Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to work with an electric planer correctly. Behind the appearance of ease of use lies several important nuances.
First of all, you need to determine how often and for what purposes you will use the tool. Its power and design will depend on this. Planer power with electrically driven ranges from 0.5 to 2.2 kW, designs may differ in the number of knives. Mostly on the market there are models with two blades.
Some tips:
So, you have chosen the unit you need. It would be a good idea to check the cutting edges of the knives for flaws - they should not be chipped or uneven, and the sole of the plane should be as smooth as possible. As a result, these factors will affect the quality of the treated surfaces.
Before processing the main product, make several training cuts on unnecessary bars. This will allow you to get used to the tool, master the planing depth switch and, in general, evaluate the capabilities of your tool. During trial work, it is possible to identify functional shortcomings of the new “assistant”. They are removed by adjusting the plane.
How to properly configure the instrument + (Video)
It is best, of course, to seek help from a service workshop, where professionals will quickly and efficiently help you set up the plane. When this is not possible, you will have to cope on your own. Following the instructions, use a hex wrench to loosen the blades on the drum. Next, to place the knives in the exact position, use a bench ruler.
Beginning carpenters should remember that the shallower the cutting depth, the higher the quality of processing and the easier it is to move along the surface of the board. The more the knife protrudes beyond the sole of the plane, the greater the layer of wood it removes. After adjusting the blades, you need to thoroughly tighten all the fasteners. To make sure that everything is done correctly and the cutting surface does not come into contact with the body, you need to rotate the drum several times by hand. All setup work must be carried out with the instrument disconnected from the network.
Working with wood - wide board + (Video)
Before starting work with a wood surface, you should determine the mode that is convenient for you - manual or stationary. For example, consider processing wide board.
Manual mode:
For better safety of the worker and his environment, it is necessary to properly secure the future product. If there is even minimal play, the quality of work deteriorates. Afterwards, you need to check the freedom of movement along the board. No foreign objects should interfere with the operation of the tool. It is very important to hold the electric planer firmly and with both hands.
Before turning on the tool, the knives should not come into contact with the surface being processed. Carefully approach the power tool from the end wooden canvas You can move forward immediately after launch. Keep the sole of the plane level, parallel to the board. The pressure of both hands should be equal.
Different forces are applied only at the beginning of the passage through the wood, where more emphasis is placed on the front handle, and on the back - at the end. During work, it is necessary to avoid jerks, stops or accelerations.
With experience, correctly completing passes on the back of the workpiece and adjusting the cutting depth of the knives will become more accurate. The direction of movement of the plane for processing lumber is carried out along the fibers. In the case of a prefabricated product consisting of several bars or boards with high unevenness in the joints, movements with an electric planer are performed diagonally.
Planing smoothly + (Video)
In order to plan evenly, it is necessary to move the plane only forward without turning or distorting. The thickness of the product determines the speed of movement along it. On average, it reaches from one and a half to two meters per minute. Do not use too much force as this will cause the tool to stop and cause unevenness. At the end of the straight line, you need to turn off the engine and move the mechanism to the next section. Even when the tool is turned off, do not touch the knives, as this may result in accidental injury.
Be sure to ensure that chips do not fall under the sole of the tool. It is better to purchase an electric planer with a dust collector. Then the process will become much cleaner.
To avoid bevel on the edge, a miter gauge is required. It is attached to the side of the base of the plane, perpendicular to the axis. To prevent chips from forming on the edge, dull it a little by chamfering. The same procedure applies to parts coated with varnish. She will help ensure smooth transition between a pair of surfaces.
Stationary mode:
IN in this case the tool is attached to a rigid, stable support. The wide board is directed away from itself along the plane of the plane against the movement of the knives. When working in this mode, you need to advance the wood with the same speed and pressure at the point of contact with the knives.
At the end of the processing of lumber, sanding is performed. This procedure allows you to level the seams that are noticeable after different passes with a plane, and remove roughness. In this case, a sanding machine is used.
