Watch This Before Using a Wood Thickness Planer

Wood Thickness Planers are among the "must-have" woodworking tools for most serious woodworkers and can be confused with wood jointers but both workshop machines have different purposes but similar outcomes in that their role is to make wood look better and easier to work with; planer snipe is a topic often talked about and in this video, I offer some ideas on how to stop planer snipe; there are also wood planing tips and even a planing jig you might be interested to know how to build, it's easy and works like a charm and best of all you will get some ideas on what to look for in setting up your own way to stop planer snipe.
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[@bongopirate0672]

You're like a Shop Teacher but without the cussing and all your fingers. AWESOME.

[@joegallagher1842]

Great job of explaining how this works. I looked at a dozen videos and none of them gave me the basics I needed until this. Thank you.

[@patcummins6036]

Thank you Colin. I just bought my first planer thicknesser and thought, I just jump on KZbin and get some tips and yours was the first one that came up! I’ve followed your woodworking channel for a couple of years now and I knew it would be well done and it was!

[@thairatcatcher]

Very clear, concise. Just excellent.

[@mijodo2008]

Spot on. Great information. Many thanks. Cheers from Michael. Australia

[@wiseoldfool]

All good Colin, except the cleat should be on the front of the sled, not the back, as the roller pulls the work into the machine, and can leave the sled behind. It did for me!

[@paulruud5804]

Common mistake. Seen this on other youtubers’ videos.

[@briankillebrew]

Literally every version of a planet sled video they put it on the back and I had this EXACT SAME THING happen. It left the sled behind

[@masterlock121490]

I beleive the cutting head spins in opposite direction of roller. Maybe the cleat on the back is for if cutting head catches on the workpiece (and the roller didn't have a good grip). I do have the same issue with my planing sled where the workpiece gets pulled forward off the sled when roller pulls. I have used double sided tape and glue to try and resist this. Another tip I saw on this channel was to use anti skid material underneath. I tried it but was a little uncertain of accuracy to actually remove wobble because the material has thickness and flexibility, it squashes down a little when roller engages but was hard to tell when setting up shim if the work piece was actually stable. The flexibility masked if the workpiece was stable (same worry for double sided tape)

[@briankillebrew]

@@masterlock121490 I used the anti skid material ONCE. Let me tell you, it is not a good time if it gets wrapped around your cutter head.

[@dwightl5863]

@@briankillebrew Bet that was a wake up moment!

[@wk7060]

Great video, Colin!😊

[@ACDoesIt247]

Thank you so much for this video! I am new to woodworking, just got my first planer off facebook marketplace and have been dealing with a bit of snipe from it. Now I know how to fix it! Plus, I get rough sawn wood from a friend who's an arborist and mills his wood, so I now know how to work with some of the less-desirable twisted boards I get from him. Excellent stuff!

[@daviddavies6844]

THANKS COLIN THAT WAS JUST WHAT I NEEDED TO KNOW GREAT STUFF THANKS AGAIN..DAVID N.S.W. AUSTRALIA..

[@jimaspinii7579]

Thoroughly done…as always. THANKS!

[@BenChnobli]

12 minutes that are really worth it, thank you!

[@Sebastopolmark]

GREAT video Colin. I think the most importantant thing you said, was "do what your feel comfortable with". Many of us watch an experienced person do something and then "jump right in" and ultimately make a mistake. Like the planer, take it in small increments. Thanks

[@joshwexler658]

This was awesome! Thank you. Unfortunately I didn’t know I needed a jointer until I bought a planer. So your last time was great. I’ll invest in the jointer eventually

[@simonvaughannikon]

Excellent video thanks Colin. The bit at the end on levelling a warped board and using the thicknesser as a planer was great and has solved a problem for me. 👍🏻

[@MCsCreations]

Excellent tips, Colin! Thanks a lot! 😃 Stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

[@danhusker1413]

Good video. I've subscribed for a long time and enjoy your input. Thanks for a good job. I worked at Home Depot for a while before I retired and am more than familiar with planers. One issue owners need to be aware of is replacement blades. Depending on the brand name the availability of the right type is up for grabs. They are very thin and wear out fast so stock up your supply when you find them. Top brand names especially upgrade their models every few years with changing specs on their blades. Customers get real mad when we don't have them in stock, but that's the nature of the business. With 20/20 hindsight that would have been a good topic to have covered in your video. Oh well.

[@malcolmhodgson7540]

Great video. Just about to buy my first thicknesser.

[@leonardnoel888]

Just perfect. This clarifies some errors and concerns I have with thickening. Thank you.

