Planer
PRE-RUN CHECKLIST
Unplug machine.
Check that plinth (white PVC board that the board slides on) is in place.
If thickness of board to be planed is uneven, ensure thick end goes in planer first.
For glued-up boards, 1) plane all boards to the same thickness, 2) glue them up, 3) sand surfaces to be planed, and only then 4) plane glued-up board. This prevents glue from melting and depositing in the planer and dust collection chute.
Place board with flattened surface down, surface to be planed up.
Plug in machine.
Open blast gate. Close all other blast gates not in use.
Turn on dust collector.
OPERATIONAL CHECKLIST (see diagram below)
Disengage rollers by pushing roller engage lever away from you.
Loosen head lock knob.
To set initial cutterhead height:
If cutterhead is too low, raise (turn height adjust handle clockwise) until board slides freely under machine head from left to right.
With machine off, holding left end of board, slide right end of board under machine head, and then slowly lower cutterhead (turn height adjust handle counter clockwise) with right hand until board no longer slides freely.
Raise cutterhead just enough to pull board out, to left.
Lower cutterhead ½ turn.
Turn on planer.
Engage rollers by pulling roller engage lever toward you.
Holding left end of board, slide board into planer.
If planer does not catch board, slide it all the way through to the right and retrieve it on the outfeed table, always keeping hands well away from machine head, lower the machine head ½ turn, bring the board back to the infeed table in the same orientation, and run it through again.
Once the planer catches the board and it starts moving on its own, let go, and let the planer do the work.
On the first pass, if the board stops moving through the planer at some point, due to irregular thickness, it may be necessary to either finish pulling the board through from the outfeed table end. If the board is short, it may be necessary to help start the board into the planer with a push stick, and then pull it out from the outfeed table end. Do not push the push stick under the machine head, and never reach under the machine head on either end.
After the first pass, lower the crank by ¼ of a turn (90º, about 1/32”) for hardwood, or ½ a turn (180º, about 1/16”) for softwood.
Repeat until board is smooth on the entire top surface, or until board is of desired thickness.
Optional - to maintain accurate thickness when planing multiple boards to the same thickness, tighten the head lock knob (finger tight) before planing. Be sure to loosen head lock knob before adjusting cutting height.
POST-RUN CHECKLIST
Turn off machine.
Close blast gate.
Clean up sawdust on and around machine.
