Get the most from your planer
Plane thin boards with ease
Take shallow cuts (1/64") when planing thin stock, so you don't accidentally shatter the workpiece. If you want to plane a workpiece to a thickness less than 1/4", you'll get the best results by using an auxiliary bed. Although most planers indicate they will cut to 1/8" thick, don't try it: You risk deep snipe and chatter marks. Instead, place a 3'-long piece of melamine through the planer, and clamp it to the infeed and outfeed tables. Then plane your stock to thickness as usual, as shown. To plane a short board thin, double-face tape it to a 15"-long piece of 3/4" plywood, MDF, or particleboard. This allows the workpiece to ride piggyback through the planer.
Another option, which eliminates the clamps, is to attach a stop block under the melamine which lets you slip it in very easily. Another benefit is that it lets you work with a wider work piece. Dave Harrington
3/1/2012 10:52:38 AM Report Abuse