what is a planer used for in woodworking

What is a Planer? How Does it Work?: A blog about what a planer is and what it does. Along with getting the most out of your planer.

What is a planer? Not only is it one of the most important and popular tools in your shop, but it may be the best investment you ever make. It doesn’t matter if you are a professional woodworker or just someone who enjoys making birdhouses on the weekends, anyone can benefit from a good planer. But what exactly is a planer? Just what is it used for? What do they look like underneath all that plastic? Well, we aren’t going to cover all that here, but we will give you some brief descriptions and include plenty of direct links to more information. We also have included some tips on how to get the most out of your planer and some recommendations on where you can go to buy one.

What is a Planer?

With a thickness planer, you are able to make any piece of wood the same thickness throughout. This is especially helpful if you are building furniture or cabinetry. It will allow you to have all your pieces match, so that your work comes out even and professional.

Why Use a Planer?

The idea is simple: take a wooden board, feed it through the planer, and get a flat side. But how does this happen? There are several moving parts to the machine that work together to create the result.

First, you have the feed rollers which move the wood into the first set of blades. These blades cut off a thin layer off of the top and bottom of the board to make it flat and smooth. At this point, you’ll notice that your board isn’t quite as thick as it was when you started. That’s where the second set of blades come in.

The second set works like a paper shredder in that it takes all of those little bits of wood from before and turns them into sawdust. This helps to keep everything in your shop clean and also makes it easier on your machine so that it doesn’t get clogged up with too much wood shavings at once.

Choosing the right planer

The drums pull on the wood as it goes over them, rotating it from side to side. This allows each edge of the wood to be smoothed. Once one edge is done, the other side can be smoothed using a sanding block or a belt sander.

To use a planer properly, you need to make sure that your workpiece is level before putting it through. If your workpiece has any high spots, these areas will be flattened out by the planer. To prevent this, you should use calipers to measure the thickness of your workpiece before putting it through.

When you are ready to start working with your planer, you should first make sure that all of your tools are clean and sharpened properly. Then set up your workbench so that it is level with your workpiece and allow some room on both sides for cutting.

How Does a Planer Work?

A planer is a tool used to straighten rough lumber by cutting off layers of wood until the desired size or shape is reached. It works by passing the wood through a set of rollers which turn at different speeds. These rollers then feed the wood past two blades that are set at a specific distance apart from one another. The blades cut off anywhere from 1/64 inch to 3/32 inch per pass depending on what type of planer you have. As each blade rotates, it shaves off small amounts of material from either side until the board is of uniform thickness and width.

You may find that once your pieces are all cut and ready for assembly, they do not fit together exactly as planned. In this case, having a planer available will allow you to make adjustments before starting construction work.

How to Use a Planer Properly

A planer is a handheld tool used to straighten out and smooth rough lumber. It's a very handy device that uses blades to shave off thin layers of wood so you can achieve the desired thickness. The problem with using this tool is it doesn't give you a very clean cut, which is why many people choose to use a jointer first.

You need to know how to properly use this tool. If you don't, then it will be hard for you to get the most out of your planer. Here are some tips on how you can use it effectively and efficiently:

Set the Planer at the Correct Height

The first thing you need to do is set the planer at the correct height. This will depend on how thick or thin your material is. For example, if you're trying to plane down a 2x4, then set it at 4 inches high. If your material is already quite thin and you want thinner, then set it at 1 inch high (or whatever height you require).

Run the Material Through Once

After setting up your planer, run the material through once before making any adjustments. This will give you an idea of what kind of changes need to be made so that you achieve optimal results.

Download 16kwoodworking projects: more checkout my blog

Conclusion

If you had asked me what a planner does, I would have not been able to tell you. Now that I know I can share this knowledge with my family and friends. Like many people we are working on the house and I’m always looking for better way to get the job done. The planer is an excellent tool to have in the shop and the guys who work in my shop will be able to use it more effectively next time they need to plane down some wood.