Zero Snipe! Simple trick to eliminate planer snipe on valuable walnut!

#zerosnipe
If you hate snipe like I do, then you'll appreciate this video. Why accept that even a well tuned planer will produce a little snipe on the ends of your boards?!
To eliminate this, I use some 'sacrificial' pine runners on either side of the beautiful walnut slab to let the snipe occur on those pieces and leave a nearly finished surface on the walnut slab.
This technique lets me cut the slab closer to finish length and not 'waste' 3" on either end to be removed after the milling.
My exact General International 13" helical planer isn't available on Amazon, but this one is similar: amzn.to/3r0AQUf
Or this popular 13" DeWalt planer: amzn.to/3J0YLwC
12.5" Dewalt version: amzn.to/4ajIE9h
Upgrade to the Helical head (you won't regret it): amzn.to/3J0nsJs
Here's the strong double sided tape: amzn.to/3pnLiG9

[@pstrzel]

Finally someone who understands that the problem isn't simply the lack of in/outfeed table, but rollers. One sure way to eliminate it forever is for manufacturers to put 2 rollers on both sides.

[@wolverine1694]

I find that to be an excellent idea... plenty of scrap lying around anyway... thanks for sharing

[@AnitaHarcutt]

Brilliant technique.

[@sanramondublin]

very good technique . thank you from California.

[@brkoury]

That's genius level! Thanks!

[@billymacmakes]

Glad you like it!

[@beam52]

This is the best I've seen...thanks

[@billymacmakes]

Thanks Beam. We all have long scrap hanging around, right? So why not give it a try!

[@yerblues10]

That is amazing! Thank you for this.

[@caster0007]

thank you//// i am about to buy a planer...and i watched a lot off videos about snipe....like the in and outfeed, the train method but yours is more effective.

[@billymacmakes]

Glad I could help!

[@joelbrown9086]

great video. Is the blue stuff chalk? Where do you get it? Can you reuse the runners for multiple boards?

[@franklanders7224]

I tried this and it worked great, no snipe at all on my work piece. . Thanks.

[@mustang5147p]

Thank you!

[@johnschuster9192]

Best idea on snipe yet! Thanks so much!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[@thetruthshouldbeclear8602]

Thank you !

[@riverstyx9618]

You'd think that the manufacturers of planers would have figured this out by now. They need to make the vertical motion of the rollers at least somewhat independent of the vertical motion of the planer blades. But when the blades are lifted by the rollers, snipe on something is unavoidable. Can't they put a spring of some kind atop the roller bearings to permit them to rise without affecting the position of the blades? I wonder how snipe is on those dual-purpose jointer/planers where the location of the blades is fixed and the support bed is raised.

[@billymacmakes]

So true! You should get in the design business - make a better planer. I love the idea of independently moving rollers.

[@Aaron-nj4ou]

On quality industrial machines you can adjust the roller pressure which eliminates snipe. Is it just too expensive to produce for a bench top planer not to mention they are trying to keep the weight down.

[@pahapirot]

Thank you.

[@garyweber6413]

really good trick

[@billymacmakes]

Thanks for watching. Used this trick yesterday :)

[@rta3738]

Better than feeding sacrificial boards in front of and following the work piece. Thanks.

[@billymacmakes]

Glad you liked it! Thanks for checking it out.

[@mr.lynnrosaasen8218]

You & Stumpy Nubs have shared this! The best idea of all that I checked! Part of my delemia is planing a live edge board! I'll get around that when the time comes. Thanks for your great idea!

[@stevene9785]

BTW.. with the shown set up, you can also joint your material. ..only used for the typical diy'er that doesn't have a 12" jointer in their garage.

[@billymacmakes]

Very true. I use a flat board and shims to run wide boards through until I get a flat surface to use to clean up the other side!

[@rueban96]

Very good!!

[@hdwoodshop]

Nice video. But makes me appreciate my west coast weather. Burrrr. lol

[@billymacmakes]

Haha, ya, it was cold that day!

[@ThekiBoran]

I've got a lunchbox planer. It does a good job but I'd like to upgrade to a helical head but they are pricey. I'd be nervous sending that nice wood through my planer with its 3 straight blades.

