Powertools Tools Working with tools

Working with a planning machine

Electric planer vs hand planer

Milwaukee planer

While working accurately with a hand planer requires the necessary experience, an electric planer works almost by itself. All you need to guide it evenly over the workpiece, and the rotating blade shaft does the work for you.

Electric planers are infinitely adjustable so that you can plane every depth to the millimeter. In addition, they are usually equipped with a dust extraction system so that you can work dust-free and clean.

What can you use a planer for?

A jammed door or drawer can be adjusted to the millimeter with a planer. You can quickly and easily smooth all kinds of surfaces with it, and you can make rebates and chamfer any edges yourself. You can easily detach your planning sole and connect a sanding sole to some models so that you also have a sander at your disposal. Another possibility of use is the sealing of grooves, for example, when installing windows and doors.

How to work with a planer

Clamp the workpiece you want to plane so that it cannot shift and ruin the result.

Set the desired depth on the planer. Each machine has a maximum amount it can plane at one time. If you want to remove more of the material, you will have to run the machine over the workpiece several times.

The correct body position is important. Make sure you stand firm and hold the machine correctly, one hand on the on/off button and the other on the front of the machine. Some planers are equipped with a handle, but you can also use the depth adjustment knob as a handle.

Move the planer evenly over the surface, applying only light pressure. Always move the machine away from you and not towards you and plane with the direction of the fibers. The idea is to apply a little extra pressure at the beginning of the movement on the front of the machine and at the end on the rear end.

Working safely with a planer

man wears face protection

As with all power tools, operating an electric planer involves risks.

  • Work in a tidy environment, without clutter lying around.
  • Use the dust extraction or wear a face mask.
  • Protect yourself with safety glasses and hearing protection —especially recommended when planing hardwood.
  • Make sure that the blades are always sharpened. A good tip is to store your planer lying on its side so that the blades do not come into contact with the surface, as this makes them blunt.
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