Everyone who more or less encountered the manufacture of building joinery very soon came to the conclusion that it was necessary to have at least a primitive thicknessing machine at hand. Without it, it is extremely difficult and time-consuming to obtain blanks calibrated in thickness, in addition, the process takes a lot of time.

It’s not always affordable to buy a ready-made thicknessing machine for industrial production, prices “bite”, so many craftsmen “” come to the decision to make. There are many designs, I bring to your attention the following design of the thicknesser machine.

Making a thickness gauge with your own hands

The frame and table of the machine are welded, made of a corner of 50 * 50 mm and a square pipe of 40 * 40 mm, large sizes can also be used, extra massiveness will only increase the stability of the machine and reduce vibration during operation.

The next mandatory structural element is the knife shaft. It is better to purchase it ready-made, along with axle boxes, since home-made shafts are far from always well balanced. In the above version, a three-hundred-millimeter shaft for three knives is taken. The pulleys of the shaft and the engine must be taken as stepped in order to be able to select the optimal shaft speed, in the range of 4000-7000 rpm.

For a given shaft size, an asynchronous motor with a power of 4-5 kW is quite suitable, there is no need to use large pulleys, in addition, an engine of such power can be started using known methods and.

Pressure rollers must be machined or taken ready-made from the squeeze of old Soviet washing machines. The frame of each roller is welded, mounted on spring-loaded bolts on one side, a piece of tie rod with a pin from Moskvich was used to mount the other. As operating experience shows, it is a good idea to use two such mounts on one roller. The springs are taken from truck engine valves.

Unfortunately, in this embodiment, the supply of blanks is manual. In the future, there is a desire to apply mechanical.

The table is mounted on adjusting bolts. To avoid the need to adjust each, the bolts are provided with welded-on bicycle sprockets connected by a chain.

For the manufacture of a woodworking planer machine, it took: a welding machine, a grinder, a drill, a drilling and a lathe.

Good luck and successful technical solutions ..

Do-it-yourself thicknesser: drawings

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In the woodworking industry, it is difficult to do without modern carpentry equipment, with the help of which timber and boards are processed, giving their sides a perfectly flat surface. For these purposes, a planer is designed that can cope with large-area products.

A do-it-yourself thickness gauge is lightweight, so it is easy to install it or, after removing it as unnecessary, transport it to another place. It has a simple adjustment, is easy to operate and provides a high quality surface finish.

Highlights of the manufacture of woodworking equipment

At the design stage of the planer machine, the configuration of the future equipment is determined. In factory models, the feed is carried out by the upper rollers, which requirethe correct setting of the rotation speed, which is difficult to do at home. Homemade designs, on the contrary, should be extremely simple. To facilitate the process of their manufacture, they refuse to automatically feed the workpiece for its processing and take jointers as the basis - another type of woodworking tool.

In addition, the following characteristics of the future planer should be provided:

• The ability to change the position of the support table, which is necessary to adjust its height relative to the cutting shaft.
• Choice of processing tool. The best solution is to use spare parts from the old factory model that have the required technical parameters.
• The presence of a stable frame. During the operation of the equipment, vibration inevitably appears, therefore, in order to increase the quality of processing, it is necessary to reduce its impact on the workpieces being processed.

To implement the tasks set, they draw up the correct scheme, taking as a basis the drawings of factory models, ready-made technical solutions. Be sure to take into account the experience of manufacturing home-made thicknessing machines, as well as the dimensions, thickness, type of wood of the workpieces being processed.

Manufacture of the bed and installation of parts

If you have the necessary tools and materials, the assembly of thicknessing equipment for wood will not take much time. You will need:

• lathe for the manufacture of rollers, pulleys;
• drilling machine or drill, for making holes in fasteners;
• welding machine for assembling the feed table, bed;
• grinder for cutting, fitting structural parts to the required size.

There are many options for how to make a thickness gauge with your own hands, but the optimal dimensions for a home-made device should not exceed 1x1 meter. These parameters allow you to process workpieces of any size, while the product is mobile and it will be convenient to rearrange it, transport it to another place. The equipment is located in such a way as to provide access from all sides.

