Woodworking Tool Rental?

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BroomVikin

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Seems like a strange question to ask on HBT but I guess that's the point of an "Off-Topic" thread huh? I'm just dipping my toe into the world of woodworking and decided to make a laminated top workbench. I've ripped my 2x10s in half but I would really love to run them through a planer to smooth them out a little before I glue them up. Problem is that I don't have one and can't justify spending that kind of $$$ just yet. Does anyone know of a place I can go to rent one for the day in the ATL area? I can find handheld planers all day but that's not exactly what I think I need.
 
Home Depot, maybe? I rented a hammer drill last year because buying one for 6 holes was silly.

Generally pretty reasonable if you bang it out in the base 4 hour window.
 
Look for a woodworking cooperative. They usually have memberships that allow you to come in and rent shop time. You normally have to take a safety class, and then pay by the hour when you use the space/equipment. It may be pricey, but it may allow you access to all sorts of equipment you don't want to buy.
 
I'd never want to rent a planer unless it came with freshly sharpened and adjusted knives. one careless blade nick by the previous user and you have a ridge to clean up, not to mention that dull knives are somewhat unsafe to operate

visit your local hardwood or plywood shop. many times the employees there run their own business to provide such prep work for people in need of the service
 
Check around to places that sell hardwood lumber, or perhaps some cabinet shops. They might be willing to thickness plane your lumber on a per bd-ft basis. Be cheaper than renting some big stationary tool. The guy I buy hardwood lumber from charges something like $0.50 a bd-ft for that. If the wood doesn't need much material removed, you could have someone run it through a drum sander.

Edit: If you do bring it in to someone's shop, have them joint the edges of the boards, too. Makes the edge-gluing much nicer.
 
I was going to say either Home Depot or Lowes. I know both of them do rentals. Also check for smaller hardware stores nearby, some one them may rent.
Finally, if there are local facebook groups, post there, someone may be willing to let you use their machine in exchange for a bottle of homebrew.
 
www.woodnet.net

Woodworking site I also read. Sign up and see who is in your area. Woodworkers are just a friendly as beer brewers. You may find someone that will help you and be able to answer questions too. Be careful - woodworking is just as slippery a slope as brewing!
 
Brewenstein said:
www.woodnet.net

Woodworking site I also read. Sign up and see who is in your area. Woodworkers are just a friendly as beer brewers. You may find someone that will help you and be able to answer questions too. Be careful - woodworking is just as slippery a slope as brewing!
Click to expand...
And somehow even more expensive.
 
So...I know a lot more about woodworking than brewing. I assume you want to glue a bunch of wood strips together to make a more stable top, perhaps alternating the growth ring orientation. What you really want to do is level the entire glue-up as best you can with a top and bottom clamping jig or biscuits or even tongue and groove. The clamping jig is simplest and cheapest. Once you have the top glued you may be able to take it to a shop with a large drum sander to both level it and remove the glue squeeze out. If you plane the separate pieces you will be disappointed that they still don't line up perfect due to warp and twist. Or you can hand plane the top...that's what I would do but I'm a glutton for punishment and I love antique hand planes.
 
if you really want to do this the right way like the professionals do it, build yourself a simple router sled and level the entire surface after glue-up. this is the method deployed to level the surface of rough cut slabs for table tops and furniture making

images


Lots of info on how to make and use this powerful, yet inexpensive to make tool is available via search.
 
It turns out after asking almost all of my co-workers I've located a DeWalt planer that I can run each individual board through to start (24 of them). Seems like a flatter face will take glue better and make the clamping pressure much more uniform. There's also something kind of near me called a Maker Space. I'd never heard of it but apparently they have all sorts of equipment for various projects. 3D printers, laser engravers, welders, soldering irons, and what do you know a 26" Woodmaster planer. I think once I have it all glued up and trimmed to final length I'll go by there and run the whole thing through. Should save tons of time and sweat over either a router sled or hand planing. Thanks for all the ideas though.
 