Electric planer – essential tool for everyone who deals with wood processing, and during construction or repair it can become an indispensable assistant. At home home handyman, as a rule, a traditional hand plane is sufficient, but in a private yard or summer cottage There is plenty of work with wood. Baths, outbuildings, fences, benches and other furniture - the list goes on and on.
An electric planer will save the master a lot of time and effort and will allow him to achieve good results. Using an electric planer, the workpieces are brought to required sizes, level the surfaces, remove nicks, burrs and knots, cut off the edges, select grooves. A plane, of course, is not capable of “fine” processing of surfaces to perfect smoothness; for this you will need additional tools. But with its main task - rough processing of wood in large volumes - the electric planer, if the operating rules are followed, copes “excellently”.
As when choosing any power tool, when choosing an electric planer, a master should start from the main tasks in which the tool will be most often involved. Important role plays the power of the tool, which is directly related to its performance. Plane more power Planes “deeper”, that is, it can remove a thicker layer of wood in one pass. Manual electric planers are produced with a power ranging from 0.5 - 2.2 kW. Above one and a half kilowatts - already, in fact, professional tool for large-scale work. If you plan to use the plane frequently and in large volumes, it makes sense to take a closer look at more powerful models. But, as always, the rule applies: the more powerful the tool, the more it weighs and the higher its price. It will be convenient to work with a low-power plane while suspended. Medium power models weigh between 2.5-4 kg.
Another indicator is the rotation frequency of the drum, that is, the number of revolutions it makes per unit of time. This value is very important to consider when choosing a plane, says the user wind1wind: the higher the speed, the better the quality of the cut. The best option, which you should focus on when choosing – 15000-16000 rpm.
wind1wind:
– The planer does not do absolutely flat surface, but a “wave” with a very small step. To make this waviness invisible, the number of shaft revolutions and the number of knives on the shaft are increased. These two parameters are very important when choosing.
Width planing depends on width cutting edge knives. The most popular knife sizes for household electric planers are 82, 102 and 110 mm. The higher the planing width, the fewer passes will need to be made to completely process the surface.
To simply process the board until smooth surface, a plane with knives narrower than the board is enough. But if the width of the knife does not cover the width of the material being processed, you will not get a perfectly flat surface - even a minimal “step” will remain.
Depth cut is essentially the thickness of the layer of wood removed by a plane in one pass. In household planes it usually does not exceed 2 mm, in more powerful ones - 4 mm. Most models have depth adjustment.
Electric planers use removable blades made of carbide and hardened steel. Most of them, even carbide ones, can be sharpened and sharpened, but narrow knives cannot be sharpened: their design does not imply sharpening. Some models of planes are supplied with a sharpening device. You can make it yourself.
Olegych:
– To straighten knives you need thicker glass and a couple of sheets of good quality sandpaper. We soak the paper in water, place it on the glass - and off we go! But this is exclusively for straightening, knives “stuck” on nails and bricks - only for use on the machine.
Sole The plane in contact with the surface being treated must be level and smooth. U modern models planes have barely noticeable grooves on its surface - grooves that prevent the formation of " air cushion» between the sole and the material, thus ensuring uniform cutting. The grooves on the front of the sole are designed for chamfering the corners of parts. When choosing a plane, you should pay close attention to the quality of the surface of the sole, especially when it comes to inexpensive models.
– A defect found in non-brand planes is the so-called “drunk sole”. We check this way: set the removal adjustment to zero, move the knife to the upper position. We apply a ruler along the length of the plane, alternately on both sides, so that it lies on both platforms at once. There should be no gaps between the ruler and the sole.
When choosing an electric planer, it is important to hold the tool in your hands, to understand whether the tool’s handles, start and adjustment buttons are conveniently located for you, and whether its weight suits you. Modern electric planers have many additional options and parameters that facilitate and improve the work process. But all of them, of course, increase the cost of the instrument. Among the most popular options are directional ejection of chips with the possibility of connecting a bag for collecting them or a vacuum cleaner, the “ soft start"and speed adjustment. Here everything depends on the requests of the master and his financial capabilities.