If stationary use is planned, then in order to exclude the manifestation of excessive vibration in the future, the frame is concreted, fixed with anchor bolts.

First of all, according to pre-drawn drawings, the frame is assembled. To give the structure the necessary rigidity, an iron corner 50x50 mm is taken, in its absence, a profile square pipe 40x40 mm.

The marked elements of the bed are cut using a grinder with an abrasive wheel. Having laid them out of the blue, they are assembled according to the scheme and the frame is welded. Mark the holes for attaching the removable parts and, using a drill, drill them.

Having completed the welding work, they begin to install the shafts: knife, pressure, feed. To obtain high quality products, it is better to purchase a fully assembled knife shaft or ready-made knives for a thicknesser. If possible, the pressure rollers are made from manual laundry squeezers from old washing machines, the rubberized surface of which will gently but firmly hold the workpieces on the desktop.

It is preferable to install gear pulleys for the motor, shafts, which will allow the use of a chain transmission, which is distinguished by a high degree of reliability. An asynchronous electric motor with a power of 4–5 kW is chosen as the engine. A schematic diagram of the location of parts is shown in the figure:

1 - worktable for feeding, issuing a workpiece; 2 - wood blank; 3 - safety device; 4 - feeding upper roller with a corrugated surface; 5 - front clamp; 6 - knife shaft; 7 - rear clamp; 8 - feeding upper roller with a smooth surface; 9 - lower smooth shaft

The table base consists of rear and front parts, which are fixed on prepared adjusting devices. With the help of them, the height of the table and the position of the workpiece being processed are changed. Before starting work, be sure to check the location of the knives, the reliability of fastening and the correct sharpening.

Equipment setup

The setting is carried out as follows. The support rollers (8) are lowered below the level of the table (10), and the tabletop itself is so low that the pre-treated wooden block laid on it passes freely under the knife shaft. Slowly raise the table while turning the shaft until it touches the surface of the bar. At the moment of contact with the upper face of the knife shaft, the positions of the table are fixed.

Having lowered the working surface by 0.3 mm, the bar is moved under the rear clamp (3), which is adjusted with screws (2), trying to get the touch of the template. It is additionally lowered by 0.7 mm (total 1 mm from the initial level) and a measuring stamp is placed under the front clamp (5), the height of which is set by adjusting screws (6) until the bar touches.

Lowering the working surface by another 0.5 (1.5 mm from the initial level), adjust the rear pressure roller (1). Continuing to lower by 0.5 mm, using a measuring template, change the height of the corrugated feed roller (7). Lowering another millimeter, the measuring template is placed under the claw protection and the height is adjusted until it touches. At the end, the support rollers are exposed above the table surface.

Machining a workpiece that is not pressed simultaneously by both shafts is prohibited!

Depending on the model of woodworking equipment, the setting dimensions may vary. Starting the processing of softwood, the difference in the height of the pressure rollers is set within 0.3 mm, for hardwood - 0.1 mm. When planing blanks, it is important to observe safety precautions, so you can not:

• place hands near moving and rotating mechanisms;
• to clean during work;
• repair live parts.

To prevent the possibility of electric shock, the equipment must be grounded. Before turning on, be sure to check the serviceability of all mechanisms.

Woodworking tool from an electric planer

It is this option for manufacturing a thicknessing machine at home in many cases that craftsmen prefer in the presence of an electric planer. The cost of refinement while maintaining the principle of operation will be minimal, but the result is no worse than when using expensive equipment. Instead of a table, an even powerful board is installed, on its sides there are width limiters, on which the main assembly is attached. An electric planer is mounted on a base with a variable height.

The rear support metal plate on the planer is changed to one made independently from OSB, large-sized plywood. The thickness is chosen in such a way as to obtain the same level with respect to the front plate, which regulates the chip clearance of 1-3 mm. The width of the working table and the base plate must be equal to each other.

