Safe T Planer--again

[Kevin cConlon]

Sorry to bring up an old chestnut here but I finally got hold of a safe T planer on line and it will be arriving shortly, I now see where some people use a sanding disc attached in some way to this planer and was wondering where I could get hold of one . I had a look already but there's very little info. 

Thanks in advance

Rusty

[Frank Ford]

Never heard of that.  Roy Noble made a similar-sized drill press sanding disc and LMI had them in their catalog for a while.  It was a simple acrylic disc mounted on a shaft, and it worked pretty  well with sticky-backed sandpaper.

[Thomas James]

Is this what you need?  Page bottom:

http://www.lmii.com/products/tools-services/specialty-tools/wagner-...

[Kevin cConlon]

Thanks Frank and Thomas James

Yes, Thats what I had in mind--just wondering if it will fit the one i bought though. Mine is The Safe- T- Planer and is a copy of the original I think.     http://www.ebay.com/itm/NEW-DRILL-PRESS-SAFETY-WOOD-PLANER-REPLACEM...

I might try that LMI sander --looks nice

[Frank Ford]

Ah, so.  I hadn't seen that one.  Roy's tool was a dedicated disc with its own shaft. Naturally it would be safer and far less aggressive, so it would also be much slower.

[Hesh Breakstone]

The Safety-Planer works very well but unfortunately the "safety" part of the product name can be misleading....

Years ago I was thicknessing a bridge blank and the planer caught an edge and launched it right into my face...  More specifically it hit me right in the mouth and reminded me of my younger, scrappier days but sadly there was no one else in the shop to punch back....

What's more interesting is that when I shared my accident with others on another forum I was not the only victim of the safety-planer and it's tendency to launch projectiles into unintended regions of one's body.  At least several accidents with this device where also brought up and posted at that time.

As such be sure to wear eye protection, a face shield is better..., an athletic cup might be a good idea as well...

[Frank Ford]

You can cut yourself quite well with a safety razor, you betcha.  BUT, it IS a SAFETY razor compared to the classic straight razor with which you can easily sever the ol' carotid.

Just so with the the Wagner Saf-T-Planer.  Compared to other items of earlier design (commonly known as flycutters) it is truly safe.  The major big deal is that it can't suck the piece up into the rotating cutter because it cuts only on the periphery and even there it only takes tiny bites, so it can only grab and throw with minimal (comparative, of course) force.  I had a single blade Sears version that was a major danger - the minute I first tried it I was certain I'd die the next time.

Got a death wish?  Check this out:

Craftsman Planer Attachment on eBay

[Mark A. Kane]

The operative phrase in the ad:

"Bought it used but have not used it
Appears to have had very little use". 

Says volumes.

[Kevin cConlon]

I will keep you guys posted on how I get on with it but thanks for the heads up on the safety aspect. 

Rusty

[Mark Pollock]

The thing spins in a counter-intuitive way - until I aligned correctly, it really wanted to tear out and kick back. Once I got the hang of sending work through the correct way, it seemed to really calm down.

There are some videos on YouTube about using the thing, and the hints that Stew-Mac used to have available were also very helpful. Kevin, you should really look the videos up.

The best help for me, though, is using it in conjunction with a milling vise, so that my work is perfectly clamped to the table. I just ease the piece into the cutter, and hear a whisper cutting sound. No loose parts to send flying, and very little chance of injury IF I AM PAYING ATTENTION. And yeah, I agree that a facemask is still a good idea.

[Kevin cConlon]

Thanks for that Mark. Now I'm looking forward to trying it out as I dont have a thickness planer and from what I can gather it may be just as well not to use a thickness planer on certain woods anyway . I have ziricote and ovangkol to get started and  ebony for the fingerboard. Should be fun !!

[Robbie Collins]

As a disdainful friend once said to me (with a single arched eyebrow) "you're not drilling without clamping, are you?"