Idea Shop 6, Paycheck 21: Get a Planer
With the jointer acquired earlier, you can flatten one face of a board and then make the edges square to that face. But it takes a planer to shave the remaining face parallel to the flat one, and reduce a board to the desired thickness. To understand how a jointer and planer work together and why you need both machines, review this article and watch the video below. Then visit woodmagazine.com/mostfromplaner for ten tips on effectively using your new tool. Secure the planer to the fliptop bench beside the jointer and you'll be ready to mill lumber to finished size.
Before you head to a lumberyard or sawmill for rough-cut material, learn lumber language.
The Ridgid planer we chose (model R4331, homedepot.com) thicknesses boards up to 13" wide. Planers generate a lot of chips, so connect your shop vacuum to the machine's dust port to collect the mess.
Next in Idea Shop 6: Paycheck 22.