Not in my shop but i'd like to have it

[johne]

From the sheppach website
http://tinyurl.com/3fkjmh

If you have the wall space it looks like a great solution to glue panels

Panel width= about 4 feet,  length depends on how many of these units you buy

 

[nickao]

I just sold mine on eBay! It is nice, but I started using thin lumber(less than a 1/2") almost exclusively and it is just not designed for that. 3/4" and thicker it does glue up nice panels.

Also if you only want a 12" wide panel it is a hassle adjusting everything for that. Its a hassle adjusting for different widths period. So buy the shortest system you can get away with. If you are always going to do 36" panels do NOT get the 52" tall version.

Like Festools it held it's value and I got 20.00 less than I paid for it. I got it on a sale at the time so the buyer still saved on purchasing it.

I had two complete units so I could do over 8 foot panels 48" wide!( I had the 49" tall version)

It is a Plano glue press and can be purchased here:

Plano Glue Press

I received fantastic service from Advanced Machinary and they even replaced the feet for me after the warranty period was up!

Nickao

 

[johne]

Thx for the real world input.
Good to know they don't work as well for the thin panels.
I think for the time being i'll stick to my own panel glueing method

Hope this pic makes sense. Tighten clamp A and B snug but not too tight, (just so the panel stays straight) tighten clamp C and you're set

repeat as neccesary for length of panel needed

 

[nickao]

The picture make perfect sense and is the theory behind the Plano Press. Pressure for top, bottom and both sides.

I thought putting it on a wall would be great, but since my space was so limited I always ended up putting stuff in front of it, then had to move all the stuff when I needed it.

If you have the room and are doing a lot of 3/4" and thicker panels it is a hot setup.

Nick

 

[Fred West]

I am almost always using 3/4" panels so it looks great for me and I have the perfect wall space for it. Just out of curiosity as I have just seen these why do they not handle 1/2" or 1/4" well? Fred

 

[nickao]

I am almost always using 3/4" panels so it looks great for me and I have the perfect wall space for it. Just out of curiosity as I have just seen these why do they not handle 1/2" or 1/4" well? Fred

It has to do with the top and bottom. The thinner pieces move around, bend, twist or even crack. I did use it for 1/2", but only once. After that I found it much simpler to just glue the thin lumber on a the table. On a table you can adjust two piece out of alignment with a mallet or something.  When using wood that thin you do not have the luxury to drum sand out the imperfections, with 3/4" you usually do.

If the thin pieces get a little out of alignment in the Plano press(there are different ways for this to happen) it is not a simple matter of tapping with a mallet. By the time you get it fixed you may have to  re-glue all the edges.

I am not saying it is impossible, but if only using thin lumber there are better more efficient ways to do it.

For a lot of things 12" or less wide I would glue up in the Plano press 1" pieces, than put it through the band saw on edge. Getting the 3/8 width I usually needed.

These are not inexpensive and my set up cost about 1000.00, but if you are working with 3/4" lumber it my be well worth it. They are well made and work well AFTER you get it set up on the wall properly. If you just attach it to the wall and the walls are not stick straight(they never are) then your glue ups will not be either.

I will post a picture of how I attached it to my wall and included a shelf on top to set the glue and pieces of wood before dropping them in.

Nickao

 

[Fred West]

Nick, thank you as always you give a very cogent and worthwhile explanation. I am looking forward to the pictures. Fred

 

[Eli]

I've tried these and they are fantastic:http://idealtools.com.au/category104_1.htm#849

The great thing is they flatten first, then pull together.

 

[Dave Rudy]

Jerry Work describes how to use the MFT to get consistently perfect panel glue-ups in his MFT manual.  Worth a re-read I believe.

 

[Eli]

Jerry Work describes how to use the MFT to get consistently perfect panel glue-ups in his MFT manual.  Worth a re-read I believe.

Yes, but I already have that in my shop don't I? ;D ;D ;D

 

[Dave Rudy]

Yes, but I already have that in my shop don't I? ;D ;D ;D

Oops, sorry.  I know it is absolutely wrong to suggest using tools we already own.  Shame on me!  What was I thinking??!!!!