Woodworking professionals often work with a common characteristic with their logs of wood. All the wood will be of uneven thickness or consistency. Imagine the challenges in converting such uneven and oddly shaped logs of wood into a board of finished product that is consistent in thickness and uniform in consistency all around.

This is exactly what a wood planer machine helps to achieve. With this, a woodworker will take uneven pieces of wood and level its thickness depending on your exact need.

What is a wood planer machine? 

It is a tool that can be used for producing wood boards of even thickness. Typically, at the lumberyard, logs of wood are piled but they are of no use to anyone unless they are in some form or shape. This is why a wood planer is an important component of the woodworker’s professional life. In order to use the wood further it needs to be in proper shape and consistent thickness overall and this is a job best left to a wood planer machine.

In addition to the thickness they make the wood totally flat. The planer can be used to make wooden boards with parallel faces. So, a wooden door crafted out of a planer will fit perfectly with the hinges without jamming. This is the advantage provided by a wood planer machine. A wood product manufacturer need not look for wood logs that have the same consistency or thickness as per his specific need. All he needs to do is use the wood planer to achieve the desired thickness and put it to further use.

How to use a wood planer?

As a first step, you need to calibrate the cutter head as per the desired depth/thickness needed. The machine is put on top of the board so that the cutter head’s sharp blades can level off the uneven surface to reveal a flat surface

It is crucial to have the opposite side of the board to be flat. This way, the cutter head will perform at a consistent depth and lead to a truly flat surface. This will not be possible if the back surface is uneven or not flat

Woodworkers need to be cautious of problems like over-cutting and snipes. To avoid over-cutting, it is important to configure the depth stop accordingly. This ensures thatthe machine doesn’t cut more than the depth configured by you at the depth stop. For eliminating issues from snipe, it is important to lift the back surface of the board by a degree. This will prevent planer snipe i.e. deeper planning at the edge as compared to the rest of the surface.

Important note- Make sure to exercise maximum level of safety to protect your eyes, nose, mouth, and ears from the splinters and shards that may come off when the planer machine is passed over the wood.

To conclude

If you are looking to take up woodworking projects, it is imperative to know how to use a wood planer machine. These points will help you understand the immense advantages brought about by a wood planer in your projects.