Figured woods rarely tear out at the slow feed setting. If grain tears out, reverse the
direction that the board is fed - work with the grain. If tear out continues try taking very
light passes with new planer knives. Dull knives will overwork tools and produce rough
surfaces. Or use the drum sander to smooth highly figured woods.
Blade Tip:
Most bench top planers have indexing pinholes in the blades for easy
replacement and alignment. The blades on bench-top planers are reversible,
so it is easy to flip them around when the first edge gets dull.
Material Tip:
Feed the boards so the cathedral arch grain pattern points away from the
planer. This helps to prevent tear out. Work with the grain!
Specialty Tool Tip:
Use a dust collector with the appropriate accessory chute to get smoother
results. Sometimes resinous chips can actually stick to out feed rollers and
press indentations into the planed surface. The easy solution is to use a dust
collector to remove the chips before this can occur.
Accessory Tip:
Locking heads on planers will dramatically reduce end snipe on boards.
Heads that lock directly over the cutter head assembly (like the Delta 13”
finishing planner) work great!
Safety Tip:
Plane boards that are flat on the width of the board. If the board is deformed,
cut the work pieces into better and shorter widths and lengths. It is wise to
joint the cupped or warped boards flat before planning. This is all part of the
“Surface on Four Sides” technique.