[@billymacmakes]

The helical heads really do make a difference! Start saving...

[@robertstephenson9839]

Is there no snipe with helical blades ?

[@Mr_Rick]

I'm thinking you could get away with small 3-4" pieces that mount on the side of each corner and flush with the front and back edge surfaces. I'd add on each piece with a few dots of cynoacrylate. Then pop off with a hammer when done. Thoughts?

[@Aaron-nj4ou]

Place a piece of melamine inside the full width of the planer with a stop on the infeed side underneath so it can’t get pulled through. The technique in this video will work for a one off but will get expensive having to make piece a for ever piece of wood not to mention the blade wear from cutting into the plywood/ melamine of the runners.

[@billymacmakes]

I have one of those boards too. However, I use this technique when I have a particularly special piece that I want to be perfect. The melamine board does not yield perfect results.

[@adamfraser3693]

Great idea, been troublesome trying to setup perfe try and prevent snipe. I have the same planer, where do you get new blades for it?

[@billymacmakes]

It's the helical head, so you just rotate the cutter heads to get a fresh, sharp blade. Are you through all four edges already?

[@Mainbusfail]

all joking aside, I have a used vintage ryobi AP-10 benchtop planer that has the fold down rollers along with the infeed/outfeeds. I have zero snipe for the first time In my life. I pad 50 bucks for it and bought some new German HSS blades for 30. total 80 bucks for a result that can compete with something sanded with 1000 grit sandpaper. its funny how much I've spent on previous planers that all got stolen, but created the worst snipe ever.

[@Mainbusfail]

i got drunk 3 minutes in. he did warn me.

[@mikemerc74]

So easy Ty

[@ghabcdef]

Won't it screw up your blades to run plywood through the planer? All the glue will really muck them up. Better to use cheap pine

[@billymacmakes]

It's certainly not the best for a planer, however I plane lots of cutting board glue ups, so it's getting challenged with that too. It's a helical head, so I can rotate the cutters a few times before they'd need to be replaced.

[@tzourb9410]

The!!!! only !!!! technique please

[@insideout144]

You used way too much tape you could of got away with using 1/4 of what you used. Great tip and one hell of a piece of walnut would of like to seen the final product.

[@billymacmakes]

@inside out Great point! But I really didn't want it to come off on this first attempt, so I erred on the side of too much. And there are some shots of the this great slab all sanded and finished in my walnut shelving unit video kzbin.info/www/bejne/pKrbhYaMi5etqtU Check it out!

[@youcantouchgrasstoo]

Neat

[@tzourb9410]

This is the only right way all the others methods dont eliminate completely the snipe. Only by russian i seen that and i wander why any american didn't now that untill now. The russian put 4 inches sticks with glue only in the edges and with a small kick they came out easily . I'm George from Greece

[@billymacmakes]

Thanks for watching George! I can't wait until I can visit Greece again some day!

[@Mapleviewdesignsco]

What tape did you use?

[@billymacmakes]

It was some heavy duty 1" wide gorilla tape - I linked it up above. I ran the tape down the entire side. I didn't want it coming off halfway through the planer.

[@tylerdesper9226]

what brand tape is that?

[@billymacmakes]

It's thick double sided tape. Linked up above....

[@pierreb5683]

We all have probems with snipes, why not solve the point at the source: the machine?

[@billymacmakes]

When you have your machined tuned up as well as possible, there is always going to be some snipe due to the rollers applying and releasing pressure on the wood when it enters and exits. I just didn't want any on my walnut.

[@partsdave8943]

Why not use a planer sled?

[@billymacmakes]

@@partsdave8943 I have a planer sled - I just thought I'd share a different idea I had. Thanks for watching!

[@NSHomestead]

Awesome technique! Thanks for sharing. I can’t get over how many freeloaders are watching this video and not contributing with likes or comments.

[@billymacmakes]

Haha, thanks James! I'm happy to share some stuff with the community since I've gotten so much out of it myself.

[@wallace631]

While this works, and it was a well made video, this technique doesn't "eliminate snipe", but rather discards the sniped edges of boards that go through a planer.

[@billymacmakes]

I think the title states that you can eliminate snipe on the valuable walnut. The sacrificial piece, not so much.