How to Use a Planer

 

An electric planer is a hand-held power tool that shapes timber by shaving layers with blades mounted on a rotating barrel. It’s used to smooth rough timber surfaces, straighten edges and resize larger pieces, and can taper, bevel and dress.

A planer is good for heavy-duty work including carpentry, fitting doors and windows, or roughing out timber for furniture construction. The spinning blade action doesn’t achieve the fine finish of a traditional hand plane, which should be used for finishing a project.
Battery-operated planers don’t have the power of electrical tools which usually operate with 240-volt mains power, but are ideal for sites where running power leads is inconvenient, such as on the roof.

Using the Planer
1. Mark out the area to be planed and secure the timber with clamps.
TIP: Planing produces shavings and chips. Look for electric planers that have a waste shoot or that can be fitted to a dust extractor.

2. Hold the planer so the blade isn’t touching a surface and switch it on by releasing the lock-off button and depressing the on-off trigger.

3. Work over the surface in unforced shallow sweeps, at a constant pace, extending past the timber until the blades have passed the edge.

4. When finished, switch off and rest it with the front or rear on an offcut so the blade can wind down freely.
TIP Most have a spring-loaded park rest protruding from the rear of the base blade to keep the blade free but it’s a good habit to elevate one end.

Adjust the cut
Electric planers cut up to 4mm deep. To change the depth, rotate the front adjustment knob to raise or lower the front base plate. Use a lower setting for fine planing and a higher setting to remove big pieces. Start at 0mm, increasing to the minimal depth possible to get the job done.

Keep the blade sharp
Electric planers come with cutting widths up to 300mm, but the most common make cuts at 82mm wide. Blades get blunt after a few hours of cutting, and dull blades put strain on the motor, giving poor results. Blades damaged by cutting nails leave ridges on the timber surface. Older planers have double-edged high speed steel blades (HSS) that can be sharpened with a diamond steel plate, but most new planers are fitted with up to three replaceable tungsten carbide tipped blades (TCT).
To maintain a HSS blade remove, sharpen, refit and clamp with the blade keeper. Partially tighten screws to position the blade before tightening.
To replace a slither blade release the blade keeper and tap it lightly to slide out the blade. Fit the new blade, aligning it with the base plate using a straightedge. Tighten screws and manually rotate the blade drum to check it spins freely.

Using guides and fittings
Use a parrallel guide, most planers come with a screw-on adjustable guide fence that fits on the side with an adjustable fence for straight planing.

Making rebates, attach and adjust the parallel guide to use with a rebate stop to make rebates. The rebate size is only limited by the cutting width of the planer, usually 82mm. The maximum depth of the rebate varies between models, usually from 10 to 25mm.

Bevelling edges, the V groove in the front base plate of the planer assists with bevelling and chamfering edges. Hold the planer at 45º, position the V over the edge and run the planer along the timber. Deeper grooves make wider bevels, achieved by using an adjustable bevelling guide attachment, sold as a separate accessory.

Dressing edges, to make flat edges, mark the high areas with a pencil as a guide, shaving shallow amounts at a time, with the plane set on a low cutting depth, using a parallel guide.

Keep it clean
Unless the planer is mishandled it should give many years of service. After use, clean dust from switches and vents with a stiff brush. Wipe the base plate every few uses with WD-40 to prevent build-up of timber resin. If the drive belt that powers the blade drum is worn or broken,remove the belt cover, clean the pulleys, and feed through a new belt.
Avoid accidents by wearing a dust mask, eye and ear protection. Secure the timber before planing and unplug when replacing blades. Don’t put a planer down while the blade drum is rotating.