A useful accessory is a universal ruler that allows you to evenly process a surface wider than the planing width of the plane in one pass, as well as planing at an angle of 90 degrees to the supporting surface. Often such rulers are included with the plane, but if not, it makes sense to purchase it separately.
The basic work performed by an electric planer is easy for a beginner to master, and if you follow simple rules, then the tool will serve for a long time and efficiently. Planing should begin only after the drum of the switched-on plane has reached full speed. And you shouldn’t immediately set the maximum planing depth: it’s better to remove a millimeter twice than to try to remove two millimeters at a time. There is no need to put any force on the tool: it should only be guided, and the plane should plan itself, “like clockwork.” And for this, the knives must be sharp.
It is not so easy for craftsmen starting to work with an electric planer to determine when sharpening or replacing the knife is necessary. Forum member Nomad advises using visual methods. If the knives are sharp, the surface will be smooth. If they are dull, rags of wood form on it, since the knives no longer cut, but tear it. Another sign of dull knives is brown high temperature wood, especially in the area of knots.
Aleksej2000:
– Even with dull knives, the plane begins to vibrate on the knots, as if bouncing up and down: the knife does not cut and is pushed away from the dense material. The best thing is to install new knives and see how they work. And then the feeling of sharp knives will be familiar. And these same sharp knives try walking on a knot to see the difference.
A common problem that novice craftsmen face is the displacement of the material being processed under the plane. Although the plane is one of the most safe tools, the risk of injury while holding wood with your hand still remains. The problem can be solved by making a simple board clamp and limiting the lateral displacement of the plane - as a forum user advises wind1wind:
– Along the width of the sole of the plane on the workbench, attach two blocks no less long than the boards being processed. The sole of the plane should pass between them with a minimum gap, but without difficulty. A piece of slats is attached to one end, against which the board will rest. Additionally, the board between the blocks can be fixed with a wooden wedge.
For this design to work as it should, the end stop made of slats and wedges should be slightly thinner than the board being planed, a forum member advises. The blocks should, on the contrary, be thicker than the board being processed by about 1/2-2/3 of the thickness of the plane sole. Then they will prevent the lateral movement of the plane during operation. On the other hand, the plane will not touch the blocks with protruding parts of its structure (belt casing, engine).
Members of the forum discuss the features of choosing electric planers, the advantages and disadvantages of specific models in. you can read the recommendations and get advice about proper operation electric planer. Members of the forum exchange experience in replacing, sharpening and straightening knives for planes. About the repair of planes, milling cutters and circular saws look for information. This video explains the basics of working with an electric planer.
Ordinary with a hand plane. But work hand tools quite labor-intensive and, if necessary, planing a large number of boards become ineffective.
To speed up the process, it is more advisable to use a power tool. Modern electric planers are capable of performing large volumes of work with much less physical effort.
Let's find out how to use an electric planer correctly to get the job done with the quality we need.
Adjusting electric planer knives
An electric planer can be used to perform both rough processing of wooden planes and finishing, after which sanding may not even be necessary. Therefore, it is important to be able to adjust the knives correctly so that the planing depth provides the surface cleanliness you need.
On electric planers, the planing depth is set by switching the handle. The adjustment step can be up to tenths of a millimeter. Therefore, when buying a plane, pay attention to this parameter as one of the most important. Depending on what work you plan to perform, you should select a power tool with a sufficient adjustment step for this purpose.
Before you start processing the surfaces of boards or bars that you will use in the future, make several test passes on a workpiece that you won’t mind throwing away later. It is during these test runs that attention should be paid to possible processing defects.
Most often, such defects are beveled surfaces or incisions. Both of these indicate incorrect settings of the knives in the drum of the electric planer.
