I put the planer to the test this morning and took about a 1/4″ off of this entire stack of wood. It worked beautifully. I first set up a roller stand to catch the feed coming out of the planer but started getting planer marks at the end of the board, especially of there was a slight bow to the wood. I seemed to get better results if I would catch the wood by hand. Have you had any problems with that?
I filled up the entire dust collecter bag with woodchips. It was empty when I started! I wonder if sawdust can be put in compost bags? Either that or I wonder if you can send it to a MDF factory?
Dave Says:
January 13th, 2007 at 11:21 amVisit Dave
Call me when you figure that problem out! I have three yard waste bags full of the stuff! I did call around a month or so ago, and there are places in Portland you can take wood waste for composting. I called our garbage company, and they pointed me to a couple of private companies.
You can compost it yourself if you have enough other stuff to mix it with, but there are some woods that are not good for plants. I think walnut is one of them. I hook my dust collector up to the table saw, too, so there is MDF/plywood dust in my mix as well, so I’ve not been too eager to mix it with compost that might make its way into my tomatoes and thus, my dinner. I have used it in ornamental plant beds, though.
Dave Says:
January 13th, 2007 at 11:28 amVisit Dave
Also, I noticed you’re planing in the basement. How does Brandy feel about the noise? The planer is probably my loudest tool, though the big router does give it a run for its money.
Derek Andrews Says:
January 13th, 2007 at 1:50 pmVisit Derek Andrews
You may want to invest in a cyclone seperator to dump the chips in a garbage bin rather than the dust collector.
If your local authority does a compost collection, I am sure that they will take woodchips. You might also find pet owners could use them if you stick to species known to be non-toxic. One use I put them to is cat litter.
Gabe Says:
January 13th, 2007 at 2:53 pmVisit Gabe
My Dad loaned me a kerosene jet heater but the fumes give me a headache even with the door cracked open.
So I have been working down in the basement when ever I can. We have had a sudden change in temp and it has been getting as low as single digits. I still have to go out to the garage to use the table saw but man does that thing work great running on 220. I can blow through anything and it does not even dim the lights!
I asked Brandy if the noise from the planer bothered her. She said it was not that bad. I think she is still happy because I got the kitchen tiled!
Derek Andrews Says:
January 14th, 2007 at 4:39 amVisit Derek Andrews
I would recommend anyone who is building a workshop and buying machines that need any amount of power to wire for 220V and get machines that can be run off of it. It is probably much easier on the motors to run with more volts and less amps than vice versa.
Scott Says:
January 15th, 2007 at 12:36 amVisit Scott
We had the (supposed) same kerosene jet heater at the office for A-Pie when I worked there. Great heat, not real functional. The fumes, sound, and no aspect of heat control make it a big dud for practicality.