On the side of the plate, the rails for attaching the legs of the desired height are screwed. Since the standard for the width of the knives is 8.2 cm, the thickness of the planer of processed workpieces, such as timber, should not exceed 10 cm, and the center distance of the legs should not exceed 11–12 cm. Therefore, their length will be 14–16 cm, the width is above 3.5 cm , and the thickness is 1 cm. They are fixed at the same distance from the edge of the plate.

A pre-assembled clamping device with an electric planer is installed on a working base, placing the attachment points strictly according to the level. This is necessary for parallel movement relative to the working surface and guarantees the necessary accuracy of processing with a home-made machine. If it is required to ensure the clamping of the working tool, then use spring ties, a rubber band.

This is the most affordable option for manufacturing a thicknessing machine. Of course, such a tool can hardly be considered complete, but the principle of operation and the end result make it suitable for performing simple operations at home.

"How to make a thickness gauge with your own hands?" - this question, perhaps, is asked by every second master who works with wood. With this device, you can easily give any planed board an attractive appearance.

With a regular need for processing wooden surfaces, you should think about using a thicknesser - it will significantly reduce time costs.

The purpose of the thicknessing machine

These devices are designed for planing various wood blanks, for example: shields, small bars or boards. Thickness gauges are used in almost every woodworking enterprise. The main purpose of these machines is to produce workpieces of equal thickness, height and width. In addition, thickness gauges are widely used in construction. For example, in one pass the machine is able to process wide boards. The main difference between industrial devices and domestic ones is the small dimensions of the machine and lightweight design. It is worth noting that modern thicknessing structures are endowed with a lightweight system for changing working knives and improved control over the depth of cut. This allows more precise control of chip thickness.

Remember that before working with the machine, it is necessary to process the workpiece on a jointer. If you work with non-standard materials, such as polymers or plastics, you need to use thicknessers with rubberized rollers. This type of machine will minimize the risk of damage to the workpiece.

With the help of sectional shafts, products of various thicknesses can be easily fed into the thickness gauge. On a homemade machine, it will not work to plan thin workpieces. This is due to the fact that vibrations occur during operation, which subsequently negatively affect the quality of the wood surface. It is believed that the smallest length of the workpiece should be 10-12 cm longer than the distance between the rear and front feed rollers. If you want to mill a short material, you need to fix it tightly to the base. Nowadays, there are special devices with which even wedge-shaped workpieces can be processed.

The indicator that shows the cut of the thickness gauge in one pass is called the depth of cut. As a rule, it is about 2-3 mm. The performance of a home-made thicknessing machine is greatly influenced by its power. For domestic purposes, 1.9 kW is enough. Machines with a power of more than 1.8 kW are perfect for planing hardwood (spruce, pear, oak).

What is the design of thicknessing machines

Depending on the design features, the following types of thicknessers are distinguished:

1. Unilateral. On such equipment, planing can only be done from the top side.
2. Double-sided. With the help of such machines, both the upper and lower sides can be planed.
3. Multiknife. Most often used in industry for planing workpieces of complex configuration.

The most common thicknessing machine is one-sided.

It is quite simple to operate. The table for such a machine is covered with one plate, which must be polished with high quality. In addition, the single-sided thicknesser is not equipped with a guide ruler. In addition to the horizontal table, this machine is equipped with a milling cutter, which consists of several knives and an automatic feed system.

To make a thickness gauge from an electric planer, you will need a planer, bars and plywood.

The bed for a one-sided thicknessing machine must be solid and hollow. It is best if it is made of cast iron. As a support roller, you can use a metal corner with dimensions of 100x100 mm. Its length should not exceed 1000 mm for safety reasons. The support table must be fixed with bolts or clamps. The table is moved using a special lifting mechanism.

The design of the thicknesser also includes a knife shaft. Usually it is placed above the table. The workpiece is fed by two pairs of rollers, the first of which is located in front of the knife shaft, the second behind the roller. The lower shafts should be installed immediately below the upper ones. The torque of the rollers is obtained by gearing.

