Pic of a DIY jig to flatten off tree rounds

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Biker

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Saw this photo just now and figured those of us with a pretty extensive powertool kit might look at this with interest. Just think of the potential Rustic themed stuff that could be made.

Hope it's of some interest.

8e37ca4e9f3713cd623c8114269667a4.jpg
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
Interesting. Problem being of course that neither side start true. I am think you would need two, one a little lower for the second side?
 

Biker

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Interesting. Problem being of course that neither side start true. I am think you would need two, one a little lower for the second side?

No, you plunge the router down lower thus giving you a deeper cut. (Ooooh look at me, I used the word "thus" in context! :rolleyes:)

If done right you could make enough rounds of the same thickness to create this:

tree_trunk-floor_edit.jpg
 

demographic

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Apr 15, 2005
4,691
710
-------------
I've seen it done on a larger (and a LOT slower) scale on this vid.
[video=youtube;t51SSP12Gk8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t51SSP12Gk8[/video]

Reason they did this was because they couldn't fit the slab into a planer. Guessing they used a handplane with a shallow camber to complete the job. Possibly putting a shallow backbevel onto the plane iron if the grain is wild.

Or maybe a sander (spit).
 
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Biker

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
That was rather impressive. Hadn't considered that larger scaled option, but it obviously works.



I've seen it done on a larger (and a LOT slower) scale on this vid.
[video=youtube;t51SSP12Gk8]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t51SSP12Gk8[/video]

Reason they did this was because they couldn't fit the slab into a planer. Guessing they used a handplane with a shallow camber to complete the job. Possibly putting a shallow backbevel onto the plane iron if the grain is wild.

Or maybe a sander (spit).
 

Fraxinus

Settler
Oct 26, 2008
935
31
Canterbury
I used this method some 20 years ago to clean up my Eucalyptus Burr coffee table top, it is 3ft 7" by 3ft and 2" thick. I was getting a lot of tear out hand planing so opted to make a sled for the router and finish off with a scraper.

Euc_Top2.JPG


Rob.
 

mrcharly

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jan 25, 2011
3,257
44
North Yorkshire, UK
Presumably you shim up one face until the sides are vertical, route it flat, then flip over and route the whole of the other side away.

Nice idea. Never used a router so no idea how practical this is, I bet it relies a lot on having a decent machine.
 

Fraxinus

Settler
Oct 26, 2008
935
31
Canterbury
Presumably you shim up one face until the sides are vertical, route it flat, then flip over and route the whole of the other side away.

Nice idea. Never used a router so no idea how practical this is, I bet it relies a lot on having a decent machine.

You shim the workpiece so it is as near to parallel to the sled as possible and wedge it in tight, route it using a 1/2" collet router with something like a 1 1/4" dia. bottom cutting bit in shallow passes. Then flip it over so the new face is on the base of the jig and clean the opposing side down to the required thickness. You use these machined faces to square off the sides if thats what you want, tree rounds or the likes of my table above are left as is.
Router needs to be quite powerful to spin the large cutter without too much effort (overworked routers scream for a while then blue smoke comes out) 1 1/4" dia bit would be max size I'd want to use for this smaller cutters would take longer and risk overheating on big sections.

Rob.
 

Goatboy

Full Member
Jan 31, 2005
14,956
17
Scotland
No, you plunge the router down lower thus giving you a deeper cut. (Ooooh look at me, I used the word "thus" in context! :rolleyes:)

If done right you could make enough rounds of the same thickness to create this:

tree_trunk-floor_edit.jpg

Impressive Kribe, is that the loo in your French residence?
 

Tony

White bear (Admin)
Admin
Apr 16, 2003
24,131
1
1,876
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Wales
www.bushcraftuk.com
Cool stuff Biker, I might well use this, i've just finished setting up the workshop, well a few little bits left but near enough, I want to get some nice round so I can cut out nativity stuff so this might well be a way of doing it.

Umm, maybe I should create a forum called 'The Workshop' :D
 

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