How to evenly plane wood

[ChallengerHK]

I need to make a couple of lens holders for one of my cameras. What I'm running into is that the thickness of the wood I need has to be relatively precise, at least by wood standards. More like metal clearances.

I found this out the hard way when I bought some quarter inch plywood for this purpose. I eyeballed it compared to what I had, but it's off by about .050, and that keeps it from fitting in the camera.

So I'm guessing that I need to plane this down by about .050, but it's got to be perfectly even, or pretty close to it, all the way across the surface. Metal milling is made for that kind of precision, but how in the world can it accomplish it on wood?

[BIGSHCLUNK]

I would think a good cabinet making shop would be able to help... 

[72cudamaan]

Yeah, or maybe a belt sander if your careful.

[Alaskan_TA]

Wood is poor for precision items, it expands & contracts with temperature change & moisture content in the air.

You could sand them down, but they may or may not fit exactly the same each time.

[Sean]

You could use a thickness planer like the ones at the following link:

http://www.dewalt.com/tool-categories/machinery-portable-thickness-planers.aspx

You set your thickness and then run your boards through it. Most cabinetry shops should have them.  Or they could make a few pass or two on a jointer for you until the boards are the correct thickness.  Another option is to use a bandsaw as long as the boards are not too wide.

I've used my table saw to take 3/4" thick boards down to 1/2".  You're really limited on board width with the table saw though.

Just a few ideas after you have your pieces cut to size.   

Sean 

[Tonefiend]

I make guitars and routinely deal in tolerances of =/- .003 What you need is a thickness sander.  Plywood through a planer won't be a good idea and joining it will kill your blades.

Find a shop that does woodworking, cabinets, or makes doors.  Maybe even a local school.  SOme hardwood dealers sometimes have a sander. 

If you are anywhere no. county San Diego you are welcome to bring it by and i can thickness it for you.  Or if they are small enough send them over. 

[ChallengerHK]

Wood is poor for precision items, it expands & contracts with temperature change & moisture content in the air.

You could sand them down, but they may or may not fit exactly the same each time.

Agreed re: problems with temp and moisture. The ones that came with the camera are stained and sealed, which I'm guessing helps with moisture. Not much to do about temp, but the ones that came with the camera don't seem to suffer from temp problems.

I make guitars and routinely deal in tolerances of =/- .003 What you need is a thickness sander.  Plywood through a planer won't be a good idea and joining it will kill your blades.

Find a shop that does woodworking, cabinets, or makes doors.  Maybe even a local school.  SOme hardwood dealers sometimes have a sander. 

If you are anywhere no. county San Diego you are welcome to bring it by and i can thickness it for you.  Or if they are small enough send them over. 

I'll see what I can find locally and if I goose egg I'll send them your way, and thanks for the offer. They're 4x4", so no huge deal in postage.

Since you deal in woodworking with precision, maybe you can answer another question for me. For the same pieces, I need a circular rabbet about half the depth of the wood. This is where the lens retaining ring seats. The last time I did this I used a hole saw with a pilot bit. I still ended up having to chisel away the excess, which left a very uneven surface prone to light leaks. Is there a router that can do a circular rabbet?

[Tonefiend]

Use your hole saw to cut a hole in some 3/4 plywood or other material.  Use that as a template to route your hole.  Clamp it on your part where the hole goes then use a flush trim laminate trimming bit to route the hole.  The bearing follows the template and you get a perfect hole.

 http://www.toolstoday.com/p-5675-dado-clean-out-router-bits.aspx

[HemiOrange70]

Goto a hardwood shop and buy a piece of hardwood. It will not expand like plywood or particle board. Get a sanding sealer and then seal with stain or varnish. A thickness planer will work and a hardwood shop may have one to use. Don't use plywood