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Figure 39. Face joint the concave side of cupped
workpiece before planing.
Figure 40. Only plane a clean workpiece.
Operational Tips•Carefully inspect any workpiece that you
plan to run through the planer. Each
workpiece must have at least one flat
surface to slide along the planer table. To
create a flat surface, pass the workpiece
over a jointer first. See Figure 39. Some
defects such as moderate twisting, loose
knots or severe cracks may make the stock
un-planeable.
•Only plane clean lumber. See Figure 40.
Scrape off all glue from joined boards
before planing. Remove all dirt, nails,
staples, imbedded gravel, etc. from any
workpiece you plan on planing. A hidden
nail in a workpiece will instantly damage
the knives.
•Plane ONLY natural wood fiber. Never
plane wood composites such as particle
board, plywood or MDF. Never plane
laminates, formica or other synthetic
materials.
•Surface wood in the same direction as the
grain. Never feed end-cut or end-grained
lumber into the planer.
•Keep your work area clear. Always make
sure that long workpieces are supported
and have enough room to exit the planer.
•When making multiple passes with a long
workpiece, use the top rollers to move the
workpiece back to the infeed side of the
planer.
Portion
Removed With
Jointer
OPERATIONS
•Avoid planing a workpiece with a high
moisture content. Wood with more than
20% moisture, or wood that has been
exposed to rain or snow, will plane poorly
and cause unnecessary wear on the knives
and motor. Excess moisture may also cause
rust or corrosion problems.
NOTICE
Always lock down cutterhead lock knobs
before planing, or the cutterhead will move
and create snipe at the ends of the boards.