Rodent said:
if you really want to do this the right way like the professionals do it, build yourself a simple router sled and level the entire surface after glue-up. this is the method deployed to level the surface of rough cut slabs for table tops and furniture making

images


Lots of info on how to make and use this powerful, yet inexpensive to make tool is available via search.
Click to expand...

huh.... If I'd know about that 15+ years ago when I built my workbench, I might've tried that!
Pretty nifty idea!
 
BroomVikin said:
I think once I have it all glued up and trimmed to final length I'll go by there and run the whole thing through. Should save tons of time and sweat over either a router sled or hand planing. Thanks for all the ideas though.
Click to expand...

IF you are set on planing this, you'll want to do that before you cut to final length. you should also realize that one face will need to be perfectly planar before running thru the planer (which makes the top face being planed parallel to the bottom surface resting on the rollers) to allow you cut-off excess for any snipe at either/both end(s).

you will need to true up one face prior to planing, so you'll need to utilize something like the router sled prior to planing else all you're doing is wasting material while not achieving a truly planar finish face. there's a LOT of prep work that must take place prior to utilizing a planer
 
like brewing beer, there's a process flow to achieving desired results when working with wood

(assumes wood is properly dried, with stable moisture content, and free of defects/inclusions/metal)
0) use a metal detector to verify there are no metal pieces embedded in the wood. to prevent tool damage, remove all metal pieces prior to proceeding and scan again to validate all metal has been removed.
00) assumes machinery is in good working condition, correctly mounted, properly set-up and adjusted, razor sharp knives, and recently waxed beds

1) use a jointer to make one wide face of the board planar
2) rotate board so the planar face rests against the jointer's fence, and joint an edge perpendicular to the planar face
3) use a planer to make a face parallel to the opposite side of the planar face, being sure to leave some excess in the case where multiple pieces will be glued to create a larger board
4) use a tablesaw to trim the width parallel to the jointed edge at a defined width
5) after glue-up, use a routing sled to make one face of the glued assembly planar
6) use a planer (if there's enough width) or a router sled to make the opposite face of the glued assembly parallel to the opposite face
7) square up one end and remove snipe, then trim the opposite end to target length

I recommend seeking assistance if any of the process and/or tools are unfamiliar to you. several of these operations have potential for serious bodily injury if you make a mistake in reading the wood grain and/or have improper tool use technique. fingers run thru a jointer/tablesaw are usually gone for life should an accident occur.

if in doubt, seek help from those with professional experience on the specific tools required to perform the operation. utilizing a small 4" jointer is far more forgiving of improper technique than performing the same operation on a 12" jointer (that's a LOT of exposed knife surface at the beginning and end of each pass on the 12" jointer)
 
As someone that worked as a cabinet maker for a lot of years and didn't start out with a lot of fancy equipment I can say it is actually hard to make good panel joints without a jointer or at least a hand held jointer plane but it's not impossible. You can do really good joints with your table saw with a little effort. 2x lumber is fairly consistent in width and thickness but it is rarely straight or not a little twisted. To overcome this you need to go to your lumber store and find the straightest piece of 1x lumber you can find that's at least the length of the panel you want to make. When you rip your panel lumber place the surface side down on the table saw and screw, in multiple places, the straight 1x lumber to it and run the 1x against your fence. That will at least give you a reasonably straight joint to start with. Then remove the 1x and turn the board around and rip to width. Do this for all your boards. If you don't have access to a biscuit jointer take all your boards, top surface against the fence, and run a 1/2 to 3/4 inch deep kerf starting and ending a inch or so from the ends of the board (unless you intend to use a breadboard edge in which case you can run the kerfs the full length . Rip an 1/8 inch strip of pine out of whatever you ripped off your panel boards and use that in the kerf you cut in the boards to align everything when you go to glue up the panel. This will at least line up the top surfaces of your panel and make it far easier to sand out any highs/lows/ imperfections.

Also make yourself some featherboards if you don't already have any.. It will help keep your lumber against the fence of your saw and make for better joints in the end.

Also, your can never have too many clamps.
 
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By the way, before you are ready, start watching the classifieds options of your choice. Given patience you can often find good deals on woodworking equipment. A small planer from 15 years ago is probably a better machine than one made today. And if you are mechanically inclined, buying one that needs some refurbishment can be an even better deal.
 
