in feed and out feed tables would be wonderful, if you could get them perfectly straight and level with the planer, you could take off the stock ones and have some nice big
infeed and out feed tables that wouldnt take up much space.
it would just take some figuring to get the pivot on the tables just right, so that they would swing to the right height, and be flush with the planer bed.

Kevin

[LarryG]

My planer's not on a mobile cabinet, but I can offer some thoughts based on what is wrong with its current setup.

It sits atop an extension I added to one end of my router table. The top of the table is ~38" high, approximately equal to the height of the BT nearby. With the planer's tables folded down into the "action" position, their tops are about 41" off the floor. That's just too danged high. And if they were down at that 38" level, they'd still be too high. I'm six feet even and a reasonably strong guy, but repeatedly lifting long, heavy boards up to that level to feed them through the planer gets real old, real quick. I think the ideal height for me would be down around 32" or so ... right where my wrists naturally bend, so I could feed in boards while standing more or less erect.

A planer's own tables are often all you need; when they're not, you can add a roller or flip stand (or two). So I'm not sure it's all that necessary to have this particular tool at the same height as everything else. If you do want to match it to something else, make it your jointer, since it is the planer's closest cousin in the shop. That way if you do need a support stand when milling lumber, you can move it back and forth between the two tools without resetting its height.

[Brian G]

JR,

I made this planer cart, and it has worked very well.

Initially, I planned on making infeed and outfeed support. The more I thought about it, I figured that I'd rarely need more support than what the planer provided. Furthermore, since the cart is mobile and my floor isn't dead-level, I'd probably spend some time adjusting onboard infeed/outfeed each time I used the planer. So, I just use roller stands (some of those Ridgid flip-top supports would be great) when I need extra infeed/outfeed support.

The pass-through, if I may brag, was a good idea. It really helps keep stock orderly during the planing process. I suggest having about 6" of height to allow stacking several boards.

As I noted in the thread, I made the planer cart height tall enough so that the infeed and outfeed of the planer was taller than any other table surface. By doing that, I'm able to plane stock in any direction with little worry about bumping into things.

[JR]

Some great ideas here. Knuckles, I like the pass-through concept. I'll have to study the height issue some, I guess.

The one certain fact is that I can't lift the thing in and out of a cabinet much longer. One of these days it will cost me two or three days on the couch with an ice pack.

JR

[scoly]

I built a flip top cabinet that I really enjoy having. When needed it is very easy to flip up and when I'm through it is out of sight and I enjoy another work surface. Easy to build, cheap, and functional. Everything a person could ask for.





If I were to do it over I would make it a bit taller as Knuckles has suggested. Great planning. Pass through is another good idea but not sure how to incorporate on a flip top. I do have enough room beside my planer to stack 6"+ wide boards so not a big problem. Infeed/outfeed would require mine to be mounted the other direction and would be an easy add on if one desired.
HTH
Steve

[alex wetmore]

The flip top is really cool. What type of hinge or mechanism did you use for the flip?

alex

[JR]

quote:Originally posted by scoly

I built a flip top cabinet that I really enjoy having.

I suppose it would be cool if the cabinet height in "flipped" position was equal to the other work sufaces in my shop, but when the planer was up the tables were higher.

Steve, how DID you design the flipping mechanism? Inquiring minds want to know!

JR

[scoly]

Top rotates on a 1/2" steel rod centered in the top with a nut on each end. Top can be fixed in place a number of ways. This one uses metal tabs that flip out on opposite sides from each other. If I were to do it again I think I would use dowels run through the frame and into the flip top.
Steve

[scoly]

Unfortunately, not my design. Got the plans http://store.woodstore.net/flwoce.html
and modified to fit. Will try to get pics that show it better.
Steve