To eliminate the defect, it is best to contact the experts in a service workshop or a self-taught specialist who has already adjusted the electric planer knives more than once. But if you don’t have this opportunity, then you can try to adjust the blades of the electric planer yourself.
To do this, having loosened the fastening of the knives on the drum using a hex wrench in accordance with the operating instructions for the electric planer, you should very carefully align the knives in correct position. To align the knives, apply a ruler and determine the desired position.
After adjusting the knives, all the bolts must be tightened securely and, turning the drum by hand, see if the knives touch the body of the electric plane.
Before you begin processing the wooden surface, the workpiece must be securely fastened. How well it is secured affects not only the cleanliness of planing, but also directly affects the safety of the work performed.
The board or block being touched should not have even a slight play. Otherwise, when in contact with the rotating knives of the electric planer, the workpiece may be torn out and thrown to the side with force, which can lead to injury to both the worker and people nearby.
After the workpiece is securely fastened, you need to stand so that, starting to plan from one edge, you can freely move next to the workpiece parallel to the movement of the plane. The body position should not be tense, and nothing should interfere with holding the power tool firmly with both hands.
Before turning on the electric planer, its knives should not come into contact with the surface to be cut. Only after starting should you carefully move the knives from the end of the board and start moving forward.
With each pass, try not to tip the electric plane onto your toe or heel. The sole of the plane must always be positioned strictly parallel to the surface being processed.
The pressure on the front and rear handles of the electric planer should be the same. In this case, at the beginning of the passage you should press a little harder on the front handle, and at the end - on the back. This will avoid blockages. The required pressing force is determined only by practice.
While the electric planer is moving along the surface being processed, jerking, acceleration or stopping is unacceptable. Otherwise, the surface will not be able to be made perfectly flat and various pits will be visible on it.
The speed of movement of an electric plane over the surface being processed is usually 1.5-2 meters per minute. In this case, you need to make sure that the shavings removed by the plane do not get under the sole.
Selection of quarters with an electric planer
Often there is a need to select a quarter in the workpiece being planed. Modern electric planers have this option and can make this task much easier for you. However, when selecting quarters using an electric planer, there are also some features that should be taken into account when performing work.
As you know, when cutting a quarter, the side stop of the plane moves along the edge of the board. Therefore, in order for the groove to be smooth, you should be sure that this edge does not have any bulges or dimples.
When planing a quarter, the pressure on the plane handles is slightly different from the pressure when planing flats. With one hand you need to point the plane forward, and with the other, press its side stop to the edge of the workpiece.
Safety when working with an electric planer
Electric planer at correct use will help you quickly complete large amounts of work, but if handled carelessly, it can also cause serious injuries.
As mentioned above, the workpiece must be securely secured before starting work. Otherwise, there is a risk of it being pulled out and injuring the worker or other people nearby.
During any inspections of cutting edges or adjustments of knives, be sure to completely de-energize the electric planer by disconnecting electrical cord from the network. Any accidental start can leave you without fingers.
Start processing the surface by first turning on the plane and allowing the knives to reach maximum speed until they touch the board.
If you put the electric planer aside to check the surface you are working on, place it only on its side.
The electrical cord should not have significant kinks or tangles during operation. The electrical insulation must not be damaged, all current-carrying structural elements must be reliably insulated.
In the video below you can watch tips on working with an electric planer (click on the triangle to view):
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Now you know how to work correctly electric plane to process wooden surfaces With the required quality. Next time we’ll talk about how to properly sharpen knives for an electric planer if they have become dull and the cleanliness of the processing has decreased.
Many beginners are interested in the question of how to work with an electric planer. At first glance, there is nothing complicated: plug it into a power outlet, press a button, move it back and forth across the surface, removing chips. However, during the first attempts, the result is not always impressive.
When purchasing a tool, you need to check its functionality, completeness and appearance. It is worth paying attention to the quality of sharpening installed knives. If the kit contains spare knives, you need to check them too. The cutting edge should be smooth, sharp, without gouges or bends. All other settings should be checked at home in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
Checking and adjusting the position of the front plate
All adjustments to the tool must be made in the off state. The plug must be unplugged from the socket, otherwise you can not only damage the electric planer, but also cause serious injury.
