| So you want to know what is a wood planer. Don't | | | | There is a multi purpose machine for almost any |
| feel alone. Many novice woodworkers ask us that | | | | sized wood shop. Many medium scale cabinetmaking |
| question, though we have to admit it amazes us that | | | | businesses have at least one that they use for |
| they don't. As professionals, a wood planer is as | | | | specialty work and many small scale professional |
| necessary to us as a good table saw. A piece of | | | | craftsmen have found that a good quality 3-phase |
| wood has to get smooth and straight somehow and | | | | machine can give them a lifetime of service and |
| a wood planer is what gets it that way. | | | | produce the fine results they need. |
| Let's start with the obvious - a tree does not grow | | | | There aren't many wood workers out there who |
| out of the ground in the form of a plank! After it is | | | | don't have a hand held wood planer. It was probably |
| cut down, it has to be milled into planks of various | | | | the first one they bought and they still use it for |
| widths, lengths and thicknesses. This is usually done in | | | | rough work. But eventually, a thickness planer |
| a mill with a big wide-toothed bandsaw. Then it is set | | | | becomes a necessity. It needn't be an expensive |
| aside to dry naturally or, more often than not, | | | | model. You can buy a portable thickness planer that |
| kiln-dried. | | | | will do the job for softwoods and narrow planks or a |
| When most of the moisture has been taken out of | | | | larger free-standing unit for wider planks and |
| the planks, they are ready to be planed smooth to | | | | hardwoods. |
| uniform thicknesses and widths. The big industrial | | | | One mistake first time buyers often make is that |
| machines spit out thousands of yards of 2X4's per | | | | they buy a wood planer for their first project that is |
| day. | | | | not powerful enough for their later needs. Hobbyists |
| Rough sawn wood is usually sold to enterprises that | | | | tend to take on greater and greater challenges as |
| have more exacting needs than the construction | | | | they gain experience. It may be wise to get a planer |
| industry. Furniture manufacturers of all sizes buy | | | | that can take on those challenges with you. |
| rough sawn wood and plane it themselves. Depending | | | | What is a wood planer? It is a terrific piece of |
| on the size of the operation, these wood planers | | | | equipment that can help you get magic results out of |
| range from high capacity planers all the way down to | | | | a simple slab of wood. When you see your first |
| portable thickness planers and compact multi purpose | | | | rough slab of walnut come out the other side of the |
| machines that combine a table saw, edger and | | | | planer looking like a natural work of art, you'll be glad |
| thickness planer in one. | | | | you bought one! |