Ask the Staff

Question:

I have a piece of wood I'd like to salvage. It is about 24" x 6" and varies from 1/2" thick at one end to about 5/8" thick at the other. What is the easiest way to mill this to 1/2" from end to end? I have a 13" bench planer, a 6" jointer, band saw, table saw, routers and the usual hand tools. My hand planes are not well tuned, and I have no experience using them. I'd appreciate any suggestions you have.

Thanks, Bill Thomas

Answer:

Bill,

Thanks for the question.

The best way for you to dimension this piece of wood to the final 1/2" thickness is to use your 13" planer. This does come with a caveat. You need to make sure your board has one flat side. Since your board is 6" wide, you can use your jointer to flatten one side and then begin to work your way to the 1/2" thickness on the planer.

Give it a try - it will work like a charm!

Thanks for your question!

Sam Rieder
Highland Woodworking

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