General Thickness Planing

Measure the thickness of the board you're about to plane at its thickest point. Then adjust the table so that the depth of cut pointer is exactly indicating the thickness of the thickest part of the board. Always make your first pass at "0" depth of cut. This will even out any inconsistencies in the thickness of the stock.

If you're planing long or heavy lumber, have a helper ready to feed or receive the stock. If you can't find a helper, place one or

two roller stands out 1' to 4' from the infeed and/or outfeed tables. Make sure these stands are adjusted to precisely the same height as the table; then remember to readjust them each time you raise or lower the table.

Turn on the planer and set the cutterhead speed and feed rate; then turn the machine off again.

Figure 21-5. To feed a board into the planer, hold the board parallel to the sides of the table; then push it forward until the infeed roller grabs it. Continue to support the board as needed, but do not push or pull the board once the rollers are feeding it through the planer.

Take a comfortable stance to either side of the infeed opening, as near to the planer power switch as possible. Turn the planer on and let it come up to speed. Hold the board parallel to the sides of the table; then feed it forward until the infeed roller grabs it (Figure 21-5). Continue to support the board as it feeds into the planer, but do not push or pull it through the machine. Let the rollers do the work.

Always turn on the planer and let it come up to speed; then feed the stock into the machine. Warning: Never turn on the planer with stock already under the cutterhead or feed stock into the planer before it's running at full speed. As the stock is feeding through the planer, watch and listen carefully for several problems:

• Watch that the stock doesn't drift toward one side of the table, but always remains centered under the cutterhead.
• Watch that the stock continues to feed at a steady rate.
• Listen that the planer doesn't begin to slow or stop in the middle of a cut.
• Watch and listen that the stock doesn't chip, splinter, or tear out.

If the stock begins to drift toward one side of the table or the other, gently press against the infeed or outfeed end of the stock to straighten it as the stock is being cut. Warning: Never put your hands under the in feed or outfeed shield! If you can't straighten the stock or if the stock jams in the planer, turn of f and unplug the machine and let It come to a complete stop. Lower the table and remove the stock. Remove any wood chips or sawdust that might be blocking the path. Then repeat the pass.

If the cutterhead slows or the wood chips and splinters, quickly adjust the feed rate to SLOW, if this doesn't correct the problem, immediately turn off and unplug the machine. Let the planer come to a complete stop; then lower the table, remove the stock, and inspect both the planer and the stock to see what could be causing the problem. It might be any one or a combination of several different causes:

• The depth of cut may be set too deep.
• The planer may be cutting against the wood grain.
• The stock may have wild, figured grain or dense, hard knots.
• The knives may be worn and dull.

If the problem is that the cutterhead slows, reduce the depth of cut or decrease the cutterhead speed. If the wood is chipping, reduce the depth of cut or increase the cutterhead speed. Also try turning the board end-for-end if the wood seems to be tearing along the grain. If the cause of the problem is figured wood grain or knots, you may have to take very light cuts at a very slow feed rate.

If the wood seems to hesitate or stick as you feed it, but neither the cutterhead nor the feed motor slows down, the rollers need to be cleaned or the table needs to be waxed--or both. Clean the rollers with a damp cloth and apply paste wax to the table. Dry off the rollers and buff the table carefully. Locate the cause of the problem and correct it; then repeat the pass, watching and listening carefully to see that the problem does not reappear. If an unusual vibration develops or if you hear excessive chipping and splintering, immediately turn off the planer. Do not operate the machine until you have located and corrected the problem.

Figure 21-6. Support the stock as it comes off the outfeed table. Don't pull the stock any faster than the rollers want to feed it.

As the stock emerges from the planer, move to the outfeed side of the machine, keeping your body to the right of the outfeed opening. Support the stock as it is fed out, but don't pull it any faster than the rollers want to feed it (Figure 21-6). Once the outfeed roller lets go of the stock, remove it from the planer.

Inspect the board for any chipped or torn spots. If there are no problems, readjust the depth of cut and feed the board into the planer for another pass. Make repeat passes until you have reduced the board to the desired thickness.

Continue to Helpful Planing Tips
Back to Getting the Smoothest Possible Cut