Desktop Planer

Also known as a "Thickness Planer"

Safety

 * Lockout: when not in use
 * PPE:
 * Eye protection required
 * Dust mask STRONGLY recommended
 * Before use:
 * Ensure switched off before plugging in
 * During use:
 * No boards shorter than 36cm (14")
 * No boards wider than 33cm (13"), or narrower than 3cm (1")
 * No boards taller than 15cm (6"), or shorter than 0.75cm (1/4")
 * Allow cutter to reach full speed before moving material through
 * Never plane more than one piece at a time
 * Never feed material from the rear of the machine
 * Never plane off more than 1/8" at once
 * Do not stand in front or behind of the chute while planing

Usage

 * Blades:
 * Uses 13" blades (like these)
 * Blades are often double sided, and can simply be flipped once before required replacement
 * Changing Blades (Supervisor Only):
 * Unplug the planer
 * Lower the cutter head assembly to 1" height
 * From back of planer, remove dust hood screws and remove dust hood
 * Rotate by hand until cutter head locks
 * Remove the blade locking screws
 * Using blade wrench (in left panel of planer) remove blade lock bar by placing the blade wrench on the blade, lifting slightly, and pulling straight out
 * Using blade wrench align holes in new blade with cutter head and push blade in firmly
 * Align blade lock bar over blade then securely re-tighten the blade locking screws
 * Push cutter lock down and manually rotate via the fan to unlock the cutter head
 * Do this for each blade
 * Re-attach the dust hood
 * Thickness Planing:
 * With the planer switched off, place some of the material under the cutter head assembly
 * Unlock the cutter head depth using the lock/unlock lever
 * Lower the cutter head by hand using the top depth adjustment
 * The small indicator on the front will show how much material would be planed off the top surface of your material at current depth
 * The larger measure on the right side of the planer will show the absolute total thickness of the result
 * There is also a depth limiting knob on the right side of the planer than limits the total depth of cut
 * Never plane more than 1/8" at once
 * Deeper cuts cause rougher surfaces, smaller cuts cause finer ones
 * Once your depth is set, lock the planer depth using the lock/unlock lever
 * Turn on the machine, and slowly feed your piece straight into the front of the planer
 * Once the planer grabs the material, let go of it and let it do its thing

Further Information

 * Current: Rigid 13" Thickness Planer (R4331)
 * Manual: link
 * Video Tutorial: link