A hand wood planer is a very handy tool that can help you cut and shape your work. It is easy to use, requires no power source, and is lightweight.
If you’re a beginner or are trying to add more hand tools into your shop, this is a great budget option that will perform like the best electric planers for a fraction of the price.
Choosing a Planer
A hand wood planer is a useful tool for making smooth and precise changes to your workpiece. However, choosing the right one can be challenging.
First, consider what kind of woodworking you plan to do. Are you a beginner or an advanced woodworker?
Next, think about your budget. There are many different types of planers on the market, and you will find one that fits your needs and budget.
Most manual planers come with a blade, a handle, and “shoes” that lead the blade along the wood surface. The carver holds the tool by the handle, and pushes it against the wood to make a pass.
Buying a Planer
A hand wood planer is one of the most popular tools in traditional hand tool woodworking. It makes a high-pitched swoosh sound and can be used to pare off a thin slice of wood, smooth a sticking door or chamfer the corner of a board.
A good planer is one of the best investments you can make in your workshop if you do a lot of woodworking. It will help you flatten the surface of a board, reduce its thickness and enable you to make boards that can be joined together for wider boards.
Once you’ve purchased your planer, you’ll need to set it up properly. Start by holding the plane body at a skewed angle across the width of your work material.
Setting Up a Planer
A hand wood planer is a great way to make smooth surfaces out of rough-sawn lumber. However, you should be careful and take the time to set up the tool correctly before beginning a project.
Depending on the type of planer you have, there are a few steps involved in setting up this powerful power tool. For example, you should make sure that the blade area is free from sawdust and chips before using it.
Once you have the blade area clean, you should place a board flat side down on the plane. Lower the upper frame about 1/16 of an inch each quarter turn and plan along one face of the board.
During the process, you should use your hand to feel for any ridges left by the blade (plane tracks). Keep repeating this process until the boards surface is as smooth as possible. Eventually, you will find that the ridges have reduced to almost nothing.
Using a Planer
A planer helps you smooth rough edges, shave wood to your desired thickness and flatten warped boards. It isn’t a necessity for every project in your woodworking shop, but it can save you time and money when used properly.
Using a planer requires proper body balance to keep you safe and ensure good planning results. You also need to set the depth of cut gauge on your machine correctly.
You can use a planer to recycle old wood and get its grain or even repurpose it for new projects. It can also help you avoid a problem called Tearout, which occurs when freshly cut lumber splinters and gets compromised.
A planer has a series of sharp blades that remove material to create a flat, smooth surface with uniform thickness parallel to the opposing face. The cutter head spans the bed of the machine and is mounted above infeed and outfeed pressure rollers.