When checking the position of the knives, the front plate must be set to the minimum planing depth position using the standard adjustment knob. Place the electric planer on a flat, hard surface with the drum facing up.
You can use a metal ruler or piece to check. window glass suitable sizes. The drum with knives should be rotated until one of the knives is in the upper position, above the drum axis. The ruler or glass must be laid on the slabs along the plane. The surfaces must be in the same plane.
If the control device on any of the plates is tilted, you need to check the position of the front plate and adjust it. Such a defect occurs during long-term use of the tool without Maintenance. The internal cavities can become clogged with wood dust and small shavings. Excessive force on the depth adjustment handle displaces it from its original position.
To eliminate the defect, you need to remove the handle, the front plate, clean the cavities from dust and chips, and lubricate them. Place the plate in place, check the installation using a ruler, secure the handle, checking that the dial matches the index mark.
Adjusting the position of the cutting edge
Adjustment of the position of the knives is carried out according to two parameters:
- height of the cutting edge relative to the back plate;
- the size of the protruding part of the knife for planing quarters.
Having installed the ruler or glass, you need to rotate the drum, controlling the gap between the knife and the device at the edges of the slabs. The edge of the knife should lightly touch the tool without lifting it. If the knife clings to the device or does not reach it, the position must be adjusted.
Typically, knives are secured with a special wedge with expansion bolts. Using an 8 or 10 wrench, you need to screw the bolts into a wedge until the bolt moves freely. Then, using the installed eccentrics, align the height of the cutting edge with the device. Tighten (unscrew) the mounting bolts and check the position again. The desired result can be achieved after several repetitions of this operation.
At the same time as adjusting the height of the cutting edge, you need to control the protruding part of the quarter planing knife. Optimal size must be specified in the manufacturer's instructions. On most models it is 1 mm. The size is set by moving the knife left or right along the axis of the drum. It is important to set the size correctly. It should be the same on all knives. This can be achieved using a probe certain size or by measuring the distance with a caliper (a caliper with a protruding back) from the edge of the knife to the drum. After adjusting the first knife, you need to move on to the next ones. The operation for all knives is performed similarly. If a knife cannot be installed in the required position, you need to remove the wedge and check the eccentrics for integrity and free rotation.
The adjustment must be completed by checking the free rotation of the drum and the fastening of all knives.
Preparing for work
The tool can be used in two positions:
- stationary position: the electric planer is attached to a rigid, stable surface;
- portable: the tool is moved manually along the workpiece.
Many models come with special clamps and a bracket for the start button. In a stationary position, it is more convenient to process short-length lumber, which can be moved along the tool alone. It is advisable to process long workpieces with a portable electric planer.
The wood must be dried; raw lumber is poorly processed. The board must be firmly secured to a hard surface. The part should not sag under the weight of the plane and shift during operation in any direction. When processing side surfaces on a workbench, it is advisable to install them on special fastenings that protect them from bending and movement. There should be no metal elements(brackets, nails, screws) on the treated surface and fastening elements. Hitting the metal will leave a gouge in the blades, and a protrusion will form on the surface being treated. The knives will have to be sharpened, removing a thick layer of metal, or replaced.
Surface treatment
An electric planer can perform three operations:
- chamfer at different angles;
- select quarters on blanks;
- plan surfaces.
The main purpose of the tool is to plan surfaces of various lengths and widths.
When working, the plane must be placed on the surface of the workpiece with the front plate so that the knives do not touch the surface. Press the start button, after picking up speed (the sound stops changing pitch) begin moving the plane along the surface. The tool must be held strictly parallel to the surface being processed, the movement must be uniform, without jerking or stopping. When starting to move, you need to increase the pressure on the front part, and when exiting the surface to the rear part. The plane should work smoothly, without vibration. If strong vibration occurs or the sound changes during operation, you need to turn off the tool, determine and eliminate the cause of the abnormal operation.
