Surface Planer Depth Scale Table Chip Guard / Shield Elevating HandWheel On / Off Switch

About the Surface Planer The purpose is to smooth stock and to cut it to uniform thickness Will not correct or straighten warped stock – The pressure of the infeed roll will momentarily flatten a warped board as it moves under the cutterhead but the board will resume its warped shape as soon as it leaves the outfeed roll One face of a warped board should be surfaced true on the jointer first Planers are made either single or double surfacing. – Single Planer cuts only the top surface – Double Planer cuts both top and bottom at the same time

About the Surface Planer Size of the Planer is determined by the length of the knives or the widest stock that can be surfaced – Most common sizes are 18”- 30” Ours is 20 inch

Planer Safety Wear Safety Glasses Check your board for defects such as large knots that might cause the board to split under pressure – Also check for: nails, screws, staples, or other foreign matter No Plywood / OSB / Particle Board / Composites Make sure that the board to be surfaced has one true surface (normally a face) – Done on Jointer before

Planer Safety Make sure board is at least 12 inches in length – This length is 2” longer than the distance between the infeed and outfeed rollers Make sure board is at least 5/16” thick – Stock should not be planed thinner that 1/4 Double check set-up to see if the depth of cut is correct and any adjustments need to be made before starting the cut

Surface Planer Cut Height One complete turn of the elevating hand wheel is equal to 1/16” – Never attempt to remove more than this amount on any one cut 1/32” is recommended for hardwoods and finish passes This is only a half turn of the wheel

Planer Safety Always stand to one side of the table, never directly in line with the stock Try to determine grain direction and feed into machine so that the cutting will be done with the grain As the feed rolls take hold of the stock, allow the machine to do the work. Take your hand off the board – Do not force the material. A properly adjusted machine will self-feed the material.

Planer Safety If a board gets stuck in the machine, turn off the machine then lower the bed until you can remove material then reset machine set up Never stoop down to watch a board being surfaced Be careful of your hands and fingers when surfacing shorter boards. – Sometimes the infeed rolls will tip the board up and then down quickly so that the fingers get pinched between the table top and the stock Always keep your balance, never reach over the cutterhead. – If the board is to long or heavy, get help or use the roller support

Surface Planer Operating Procedure 1.Measure the thickness of the board at its thickest point. 2.Adjust the machine for the correct thickness (slightly less than the measurement obtained - about 1/32 of an inch) 3.Turn the power on and wait for it to reach maximum speed 4.Start the stock into the planer. As soon as it takes hold, remove your hands. 5.After at least half of the board has passed through the machine, walk around back of the machine and support the surfaced end of the board as the remainder of the board passes through the machine 6.Check the stock and then reset for thickness if another cut is to be made.

Tid Bit of Information Our Planer’s depth scale is slightly off from actual thickness. – As you get close to your desired thickness (maybe 1/8”) Begin to check measurements with tape measure or ruler.