How not to plane!

[gidon]

Naughty picture in Axminster's review magazine. Would have thought they would know better:

It would make me very nervous exposing that much blade. I even think the board is convex down on the planer bed!

The mag still managed to whet my appetite for the Tools show next month - I may pick up one of those 4-sided planers :wink:.

Cheers

Gidon

 

[Steve Maskery]

... and I'd lose the watch, too.

 

[Philly]

Good thing he's using that mincing little push pad in his right hand....... :roll: :wink:
The planer guard should definitely be over the cutterhead on a full width cut like that. For edge jointing you can get away with it but 6 inches-don't think so.
Remember-if you feel uneasy carrying out an operation then stop and consider a different way of doing!
(on a diferent note, did you see the router mortise jig they showed off in the Review mag? Very handy for the jig lazy! :wink: )
cheers
10 Fingered Phil

 

[cambournepete]

OK then, I'll ask the stupid question as my head is still full of cold (over a week now, getting a little fed up of staying at home with no energy to do anything - even play with my new PT260, not to mention the hacking cough, incredibly sore throat and general bunged up feeling ).

What is the proper technique for planing a wide board? I think what they show in the picture is the same as the RP sales guy at Yandles (yeah, I know that's not a recommendation). If you have the guard over the wood, then your hand has to move over it and surely you lose pressure on the timber, which must be a bad thing?

Can someone enlighten me?

 

[Noel]

In addition to having the board convex side up the bloke should be using 2 push pads. Personally I'm not a fan of having the guard across the stock. As long as any exposed cutter head is covered I think it's ok. Steady pressure on the board before moving over the cutter and then transferring the pressure on the timber unto the outfeed table. IMHO slightly more additional pressure on the outfeed will ensure a more accurate finish.
Wish we had the kidney shaped US type of guard. Much safer.

Noel

 

[Aragorn]

CP
The guard should be covering the board. Yes, you have to move pressure to the outfeed table, but you have to do that anyway, whatever guard setup you use.
I tend to kind of slide my hand over the guard to the outfeed and then keep good downward pressure just behind the blades, alternating one hand then the other as the timber moves through.
Pressure is only on the infeed table as the wood is being brought into the cutterhead.
When I had the Scheppach, I used to use the guard setup as shown above, because that's what the instructions told me to do.
When I bought the Jet this year, the instructions were clearer about guard setup and I much prefer it this way. It is definitely safer, and that short moment on one-handed pressure as you move your hand over the guard doesn't seem to affect the quality of finish.

 

[gidon]

Yep what Aragorn said - pictorially here:

http://www.herts.ac.uk/lis/ltdu/projects/mm2/planer/oper9set.htm

Although their stance seems wrong - I stand almost like I'm hand planing as I move from back to front.

I think they have changed their instructions for the guard setup on the Scheppach - I'll have a look next time I'm up in the workshop.

(England have scored!)

Philly - I quite like the look of that jig too!

Cheers

Gidon

 

[Chris Knight]

I prefer not to cover the work with the guard when I am using the planer. I have analysed the way I move my body - particularly my hands for obvious reasons and have concluded that I am safer just covering the portion of cutter left exposed by the work with the guard. That way I am not putzing around with awkward short "strokes" as I plane a board and I never feel off balance.

There are many planers where the type of guard shown is not available and instead the swivel type is provided which cannot be used to cover the work(only the exposed part of the cutter head).

 

[Rattie]

Interesting how people develop their own techniques when using tools.

With my bass player's left hand span, I found that I can transfer over the guard as the board passes under it without any jerk in the pass. However I can completely see Chris's point and why he feels more at ease with his technique.

Martyn

 

[Midnight]

Back in the days when I used one of these... like Noely, I wished the guard was a US spec kidney shape to ensure the cutter-head was covered at all times, and that at no time did I need to take one hand off the job to bridge over the guard... I never could get used to feeling very uneasy with that maneuver...

thesedays I do all my jointing by hand.. granted it takes a little longer... but at no time do I feel that my safety is compromised and the finish is second to none... my doc approves of the cardio-vascular work out too...

 

[tx2man]

In Ax's Review mag, the text is suggesting the opposite
from the pic :?

In Gidon's link, me thinks convex is down as well :shock:

One day i won't get any snipe, the next i will!
Why pray tell?
I know the technique, and i know about grain direction

TX

 

[DaveL]

One day i won't get any snipe, the next i will!
Why pray tell?

Different colour under pants? :wink:

 

[gidon]

I guess everyone chooses their most comfortable/ safest method. Although I have to say that the method pictured above leaves a lot of exposed blade at the beginning and end of the cut that I wouldn't feel happy with. I find it quite easy to move my hands over the guard as I transfer weight to the outfeed table.
Cheers
Gidon

 

[Philly]

When it comes to surface planing, before I get machining I place the board on a flat surface to get an idea of how straight/warped/concave/convex it is. Once you know where you are removing material it makes a good result a lot easier.
I usually remove the worst of any cupping, etc on the surface planer then clean up the opposite face on the thicknesser, finally turning the board over and cleaning up the original face. I find the blades on my jointer take quite a beating, so carry out most of the"dirty" work on the jointer and use the "clean" knives on the thicknesser to leave a nice surface. (lazy, see )
Hope this makes sense, it works for me.
Philly