BroomVikin said:
Seems like a strange question to ask on HBT but I guess that's the point of an "Off-Topic" thread huh? I'm just dipping my toe into the world of woodworking and decided to make a laminated top workbench. I've ripped my 2x10s in half but I would really love to run them through a planer to smooth them out a little before I glue them up. Problem is that I don't have one and can't justify spending that kind of $$$ just yet. Does anyone know of a place I can go to rent one for the day in the ATL area? I can find handheld planers all day but that's not exactly what I think I need.
Click to expand...
You ripped 2x10s ...so you have 2x5s? or 1x10s ? If you went 1 x 10...Do you have a router and a straight edge you could use a sharp straight router bit and just run the edges to smooth em up before gluing. Is it pine ? Should be easy , just take off a 1/16" .I still use biscuits to edge join lumber .
For future workbench counter top material , find some marine grade or form grade 3/4" plywood , no voids within the laminations. I've used 3/4" MDF too, nice smooth surface ,no slivers or knots. Just make sure you countersink your screws holding it to the cabinet.
 
matt_m said:
By the way, before you are ready, start watching the classifieds options of your choice. Given patience you can often find good deals on woodworking equipment. A small planer from 15 years ago is probably a better machine than one made today. And if you are mechanically inclined, buying one that needs some refurbishment can be an even better deal.
Click to expand...
absolutely. I bought a 4 1/8" craftsman planer at a thrift store for $25 , needed new blades which were no longer sold by craftsman . I was going to have the originals sharpened but the guy that runs his sharpening business out of the ACE hardware was so backed up I just ordered a new set . I found a new custom set online that are thicker than originals. Decent price too. However, if you decide to change blades yourself , if you've never done it ,it can be a bit difficult to get them set/synced without a gauge. It can be done by adjusting the infeed table to flush with the blades ,an aluminum straight edge and a few trial runs. ALWAYS make sure its unplugged before you stick your fingers anywhere near it. Wear cut resistant gloves and take your time, those new blades are SHARP as razors.
 
BroomVikin said:
It turns out after asking almost all of my co-workers I've located a DeWalt planer that I can run each individual board through to start (24 of them). Seems like a flatter face will take glue better and make the clamping pressure much more uniform. There's also something kind of near me called a Maker Space. I'd never heard of it but apparently they have all sorts of equipment for various projects. 3D printers, laser engravers, welders, soldering irons, and what do you know a 26" Woodmaster planer. I think once I have it all glued up and trimmed to final length I'll go by there and run the whole thing through. Should save tons of time and sweat over either a router sled or hand planing. Thanks for all the ideas though.
Click to expand...
just a fyi, you dont have to clamp it like the Hulk ,just enough to get the individual boards to squeeze some glue out. Look at the cupping of the grain (end view) alternate those and alternate your clamps top and bottom on the panel, keeps it from bowing . DO NOT wipe the glue squeezings either,it'll likely smear it into the grain of the wood. Just let it dry and run a stiff putty knife or hand scraper over the well dried blobs afterwards.
 
Soulshine2 said:
You ripped 2x10s ...so you have 2x5s? or 1x10s ? If you went 1 x 10...Do you have a router and a straight edge you could use a sharp straight router bit and just run the edges to smooth em up before gluing. Is it pine ? Should be easy , just take off a 1/16" .I still use biscuits to edge join lumber .
For future workbench counter top material , find some marine grade or form grade 3/4" plywood , no voids within the laminations. I've used 3/4" MDF too, nice smooth surface ,no slivers or knots. Just make sure you countersink your screws holding it to the cabinet.
Click to expand...
2x5s. My plan is to glue them face-to-face in effect giving me a 5" thick bench top. Do that 16 times and the final product should be about 4¾" thick and 24" deep. I'm going by the Jay Bates plans.
 
That should make for a nice workbench top. Before planing, you might want to look into jointing one side to get a flat face then planing to get a paralllel face. If, for example the 2x5 has a twist, will still have one after coming out of the planer. There are designs out there for making a sled to accomplish the same thing with just a planer. Basically you put the board on the sled, shim to get it as close to level as it wants to be, then plan a flat face on it.

