Professional Woodworking Planers
Woodworking is an essential skill needed when creating items from lumber including cabinets, carvings, furniture, and other items. Because of the intricate properties of the wood, many different tools such as chisels, jointers, and planers are used when fabricating wooden pieces. Both manually and power-operated machines as well as portable models can be purchased.
How much wood does a planer remove?A wood planer shaves the wood to the required thickness and plane. Traditional planers are manually guided, especially when the plane of the wood is of importance, such as when making a table. This type of planer is often used by hobbyists for smaller woodworking projects. Power-operated machines are a good tool for larger scale tasks, such as stairs or sizable furniture. Electrical planers are easy to use and provide reliable results. The thickness of the wooden piece can be set to the desired scale before the plank is placed in the cutter head.
How do you use a power planer?This type of machine will require a rhythm of hand pressure and balance. Properly positioning the body with the feet apart will ensure the results you want and minimize the chance of injury. The tool should be set to the desired depth, and the belt sander setting should be varied for the substantial removal of the wood layers. The speed with which the tool is used will determine the final smoothness of the surface.
What are chip-outs and how do you eliminate them?When working with hardwoods such as maple, the wood surface tends to show small holes, or chip-outs, after it passes through a planing machine. This is typically caused by dull knives and can be corrected by re-sharpening or replacing them. Cutter heads are designed to eliminate the problem by placing the knives diagonally on the head. This method results in shear cuts and prevents tearing of the surface.
What are some of the safety guidelines for operating planers?- Protective goggles should be always used.
- The hands and fingers must be kept away from the cutting head.
- Maximum depth of cut cannot be exceeded when operating the machine.
- All repairs and adjustments must be performed with the power source off.
- Caution should be observed when cleaning the blades of any model.
- Lumber should never be planed shorter than the manufacturer’s recommendations.
- Chips and sawdust must be cleaned periodically from all components.
- Only sound lumber without any loose knots should be used.