The depth of the passage must be set depending on the processing purposes. If you need to change the size of the workpiece, you can use maximum size. When leveling the surface, it is advisable to work with a small working depth, reaching required quality in several passes.
Also, the depth of processing depends on the material. Hard rocks should be passed several times at shallow depths to avoid overloading the tool.
Additional tool features
To remove chamfers, you need to use a special triangular groove cut out on the front plate of the plane.
The tool should be positioned with the groove at the angle to be processed, launched and moved along the part while maintaining the tilt. The first pass is made along the slot; subsequent passes, if necessary, are carried out in the usual manner.
To make quarters on a plane, you need to install an additional stop to limit movement away from the direction of movement. The second stop, limiting the depth of the quarter, is located on the side surface. The stops must be set to the required dimensions. The distance should be measured from the angle of the cutting edge of the knife in the upper position. The quarter selection is performed in several passes. If vertical surface the quarters will turn out to be steps, it is necessary to increase the protrusion of the knives behind lateral surface planer
A wide surface of lumber can be processed in several passes. Processing should begin from the left edge, setting the adjustment to minimum depth. The next pass should be performed offset to the right by about a third of the length of the knives. In this way you need to go across the entire width of the workpiece. If the quality is unsatisfactory, repeat the surface treatment in a similar way.
Conclusion on the topic
An electric planer will help to significantly reduce the time it takes to complete the work and save money on purchasing lumber.
When working, you must comply necessary requirements safety precautions to avoid serious injuries to limbs and other parts of the body.
The electric planer allows you to quickly and efficiently perform rough and finishing tree. When working with large volumes of plank material (construction, furniture manufacturing), the use of an electric planer allows for significant savings due to the almost twofold difference in the cost of treated and untreated boards. The only alternative to get comparable savings is to buy planed boards from the manufacturer directly, bypassing intermediaries, which is not always possible.
Main advantages
The main advantages of an electric planer:
- High speed;
- Simplification of many technological operations (cutting a quarter, for example) due to the presence in the design of the plane of an angular stop, a side limiter and an adjustable processing depth;
- As a result, increased productivity;
- When working, precisely controlled physical efforts are not required, as in the case of using a conventional plane;
- Additional elements can expand the functionality of the plane.
Criterias of choice
The choice of a specific electric planer model is made based on an analysis of the following indicators:
- Rotation frequency. Must be at least 10,000 rpm. The presence of control electronics that maintains a stable rotation speed under load is welcome.
- Power. The higher, the easier work And more consumption electricity.
- Planing width.
- Planing depth and its adjustment mechanism.
- Tool weight;
- Heating intensity;
- Availability of a dust collector;
- Condition of the sole (flatness);
- Availability of spare parts (knives and belts) for this model on the market.
Features of work
The technology for working with an electric planer is quite simple. To begin with, the processing depth is set. Typically, this is done using a special rotary knob. Keep in mind that even at zero depth, many models will remove chips, so we recommend looking at models with a minus depth setting.
The board being processed must be securely fastened. To do this, it is advisable to use a special workbench that does not allow play in either the horizontal or vertical plane. Otherwise, the plane may be torn out of the worker’s hands with unpredictable consequences, not to mention damage to the board being processed.
The board must be installed in such a way that it is possible to move freely along it from one edge to the other. All interior elements that impede the employee’s movement must be removed from the path.
The plane is always held with two hands and is started without contact with the surface being processed. The passage is carried out along the wood fibers.
When working, ensure that the plane is positioned so that its sole is parallel to the board. The pressure on the plane should be light and even at the back and front.
The plane is passed from edge to edge. It is not recommended to interrupt, as the uniformity of processing may be disrupted. To process a wide board, several successive passes are used with a shift in width (or a plane with wide knives is initially selected).
To create chamfers along the edges of the material being processed, the electric planer has special grooves on the sole.