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I think it could be adapted to a drum sander. I use a similar sled for radiusing my fingerboards. You would not need tape either. just put a layer of sandpaper along guide and a stop on the end for added safety. My sander is 22" wide, so I could put maybe 8 slots in. I could use different lateral placements of sled to avoid hitting same locations on paper. It might take two passes on each side. I guess I could make the tilted guides on the table saw. What you all think? Pine is soft, 80 grit is enough I think.

Curious, what angle is the guide?

I've never experienced sniping with thin stuff.

Yes it would likely work. I cut the angle guides on the table saw running the stock through vertically as to maintain the slick melamine surface, not something you will be worried about with a sled. I used to use a similar sled to radius my fretboards also, and if I wasn't paying attention I'd snipe the last 2" on the way out (I'm now using my cnc for this). If I was going your route I'd swap the configuration and place the fence on the right and the angle guide on the left, maintaining the angle front to back on the jig. This will cause the drum to force the material up against the fence during the operation also distributing wear across the drum/abrasive surface. The angles I used are 8° first pass, 16° on the second, using a 1/4" X 5/8" piece of brace stock. 1/4" X 5/8" is my standard brace for everything but my UFB.

Cheers,M

Well, it looks like I will be building your sled. Right after I got off this site, I went to FaceBook Market Place and found a Dewalt 735 that had just been listed (like 2 hours ago). $300. Had to drive 30 miles to go see it. It was in perfect, hardly ever used shape. Bought it. How lucky was that?

I am wondering given the depth of cut considerations how you take as much off on a single pass as you do. I will go to Lowes tomorrow and get some melamine.

Cool! Way to save a couple a hundred!

The capacity of the your new planer is 1/8" per pass. I'm taking 3/32" per pass/side leaving approximately 1/16 at the top of the triangle. 3/32"*2+1/16"=1/4"

M

Thanks! Could you please specify thickness of your guides? I also noticed your guides were slightly canted to feed direction. Also, some bracing is thicker than others. How do you adjust?

The wood guides are 1/4" X 5/8". The canted guides are 8° and 16°, are approximately 3/4" wide and tapering to zero. The guides run the full length of the base. The base is the same width as the space between the guide rails on the planer. The length runs the full length of the infeed/outfeed tables plus a couple inches for the jig stop. All of my bracing starts out at 1/4" X 5/8" with the exception of UFB which starts out at 5/16" X 7/8".

If you want to make a wider/taller brace, start with a wider/taller piece and simply raise the planer cutter head.

M

Got it. Thanks

Oh, and set the guides about 10° to starboard. This will cause the feed rollers to force the braces into the fences.

I knew there had to be a reason for the angle I noticed in ur jig

One more thing. How long is ur base? And how do you bond strips to melamine? Don’t use it much

One more thing. How long is ur base? And how do you bond strips to melamine? Don’t use it much

I don't use it much either. Run it the full length of the infeed/outfeed tables plus a couple inch for the stop. I used medium CA to glue the guides.

Don't have infeed outfeed tables yet. CA? Never would have guessed that.

Holy crap Michael, that silly thing is LOUD!!!

Wait till you connect a dust collector.... 18-20" would likely do for the base.

Thanks!

So, yesterday, I made a new brace profiling jig/fixture based on the one Michael uses in his planer. I have a drum sander not a planer, so mine is a sled that carries the brace under the sanding drum. Just like his, the brace is placed in the left side first. It's sanded down to taste, then flipped end-for-end, and placed on the right side of the sled to sand the other side. I tested it out today on some scrap fir and it worked great. No need for sandpaper on the angled strips. The brace stays put just fine. Definitely slower than Michael's planer, but a good deal faster and simpler to use than the two-piece jig I have been using. Thanks, Michael!

_________________
Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

If you have a tablesaw you can make a simple jig to angle the tops of the braces by dadoing a foot long piece of scrap with a dado the size of the brace, then angle the blade and cut into the dado at the appropriate point. This becomes the jig you clamp to the fence and you push the strips through, first one way and then the other. You can feed the braces in one behind the other. This jig is similar to the one for making triangular kerfed linings.

Nice job. You proved the point. I'm a little embarrassed that I did not follow through. Guess I was looking for an excuse to buy the planer I always wanted. Lol

Now, how will you put the radius in the bottom?

I use a radius template to mark the brace, tilt the table on my 6" X 48" sander to 8° which matches the bevel on the brace, and sand to the line.

Hot dang! You're chalk full of good ideas! I've been using a radius template to mark the brace, then removing the bulk of the unwanted wood with the band saw, and then sanding to the final radius in the radius dish. I'll try the sander approach on the next set of braces.

_________________
Once in a while you get shown the light in the strangest of places if you look at it right - Robert Hunter

The only rub is that laying say a 15' radius template against a pre-beveled brace changes the final radius once cut. The problem increases with an increase in bevel angle. My brace bevel is 8° so the radius change is tiny and I don't worry about the difference. Anyway you may want to check your results against your dish. Actually come to think of it the plate also changes the radius. Something around 14'-11-7/8" on the brace side? Once again a tiny difference.

M

Not that much m a big fan of radiusing with a dish, but why would that not work as well? I really want a better, faster way of doing that.

Finally got it put together. Works great. Thank you!!

Have to also add that I really like that planer. Speeds up brace making. I bought some routers (nice ones), some bits and a nice Dewalt Circular Saw off the fellow who sold me the planer. Sold all that stuff. Net cost for planer was $125. Happy dance.