Hey everyone! I've got a 6" jointer and a 12" planer, and I recently built a simple planer sled using some melamine shelving. It worked decently for a project, but after a week in my garage, it warped and now doesn't sit flat. I'm considering just buying a pre-made sled instead of dealing with the hassle of cutting MDF or melamine, but I'm curious if anyone knows of a good product out there. Alternatively, I could cut my wider boards in half to fit my jointer and then glue them back together, which might retain board thickness and avoid ugly grain. What do you all think? Should I stick with the sled idea or go for the jointer approach?
1 Answer
I generally cut my boards down to fit my jointer, but I still keep a planer sled for thinner pieces. I've made mine with decent quality 3/4" plywood, which makes it more stable. Also, I use it as a tapering jig and for jointing before I bought my jointer. So it's definitely useful!
Do you find that cutting the boards affects the appearance because of the inconsistent grain? Or do you just go for complementary patterns?