This video highlights the essential role of planers in woodworking, demonstrating how they create precise and uniform wood thickness for a variety of projects. Whether you're a seasoned pro or a beginner, a planer is key to achieving professional results. This guide offers invaluable information on choosing, operating, and maintaining your planer effectively.

You can also follow along with the video using the overview below.

A planer, whether a compact benchtop model or a larger floor model, is essential for achieving consistent wood thickness. This guide covers the basics of planer controls, components, operation, and selection.

1. What a Planer Does

• Primary Goal: To mill a wood surface down until the entire board achieves a uniform thickness.
• Purpose: Creates dimensionally accurate lumber crucial for projects like tabletops, cabinet parts, drawers, etc.
• Function: It's a key part of the board dimensioning process, making rough or uneven lumber usable.

2. How to Use a Planer (Basic Operation Steps)

• Prerequisite: Start with a workpiece that has one relatively flat face. This is typically achieved using a jointer or sometimes a resaw bandsaw first. (A jointer flattens one face relative to the board itself; the planer makes the opposite face parallel and brings the board to a uniform thickness).
• Step 1: Check Material & Set Initial Height: Measure the thickest part of your board. Use the planer's height adjustment handwheel to set the cutter head just slightly below this measurement. Getting the initial height might take a little trial and error.
• Step 2: Feed the Workpiece: Turn the planer on. Carefully feed the board (flat side down) into the infeed side.
• Step 3: Confirm Engagement: You'll know the height is set correctly when the infeed rollers grab the workpiece and begin pulling it through the machine.
• Step 4: Make Successive Passes: Once the board passes completely through, slightly lower the cutter head (or raise the table, depending on the model) using small handwheel adjustments.
• Step 5: Repeat: Continue making passes, removing small amounts of material each time (respecting the maximum depth of cut, often 1/8 inch or less for wider boards), until the board reaches your desired final thickness.

3. Inside the Planer: The Wood's Journey (Step-by-Step Process)

• Step 1: Depth Limiter: As the workpiece enters, it may pass a depth limiter (often built-in), indicating the maximum material removal recommended per pass (e.g., 1/8 inch - do not exceed this).
• Step 2: Infeed Roller: The workpiece is grabbed by the infeed roller (can be rubber-coated or serrated steel for traction). On some larger models, bed rollers in the table assist movement.
• Step 3: Chip Breaker: The board passes under a chip breaker, which presses down close to the cut line to help send large chips to the dust collector.
• Step 4: Cutter Head: The spinning cutter head (width determines the planer's max capacity) removes material from the top surface. A chip deflector often works with the chip breaker to direct chips towards dust collection.
• Step 5: Pressure Bar (Larger Models): On machines ~20 inches or wider, a pressure bar applies downward pressure immediately after the cut to keep the freshly planed surface stable.
• Step 6: Outfeed Roller: The outfeed roller (matches the infeed) pulls the workpiece the rest of the way through, maintaining downward pressure and consistent feed.
• Step 7: Exiting the Machine: The board exits onto the outfeed table or wing, having traveled across the flat main table (essential for accuracy, can be rollers, steel or cast iron). Not all planers have tables or wings.

4. Choosing the Right Planer: Key Considerations

• Match Your Work: Select a planer that fits your current and future woodworking style. Consider getting slightly larger capacity/power than you immediately need to allow for growth.
• Size & Footprint:
• Benchtop Models (e.g., 12.5"): Good for smaller shops (like a 1-car garage), often portable, suitable for standard power.
• Floor Models (e.g., 15", 20"+): Offer greater capacity and power but require more space.
• Power Requirements:
• Smaller/Benchtop: Often run on standard 10V household power.
• Larger (typically >2 HP): Usually require a 220V power source. Crucial: Ensure you have the correct power available or have a certified electrician install it.
• Mobility: Even larger planers can often be made mobile with a suitable mobile base.
• Cutter Head Type: (See section 7 below).

5. External Controls & Features

• Height Adjustment Handwheel: Raises/lowers either the cutter head assembly (common on benchtop) or the main table (common on floor models) to set the depth of cut.
• Cut Thickness Gauge/Indicator: Shows the approximate cutting height. Good practice: Check its accuracy periodically.
• Motor Location: Can be top-mounted (often benchtop) or stand-mounted (often floor models). Motor power ranges from ~2 HP up to 15+ HP for industrial machines.
• Headstock/Table Movement:
• Movable Headstock: The cutter head/motor assembly moves up/down; table is fixed (common on benchtop).
• Fixed Headstock: The cutter head is fixed; the table moves up/down via columns (common on larger floor models). A fixed table height can be beneficial with long boards needing multiple passes.
• Return Rollers: Some models have rollers on top to help slide the board back for the next pass.
• Feed Speed Control:
• Fixed Speed: Common on smaller models (e.g., 32 feet per minute).
• Adjustable Speed: Offered on some models (e.g., 16 and 20 FPM). Important: Only adjust feed speed while the machine is running to prevent gearbox damage.
• Control Panel: Varies from simple toggle switches with safety keys to panels with power indicator lights.
• Infeed/Outfeed Tables: Can be folding steel (benchtop), roller tables, or precision-ground cast iron extensions (larger models). Some planers may not have infeed/outfeed tables.

6. Understanding Cutter Head Types

The cutter head is the heart of the planer. There are three main styles:

• A. Straight Knife:
• Design: Typically 3 or 4 long knives spanning the planer's width (e.g., a 15" planer has 15" knives).
• Pros: Capable of producing a beautiful finish.
• Cons: If a knife gets nicked (e.g., by hitting a hidden nail), it leaves a line across the entire board width. Requires sharpening and careful resetting.
• B. Spiral Cutter Head:
• Design: Many small, square carbide inserts arranged in spiral rows around the head. Each insert has multiple cutting edges (usually 4). Inserts sit in line with the cutter head rotation (like mini straight knives).
• Pros: Produces a very clean finish, noticeably quieter than straight knives, handles nicks easily (just loosen, rotate the single damaged insert 90° for a fresh edge, and retighten), inserts last longer.
• Cons: Higher initial machine cost.
• C. Helical Cutter Head:
• Design: Similar to spiral (many small, square carbide inserts with 4 edges in spiral rows). The key difference is the inserts are set at a slight angle to the cutter head rotation, creating a shearing/slicing action. The inserts also have a radius on the cutting edge.
• Pros: Produces a very clean finish (often considered indistinguishable from spiral), noticeably quieter, handles nicks easily (rotate the insert), inserts last longer, the slicing angle can be better for hardwoods and figured woods.
• Cons: Higher initial machine cost.

Spiral vs. Helical Summary: Both offer significant advantages over straight knives in terms of finish quality (especially with hardwood and figured wood), noise level, and ease of maintenance (dealing with nicks). While the initial cost is higher, the long-term cost can be lower considering blade sharpening/replacement time and expense for straight knives.

(Remember to always consult your specific planer's manual for detailed instructions and safety precautions before operation.)

We trust you will find this video to be beneficial. Please feel free to reach out to us HERE if you have any questions on how to choose and use your planer.