And yes, that's why it gets expensive...now you need a jointer and a planer :) Before I sold off all my woodworking equipment for a move from the country where I had a big separate shop to a subdivision where I have a shed and half the basement space I had one of the 12" jointer/planer combos which worked out nicely but that's not a cheap machine by any means.
 
If you're lucky to find a bowling alley being demo'd, you can make a fine workbench with 5 feet of one of the lanes. Much of a lane is maple (beginning and end of the lane). That's what you want. I've got a sweet bench made from this maple, with large poplar legs and a phat record vice on the front. I added Veritas popup dogs in the middle to hold work agains the vice.

I've trashed it pretty good over the years - it used to look like fine furniture.
 
I had to go find Jay Bates' videos to know who and what you're talking about. I actually built a work table similar to that one , I built my own "in table" vice with bench dogs as well. My table wasnt as thick as that , mostly a torsion frame as I suggested with a replaceable top made of 1/4 inch MDF and a tool pocket on the long side. The vice frame ,runners ,and bench dogs was made totally of red oak . I engineered my own screw vice mechanism just using a pipe T fitting ,a few large nuts with an oversized washer welded to it and drilled holes in that to mount the trolley part of the vice. It worked great. My biggest regret is when I got divorced I had to leave it there and my ex burned it up. Nice, huh?
The key is , when you're building that , make sure the floor you build it on is level . and install some heavy duty [drill an appropriate sized hole in the bottom of the legs and 3/8-1/2" carriage bolts (they have the square part by the head to put a wrench on)and t-nuts work great. ] leg levelers so when you move it to its actual working place, you can re-level it .
 
If you're going to face-glue 5" wide boards, then you will need to plane the face sides of the boards, prior to gluing. Don't bother jointing the edges until after you make the glue-up, as you will then need to plane the tabletop. No matter how diligent you are in gluing up the pieces, it will come out a little uneven.

I built a woodworker's bench using 2-1/2" wide 4/4 maple, face-glued like you are doing. Gluing 25+ boards all at once would've been unwieldy, so I did them in groups of 6-8, then glued those pieces together to make the full benchtop. I was able to get it fairly even, so only needed to plane off about 1/16" from the top. I didn't bother to plane the bottom side, as that's not visible anyway.

bench.jpg
 
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MaxStout said:
If you're going to face-glue 5" wide boards, then you will need to plan the face sides of the boards, prior to gluing. Don't bother jointing the edges until after you make the glue-up, as you will then need to plane the tabletop. Now matter how diligent you are in gluing up the pieces, it will come out a little uneven.

I built a woodworker's bench using 2-1/2" wide 4/4 maple, face-glued like you are doing. Gluing 25+ boards all at once would've been unwieldy, so I did them in groups of 6-8, then glued those pieces together to make the full benchtop. I was able to get it fairly even, so only needed to plane off about 1/16" from the top. I didn't bother to plane the bottom side, as that's not visible anyway.

View attachment 616089
Click to expand...
nice cabinet, nice work
 
Just food for thought, in my shop stuff gets spilled/nicked/dinged, etc. I made my top out of laminated MDF with a health coating of urethane. I built the substructure so I could easily replace the top of I needed. Benefit is it was dead nuts flat to begin with. Drilled dog holes and installed a vice. The urethane made for easy cleanups, and dripped glue peels right off. It is more of an "assembly" table, not a "woodworkers" bench. But my back benches are made the same way.
 
BroomVikin said:
I can find handheld planers all day but that's not exactly what I think I need.
Click to expand...


Hand joiner planes and jack planes would do the trick. They'd take longer, but if your buying quality planes they'll still be more expensive than talking with a local cabinet or furniture shop.
 
Look for a "Tool Library" in your area, with a small annual fee it works just like a book library. They not only lend tools (No rental) usually for up to 7 days at a time but allow you to use their workspace and most often have someone around with enough knowledge to help either with ideas or suggestions. My sons and I use this one in MN and for me a good option for those one off project vs. renting or purchasing. Things like a planer or tile saw are what i have used them for.

https://www.mntoollibrary.org/
 

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