Thickness-planer-user-guide
Shop Area: Woodshop
Tool: Thickness Planer
Requires in-person training: Yes
Procedure Number
UG 110-02, Rev. 0
Date
DRAFT
GENERAL
To obtain uniform wood thickness on parallel sides.
SAFETY
Always wear approved safety glasses or face shield while operating the equipment. Before operating equipment, remove tie, rings, watches and other jewelry, and roll sleeves up past the elbows. Remove all loose clothing and confine long hair. Non-slip footwear or anti-skid floor strips are recommended. Closed toe shoes are required when working in a shop area. Do not wear gloves while operating the equipment. Make all machine adjustments or maintenance with the machine unplugged from the power source. Do not stand directly in front of the wood being planned Do not grip the wood with fingers between the wood and metal table A minimum of a 12 inch wood length are to be planned Only wood to be planned. Do not attempt to plan composites, plywood, or loose knotted wood. Proper clamping and holding is required for twisted wood
REFERENCE
Manual https://www.manualslib.com/manual/767856/Dewalt-Dw735.html Link to YouTube videos https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P6gEBjzI0X8
PROCEDURE
Max depth of cut is 1/8 inch
Max width of stock is 13 inches
Lower the carriage to the desired height for your first pass.
Turn the unit on and feed the material into the feed rollers.
Examine the finished cut and adjust the carriage to the appropriate height for your next pass.
Flip the board back and forth between each pass.
For best results, plane both sides of the workpiece to reach a desired thickness. For example, if you need to remove 1/8" (3 mm) from your workpiece, remove 1/16" (1.6 mm) from each side. This not only allows the workpiece to dry with an even moisture content, it also produces finer cuts.
Always plane in the direction of the grain.
Support the workpiece adequately at all times.
Planing material less than 3/4" (19 mm) wide is not recommended.
If you must plane narrow material, group several pieces together and plane them as one wide workpiece whenever possible.
The maximum depth of cut your planer can take in one pass is 1/8" (3 mm) [on material less than 6" (152 mm) wide].
Never attempt to modify your planer to take a deeper cut.
Snipe is a depression made when an unsupported end of your material drops toward the floor, causing the opposite end to lift up into the cutterhead.
To Avoid Snipe Feed the workpiece into the planer so it is level and remains flat against the base at all times.
Keep the workpiece level throughout planing operation by receiving or “catching” it from the rear of the planer.
If you are planing material that is especially long, the use of additional material support.
Twisted, Cupped and Bowed Wood
If both sides of your material are very rough or if the material is cupped, bowed or twisted, your planer may not produce the desired result.
Ideally, you should have at least one level face/surface on your material before you plane.
Your thickness planer will work best with material that has been run through a jointer to produce one flat surface.
Twisted wood may jam your thickness planer. If a jam occurs, turn the power off, disconnect the power supply and raise the carriage to release the material from the cutterhead.
If your material is only slightly twisted: Plane both sides alternating from one to the other until the desired thickness is reached.
To obtain the best possible results with cupped wood: Rip the material down the middle and plane it as two separate pieces. Ripping the material reduces the severity of the cup and allows the machine to deliver better results.
You will have to remove more material on cupped wood to achieve the desired thickness than you would on a normal board.
If Ripping the Material is Not an Option Plane one side of the material until flat, then plane the opposite side until it is also flat. NOTE: Do not flip the board back and forth between each pass if wood is cupped.
To Plane Bowed Wood - The feed rollers and cutterhead in your planer will push the bow out of the material as it feeds. However, when the material exits the planer, the pressure of the rollers and cutterhead will release allowing the wood to spring back into a bowed formation. To properly remove the bow, use a jointer.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Problem
Possible Cause
Possible Solution
If the material does not feed properly
Check for dull knives
Rotate or replace as necessary
Check for excess clogging in the dust shroud
Check for excess oil/debris/pitch on feedrollers
Check for excessively twisted, cupped or bowed material
Check for a broken drivebelt
If the circuit breaker trips repeatedly
Dull knives
Dull knives can cause motor overloading, rotate or replace as necessary. NOTE: Circuit breaker overload is often the result of dull knives. If the circuit breaker on your planer trips, check the sharpness of your knives before attempting to reset the breaker in order to continue planing
The depth of cut is higher
An overly aggressive cut could cause motor overloading
The feed rate is higher
Drop feed rate to 14 ft/min. A reduction in feed rate will reduce the
load on the motor and prevent breaker trips.
If the unit does not run
Check to see if the unit is plugged in
Ensure unit is plugged into the appropriate outlet
Check to see if the top cover is
properly in place
Check to see if the dust shroud is
properly in place
Check to see if the circuit breaker
needs to be reset
If chips do not eject from the rear of
the unit
Check for excess clogging in the
dust shroud and fan
Check to see if the dust shroud is
properly in place
If the branch (house/shop) circuit
breaker trips repeatedly
Even under normal loading conditions,
other electrical loads on the same
branch circuit may cause the circuit
breaker to trip
Unplug or turn off other devices sharing the circuit with the planer
OR use the planer on another branch circuit by itself
Dull knives
Dull knives can cause motor overloading, rotate or replace as
necessary
The depth of cut is higher
An overly aggressive cut could cause motor overloading
The feed rate is higher
Drop feed rate to 14 ft/min. A reduction in feed rate will reduce the
load on the motor and prevent breaker trips
THIS IS THE END OF THE PROCEDURE