How to Use a Power Hand Planer on wide Boards – Simple Guide by Expert

No matter what type or size your board has, power planers can do several chores and still save a lot of time. They can do chamfering, smoothing, or leveling. Once you get the experience of using the power planers, you can also achieve complicated outputs such as belting door edges with it. When you think of buying a power planer, you will have to choose between two choices – handheld planers or a stationary machine. 

An electric hand planer is much more like a jointer. Stationary power planers may not work on wide boards. But, a handheld power planer is especially suggested while working on the full board. No board is too wide for a power hand planer as you can move it and work with it efficiently. Now, as we have taken a brief look at why people prefer handheld power planers on wide boards, let’s discuss how to use a power hand planer.

How to Use a Power Hand Planer on Wide Boards

Before we start to understand the process, it is mandatory to discuss safety precautions you have to take into consideration when using a power hand planer.

• Never forget to wear glasses or safety goggles. It prevents small particles from shavings entering into your eyes.
• It is essential to wear good quality dust-masks so that you can prevent inhaling the hazardous chemicals of the wood.
• Do not use the planer with only one hand. Use two hands to maintain balance. Choose a comfortable position and keep firm support to put the material.

Things to be taken care of…

• It is essential to have a clean and smooth area so that you can get a good experience of planning and not getting any bumps during the process.
• It is necessary to set up your board nicely to get the best results. Also, it is mandatory to have a surface area that is larger than the board.
• Always turn off the power before changing the blades and never put the planer anywhere when the blades are still running. Also, check the screws that lock the edge.
• Rest the soleplate of the power hand planer on the wood and always give the same hand pressure throughout the pass.

How to Use a Hand Planer

A handheld power planer can only be operated on a single plate, precisely like the manual hand planer. However, the blades make a difference. A power hand planer is fixed to a cutter head. Just by moving the handgrip, you can freely move the single plate of your planer.

Step 1: Setting Up

Believe it or not, but this step can change your entire game of power planning. If you want to get the best output from this process, you must follow this step and set up the board correctly. As mentioned above, find a flat surface and put your wide board on it. Make sure that the wood remains steady before you start cutting. Try to occupy higher spots so that you can provide appropriate support to the board. You can also use a marking gauge to make edges on all four sides. 

Step 2: Power Plane

Once you have marked the board, now it’s time to use the power hand planer. You first have to flatter your wider board so that you can get perfect results and fine-tuning. The flattening process helps in removing the tension within the wood. This way, the wooden board starts changing the shape, and you can remove 3/4th of the wood by shaving off each side. Some people ignore this step, and however, we experts always suggest flatten the board in several phases.

Step 3: Let the Board Settle

After the power planning session, it is essential to wait for a day or two before you start another session on your wide board. This waiting period will allow your project to settle down a bit. Many people, however, do not practice this process. But, you should not miss this step as it can allow the board to settle into its shape fully. Not only that, but this settling period will also let you take a break from the workshop and rest for a while. So do that and come back with a bang to shave off and sand the wood all day long one more time.

Step 4: Sanding

Now, as the wide board is completely settled after one or two days break, it is the right time to start sanding the board to finish the overall process. Sometimes and in some cases, it is not necessary to complete this process. However, you will not get the perfect finish if you don’t perform this task, and it will waste your hard work. Once you sand down your wide board, you will see how it made a difference, and now your project looks and feels better than before.

Final Verdict

This is how you can use a power hand planer on wide boards. The one thing you should keep in mind during the entire process is patience. Do not hurry as it may cost you your safety or the betterment of your project. Also, using an electric hand planer is quite different than using a power hand planer. This process involves evening and flattening, along with planning and sanding. 

So first, decide your tool, choose the right place, remember all the safety precautions in mind, gather materials, keep calm, and start your process. You can surely use stationary machines, but for that, you have to remove the guards. It might be risky and may invite unexpected injury if you are not conscious enough. So, choose wisely and follow all the instructions. Have a great planning session ahead. 🙂