The lower shafts are needed so that the workpiece is easier to enter the knives. If the rollers are set too high, the planing quality will be greatly reduced. This is due to excessive vibration during operation.

It is customary to make the front shaft of the thicknesser corrugated. This is done to better grip the wood blank. However, the top rear shaft must be perfectly smooth.

If you want to simultaneously plan materials with different thicknesses, you need to insert a sectional shaft into the thicknesser machine. With it, you can significantly increase the productivity of the machine. Hangers should be placed in front of the corrugated shaft. They are needed to prevent the workpiece from flying out of the machine.

As a cutting tool, in addition to the cutter, you can use a smooth drum. It can be machined from aluminum or hardwood. On one of the ends of the drum, make a groove for the nut. On the side, you need to make a longitudinal trapezoidal groove. It is needed to attach the skin.

How to make a thicknessing machine at home

First of all, you must prepare the following materials:

1. Corner 50x50.
2. Knife shaft.
3. Motor pulleys and shaft.
4. Asynchronous motor with a power of 4-5 kW.
5. Pressure rollers.
6. Adjusting bolts.
7. nuts.
8. Springs.
9. Shafts.
10. Washers.
11. cutter.
12. Hollow frame and table.

In addition to materials, prepare the following tools:

1. Welding machine.
2. Drill.
3. Lathe.
4. Bulgarian.
5. Drilling machine.

After you prepare the materials and tools, you should choose the best place to place the thickness gauge. It is desirable that the surface under the machine is flat to eliminate the possibility of vibrations during operation. The frame and desktop for the machine are best made welded. For their manufacture, you need a corner 50x50 mm and a square pipe 40x40 mm. You can take materials and large dimensions, but remember that the excessive weight of the machine will cause vibration.

The next element to be made is the knife shaft. It is best to purchase it ready-made, as home-made ones are often poorly balanced. The engine pulley and shaft are better to take stepped. Its revolutions should be no more than 6500 revolutions per minute. For the shaft, an asynchronous motor with a power of 4-5 kW will also do. The pressure rollers can be machined on a lathe. It is best to weld the frame and fix the bolts on one side of it, on the other you can use a piece of tie rod from the old VAZ. The table must be installed on the adjusting bolts.

If this method is too complicated for you, you can make a thickness gauge with your own hands from an electric planer. First of all, decide on the dimensions of the machine. In addition, choose a place for attaching the stud to the thickness gauge from the electric planer. Do not install it exactly in the middle of the case. It is best to place the hairpin between the front and rear handles. Thus, it will be more convenient to work with the machine. The pin should be as mobile as possible. To do this, place a bearing in the upper part of the housing, and a plate in the middle.

Planer guides are best made from wooden blocks. The plane of the machine must be designed in such a way that it is not immediately below the electric planer.

1. Types and design of the surface gage
2. Essential elements
3. Step by step build process

Thicknessing is the final, finishing planing method. The jointer performs a rough process, after which grinding is carried out. Thicknessing machine for one pass removes chips from a wide board with an accuracy of a millimeter.

There are massive industrial designs and compact household ones, suitable for work in small workshops.

According to the drawings from the Internet, you can independently assemble a small, mobile thicknessing machine.

Types and design of the surface gage

• unilateral,
• bilateral,
• multiknife.

A single-sided woodworking tool only planes workpieces from the top side. Bilateral sample - from top and bottom. Multiknife machines have three or more knives in their design and are suitable for processing sawn timber of complex configuration.

The article discusses how to assemble a one-sided tool from an electric planer.

Essential elements

The table of a one-sided machine is a solid, polished plate. The guide line is missing. There is a milling cutter, an automatic feed system responsible for clamping and pulling the board.

For industrial samples, height adjustment is possible, there is protection against reverse motion of the workpiece. Unit bed with a one-piece cast structure, in most cases made of cast iron. The role of the support table is performed by a metal corner, fixed with clamps or bolts. Above the table is a knife shaft. The workpiece is fed by means of paired rollers. Some of them are in front of the knife shaft, others are behind it.

