How to Use an Electric Planer

Electric power planers are great for removing large amounts of extra wood from your project, but care must be taken not to remove more wood than intended. Electric planers are aggressive tools and can get out of control, but no matter what the risks, this electric tool far surpasses the hand planer in quality.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Electric Planer
• Wood
• Clamps

Use an Electric Planer

1. Make sure your wood to be planed is firmly clamped down. Hold the electric planer in both hands and keep the power tool moving forward so it is not cutting in one place for too long.

2. Push down firmly on the planer in order to scoop out the most waste. There is a depth of cut control so fear of cutting too deep is somewhat alleviated. You still need to be careful. Even with the depth control you can remove too much wood and ruin your project.

3. Hold the rotary knob located on the top front of the electric planer with one hand, the other hand should be on the back handle. Be sure to use both hands when operating an electric planer to ensure proper usage.

4. Hold the electric planer tightly against the edge of the wood piece using the side fence and sole plate square located on all planer models. The side plate is also used as a guide.

5. Make sure the power cord is out of the way of your moving planer and keep your hands far away from the blades. Do not put the electric planer down before the cutter blades stop completely.

Tips & Warnings

• Electric planers are not only perfect for removing large amounts of wood quickly, they are also great for fine finishing.
• When choosing your electric planer, look for a model that has a minimum depth of cut of 1/8 in.
• The blades are mounted on a cutter block and should be treated with great respect, as the cutter block rotates quickly.