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How to use a bench planer?

Published in Woodworking Tools 5 mins read

Using a bench planer, typically a thickness planer, is essential for achieving uniform thickness and smooth surfaces on your woodworking stock. It allows you to take rough lumber and mill it down to precise dimensions, improving the overall quality and fit of your projects.

How to Effectively Use a Bench Planer (Thickness Planer)

Operating a thickness planer involves several key steps, from preparation and safety to making the cut and achieving the final desired thickness. Modern thickness planers are designed for efficiency and precision, often featuring helpful tools like a thickness gauge that lets you determine before you begin the cut approximately how much stock you're going to remove.

1. Prioritize Safety

Before powering on any woodworking machinery, ensuring your safety is paramount.

  • Read the Manual: Always familiarize yourself with your specific planer's manual.
  • Wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE):
    • Eye Protection: Safety glasses or a face shield are crucial to protect against flying debris.
    • Hearing Protection: Ear muffs or plugs are recommended, as planers can be very loud.
    • Dust Mask: Protect your lungs from fine wood dust.
  • Clear Work Area: Ensure the infeed and outfeed areas are free of obstructions.
  • Secure Clothing & Hair: Remove loose clothing, jewelry, and tie back long hair to prevent entanglement.
  • Inspect the Wood: Check your lumber for nails, screws, staples, or excessive knots that could damage the planer blades or cause kickback.
Safety Precaution Description
PPE Eye, hearing, and dust protection are non-negotiable.
Clearance Maintain clear space around the infeed and outfeed tables.
Material Check Always inspect wood for foreign objects before planing.
No Force Feeding Let the planer's rollers do the work; never push forcefully.

2. Prepare Your Stock

Proper preparation ensures efficient planing and prevents common issues like snipe.

  • Joint One Face (Optional but Recommended): For best results, first flatten one face of your lumber using a jointer. This provides a stable, flat reference surface against the planer bed. If you don't have a jointer, you can use wedges or shims to support warped boards for the first pass.
  • Cut to Rough Length: Trim your boards to a rough length, allowing a few extra inches to account for snipe (slight gouging at the ends of the board) that sometimes occurs. You can trim off the snipe later.
  • Clean the Wood: Brush off any loose dirt, dust, or debris from the surface.

3. Set the Depth of Cut

This is where your planer's thickness gauge comes in handy.

  • Measure Existing Thickness: Measure the current thickness of your workpiece.
  • Adjust Depth Knob: Use the depth adjustment knob or wheel to raise or lower the planer bed.
  • Utilize the Thickness Gauge: Many modern thickness planers feature a thickness gauge or depth-of-cut indicator. This allows you to visually determine before you start the cut approximately how much stock will be removed with each pass. Aim for light passes, typically 1/32" to 1/16" (about 0.8mm to 1.6mm) per pass for hardwoods, and slightly more for softwoods. Taking too deep a cut can strain the motor, increase kickback risk, and lead to poor surface finish.
  • Consider Number of Passes: Plan to make multiple, shallow passes rather than one deep cut to achieve your desired final thickness.

4. Feed the Material

  • Flat Face Down: Always feed the flatter, jointed face of your board down onto the planer bed.
  • Grain Direction: Observe the wood grain. Feed the board with the grain running "downhill" into the knives (i.e., with the end where the grain points towards the machine opening entering first). This minimizes tear-out.
  • Straight Feeding: Feed the board straight and steadily into the infeed rollers. The rollers will grab the wood and pull it through. Avoid pushing or pulling aggressively, as this can affect the cut quality and potentially cause kickback.
  • Support Long Boards: For longer boards, have a helper support the outfeed end, or use roller stands, to prevent the board from tipping and causing uneven cuts or snipe.

5. Making Multiple Passes

  • Flip Between Passes (for Boards not Jointed): If you haven't jointed one face, or are planing both faces, flip the board end-for-end and side-for-side between passes. This helps to relieve internal stresses in the wood and prevent warping.
  • Gradual Reduction: Continue adjusting the depth of cut for subsequent passes, gradually reducing the thickness until you reach your target dimension. Always take light final passes for a smooth finish.
  • Listen to the Machine: Pay attention to the sound of the planer. If it sounds strained, reduce the depth of cut.

6. Final Checks and Finishing

  • Measure Regularly: Periodically measure the board's thickness with calipers or a tape measure to ensure you don't over-plane.
  • Inspect Surface Quality: Check for tear-out, streaks, or other imperfections. If present, adjust your feeding technique or consider sharpening/replacing blades.
  • Clean Up: Once done, clear sawdust from the planer and your work area.

By following these steps, and utilizing your planer's features like the thickness gauge, you can effectively use a bench thickness planer to achieve professional results in your woodworking projects.