The lower shafts must be installed strictly under the upper elements, they are driven by a gear train. To improve traction with the material, the front shaft has a corrugated surface.

Assembly materials and tools

Required:

• electric planer;
• plywood with a thickness of at least 15 mm;
• wooden planks with a section of 15 x 15 mm;
• wooden beam with a section of 25 x 25 mm;
• drive sprockets (4 pcs.);
• chain for a bicycle;
• washers of different sizes, threaded screws;
• screws, nuts;
• sockets for screws (4 pcs.).

It is necessary to prepare an electric jigsaw, corner, ruler, screwdriver, keys, screwdrivers, the size of which depends on the fasteners.

Step by step build process

The base is made from a sheet of plywood by cutting a rectangle 400 x 500 mm. Then they make fasteners for the stand of the electric planer. All parts of the structure are assembled together with screws. Then they proceed to mount the main element of the unit - a working attachment with an electric planer.

A platform for the cutting mechanism is being built. In its center, with the help of a jigsaw, a technological hole is formed, exactly repeating the shape of the planer. The electric planer is fixed with clamps and screws.

A lifting mechanism is assembled from threaded screws and drive sprockets. To do this, long screws with a large thread are placed in the corners. Screws fix the cutting depth.

The platform is installed on stands. All connections are fixed with screws. The scheme for laying the electrical cable is determined. It must not be damaged during the processing of wood.

The homemade tool is supplied with a handle for adjusting the platform in height. To do this, use a long threaded screw. The resulting thickness gauge is tightened with nuts and washers. To prevent the planer from falling off the seat, one of the screws is drilled through. This ensures that the nut is tightly clamped.

The final stage is the assembly of the machine, the installation of a measuring bar and an indicator. A ruler is usually used as a measuring bar that allows you to determine the thickness of lumber.

In recent years, one of the most popular types of mechanisms for woodworking is a thicknessing machine. It is used both in industrial production and in the household. In order to facilitate the process of planing blank materials, you need to buy a unit or make it yourself.

What is the purpose of the screed machine?

Its main purpose is to plan a wood blank over the entire thick surface of the material. The machine easily processes boards, paving products, and also from boards, successfully adjusting the material to the desired size in one run (and not in several walkers, as happens with a jointer).

There are some types of thicknessers that do an excellent job with plastic products, as well as some other polymer materials.

The main indicator of the work of a modern thicknessing machine is the ability to penetrate deeply into the workpiece. As a rule, it does not exceed one to three millimeters. Many units of our days are able to process the width of the product even by 30 - 330 mm.

Currently, there are such types of surface gauges as:

1. With one working side.
2. With two working sides.
3. Combining many functions.

The main feature of the mechanism with one working side is the ability to plan the workpiece surface only from the top side, while the units with two working sides are equipped with two shafts for cutting the product - from the top and bottom sides, this makes it possible to process both sides of the part at the same time.

Components of the planer unit:

• bed base;
• shaft with a cutting section;
• working surface of the table;
• springs for clamping operating mechanisms;
• billet rollers and means of their supply for surface treatment.

The frame of the unit is always made of complex cast iron alloys for industrial volumes, but at the domestic level, frames based on light metals such as aluminum are used.

The table on which the base for the bed is fixed cannot be less than one meter in length (this is the main requirement to comply with safety regulations). Single sided units have a fixed worktable surface, while double sided units can be easily adjusted in height.

The main working mechanism is considered to be a knife surface for processing the product, while at least one to four edges are installed on the machine for cutting the surface of products. The edges wear out fairly quickly and need to be replaced frequently. Two pairs of special ones are driven by an electric motor and are responsible for feeding the product with an automatic system.

How to make the right choice in favor of a thicknesser machine?

At home, it is best to choose a unit that is capable of rotating the shaft at least ten thousand revolutions per minute, and also having a power of 1.8 kW. It is this power that makes it possible to qualitatively process products with a solid surface.

