Aragorn
Established Member
Just a little tip really - probably obvious to most.
I've recently been using my planer slightly differently with good results - i.e. very straight timbers in fewer cuts/passes.
Before, I have always followed the advice I'd read in the manuals and on this forum, applying downward pressure to the timber on the outfeed table just behind the cutterhead.
What bothered me was, when a thinish piece is bowed (concave side down) applying pressure downwards was flattening the wood as I passed it through the blades, and on releasing the pressure after the cut, of course it springs back again.
It was a bit hit and miss - sometimes it seemed I was never able to get a thin piece of wood straight!
Anyway - for bowed timber I am now making the first pass or two with almost no downward pressure at all, just pushing the wood through on the infeed side. I use pressure against the fence for longer pieces to provide the friction needed to "walk" my hands along the timber to pass it through.
This seems to work really well at actually straightening the timber, although the finish is awful. So for the final cut, back to the usual method, good consistant downward pressure on the outfeed and a steady feed rate.
For anything over about 2", I don't suppose your downward pressure is going to distort the timber, but for thinner pieces - this works a treat!
I've recently been using my planer slightly differently with good results - i.e. very straight timbers in fewer cuts/passes.
Before, I have always followed the advice I'd read in the manuals and on this forum, applying downward pressure to the timber on the outfeed table just behind the cutterhead.
What bothered me was, when a thinish piece is bowed (concave side down) applying pressure downwards was flattening the wood as I passed it through the blades, and on releasing the pressure after the cut, of course it springs back again.
It was a bit hit and miss - sometimes it seemed I was never able to get a thin piece of wood straight!
Anyway - for bowed timber I am now making the first pass or two with almost no downward pressure at all, just pushing the wood through on the infeed side. I use pressure against the fence for longer pieces to provide the friction needed to "walk" my hands along the timber to pass it through.
This seems to work really well at actually straightening the timber, although the finish is awful. So for the final cut, back to the usual method, good consistant downward pressure on the outfeed and a steady feed rate.
For anything over about 2", I don't suppose your downward pressure is going to distort the timber, but for thinner pieces - this works a treat!
