"spaco" wrote in message
.. .
I just heard of a woodworking machine called a "Flattener" today.
We were at a birthday party and I asked for advice about taking the
twist out of a 9/4 walnut board, 8" wide and 5' long, without having a
jointer big enough or using winding sticks and hand planes.
Obviously, the task is to get one side of the board flat, and then go
from there to get parallel sides.


Not sure what is meant by a flattener, but the first question I have is do
you need to work with the board that large? If not, reducing it to roughly
the dimensions you need on a bandsaw might solve your jointer width problem.

Alternatively, make a sled for the planner... If this is going to be a
regular task and you are into it, make a fancy one with side clamps, jack
screws, etc. If it's a one-shot-deal use a board with at least one flat
side, or a piece of plywood, that can be run against he planner bed. Place
the walnut board on it, and then shim the walnut to hold it so it doesn't
rock. The shims can be held with hot glue to even a dab of carpenter's glue.
Run the top side through the planner until it's flat, remove from sled,
plane the other side.

John