The best weight of a machine with a thickness gauge for home use is 25-40 kg, although there are many mechanisms on the market with a weight of 10 kg or more. In real practice, it is not very convenient to use them, because equipment with such weight categories is not intended for industrial scale.

How to make a thicknesser machine with your own hands - step by step instructions

In conditions where it is not possible to purchase a multifunctional unit, they usually resort to the need to make do-it-yourself thicknessing machines for wood. But even made at home, they perfectly match the specified parameters. Thus, in household use, a home-made thicknessing machine is used extremely rarely and instead they try to use a standard mechanism.

If there is very little money, then the best option is to make a unit based on an electric planer. To implement this action, the following parts are used:

1. Stationary part. It is made from a metal alloy with a width of at least 40-60 mm. In this case, an important point is the use of hexagonal rods with spacer bushings.
2. Extended rollers. In this case, rubber rollers from a used washing machine will also work. Mandatory requirement: bore for bearings and fix the mechanism on the axles. The length of the axes depends only on the length of the desktop surface. The best diameter is no more than 20 mm.
3. For the production of the desktop use lump plywood. It is covered with a sheet of zinc, the minimum thickness is 1 mm, but before work, the board must be covered with a protective agent.
4. The coating used to protect the desktop is usually no more than 1-2 mm thick and is fixed at the bottom of the profile corner.

Most planers manufactured in the factory have a special support plate. Thus, in order to attach it to the base of the machine for the thicknesser, you should not be very difficult.

The lower part of the plate must be equipped with a corner; it has a length of at least 5 mm. For proper regulation of homemade products, it is necessary to resort to an axis with a helical surface, but there are other equipment options.

For the production of a thicknessing machine of this kind, you will have to lay out finances:

• About 10 thousand rubles need to be spent on an electric planer bought in a specialized center.
• About 3 thousand will have to be laid out on a metal profile.
• Another trifle, as well as bearings and studs, will cost another 3 thousand.

It is important to understand that the power of the mechanism depends only on the components of the electric chopping tool. But this design is far from safe, it does not have any devices that would block the reverse movement of the workpiece under the influence of work. If fragments and shavings fly from the board, then only a screen tin slider that is no more than 3 mm thick can save you.

For budget buyers, the following unit models are provided:

1. Universal mechanical thicknessing unit BBK 5906 costing from 14,000 rubles. Its main functions: circulation and jointing with a one-sided thickness gauge. The drive power is not more than 2 kW, the cutting shaft rotates at a speed of about 8000 rpm. Penetration in one pass - 3 mm.
2. A woodworking unit with a thicknessing nozzle, number BBK 5904. Estimated cost - 20,000-24,000 rubles. Equipped with a more powerful electric motor.

The device can easily replace many components:

• milling mechanism;
• saw for trimming;
• saw for circulation;
• jointer mechanism;
• grinding machine.

For industrial production, the above machines are not suitable, the best choice is the Stoman DMS-41 model. The average price is not less than 220,000 rubles. Most often, this unit is used in workshops for wood processing.

This model has in its structure a shaft with four shafts, with an average diameter of at least 1 dm. For a minute develops speed up to 5000 revolutions. The built-in drive collects power up to 3 kW. DMS-41 and its analogues easily process workpieces with a thickness of 4-220 mm. The device removes at least 4 mm of its surface from the product.

Video: do-it-yourself thicknesser.

It is best not to save money and not sell cheap on dubious Chinese analogues of units of this type, because savings of 30-40% will come back to haunt you later. Main reasons:

1. Most Chinese machines today are disposable.
2. Insufficient number of components for Chinese machine models.
3. Difficulties in finding a specialist in Russia who could repair a Chinese machine.

Advantages of Russian-made mechanisms:

• spare parts for machines are always available in any quantity;
• a drive belt can be purchased for 200 rubles;
• belt replacement is carried out no more than once a year.

The best manufacturers of woodworking thicknessers today:

1. Anchor.
2. Kraton.
3. Makita.
4. Interskol.
5. Jet.