[@atiyyahbham]

Just got my first thickness planer from Ryobi. I've seen plenty of people using the hot glue gun to secure wedges onto the sled and I dreaded doing that. You've given great advice on that part particularly, thanks for the great tips 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@aleklysikov8791]

Thank you very much for showing video! Stay more healthy!

[@majigaining]

that jointer trick is brilliant! I would have love to see it done.

[@greywolf845]

Bless this man

[@j4im3r]

Great tips, thanks Colin. Feeling set to start planing!

[@stephanegeorge9936]

Wow tks, you have answerd lot’s of questions in only a few minutes, much appreciated

[@peterfitzpatrick7032]

I NEED to put the height adjustment direction label on mine .... I NEVER remember it in "the heat of battle" !! 🙄😂 I've seen many people recommend overlapping the workpieces being fed rather than butt feeding... 🤔 Happy Paddys Day Colin, from the Emerald Isle ... 😎👍☘️🍺

[@technoman9000]

This is a really great explanation, thanks!

[@russmartin4189]

Excellent videwo Colin. It should get anyone with a new planer started, and if they read the comments, they will be in good shape. By the way, I have straightened boards up to 8' long with a planer sled. Also, if a board is very twisted, it's best to cut it into shorter lengths and straighten them. I have had some pieces that were so twisted they looked like firewood candidates. By cutting the pboarde into 2' sections I as able to get four straight boards out of an 8 footer.

[@jcFanto7885]

Thanks a lot for your advise and help!!!

[@davidharvey5672]

I think it's important to clean the platten with solvent from time to time. I also use a beeswax stick and kind of draw a few lines on it and then buff it to make it slick. The platen can, depending on the woods you work with, become sticky putting a load on the rollers and causing them to slip on the workpiece. It can tear up the surface of the rollor pretty quick.

[@josephconsuegra6420]

Good video lesson. But the ideal would be to joint first to have a true side and bottom, then plane the board.

[@LarryDMitchell]

GREAT information. Long time subscriber and thinking of getting a Planer soon. Your tips are top notch and to the point. Thanks

[@philipselman2564]

Hell-o there Colin just want to tell ya what I did to stop snipe - I cut a board the same thickness of what I will plane , make it 12"long , 3/4"wide ,4 of them , hot glue them to each side , 2 on font , 2 on the back , the rollers are on top of the pieces , the head is starting to cut them ,the head will not drop till after the board is cut ,the rollers are still on the side pieces / all snipe is eliminated from you board

[@MatthewSherriff85]

Very informative video, thanks. I think a thickness planer is the next piece of kit i will be needing

[@jimaspinii7579]

What are your thoughts on the great KZbin debate about placing the planer sled cleat on the lead or trailing edge of the sled?

[@toddshinn4955]

Thank you, Sir, for all your work. Always a pleasure.

[@robertbankhead8661]

Well done Colin.

[@souficoufi5763]

Thanks for the video.

[@nore8141]

Great idea 💡 thanks 🙏

[@tico78742]

Great tips. Thank you

[@mlubecke]

Thank you so much for sharing

[@mundlkalli4396]

Thank you for the great video ,demo and instruction. Have been following you ( subscribed). I am new at this. I just purchased a planer. My issue is adjusting and understanding the how much of a turn after you make one pass etc. Do you have a video thats more in detail in regards to that ? Thank you again .

[@petewoodhead52]

Helpful as always, Thank You.

[@Garryck-1]

Perfect timing! I recently bought a thickness planer, but have yet to set it up. Many thanks for this!

[@norm5785]

Great information thank you for sharing. From Henrico County Virginia

[@mariomuranaka9751]

Very good explanation, best regards from Manaus, Amazonas !

[@knecht105]

Glad it was helpful!

[@tommycollier9172]

Thanks Colin

[@wadewyss5714]

Hey explanation and tips. Thank you

[@philshock3805]

If you have to choose between a jointer or planer, I'd say get the planer first. A planer can be used to flatten a board (with the sled), but there's no way to thickness a board and obtain parallel faces with a jointer. The sides can be squared up with the table saw using various methods. Having both a jointer and a planer will save a bunch of time though.

[@G0F15H]

I agree. Get a planer first. There are plenty of jointer hacks but no good way to bring a board in-parallel with its opposite face without having a planer. The only caveat would be if you want to opt for a drum sander over the planer. It is a bit tedious, but you can use a low grit paper to plane boards, and now you'd have a machine that can save a lot of time with your finish sanding as well; depending on what you're doing, it may net out as time saved. At the very least you'd have a more versatile machine and that's important if you're just starting off

[@robertmorse4582]

Thank you great. Video

[@fortuner123]

A, good no nonsense vid.

[@sambiscits6711]

Great tips!

[@markpapas12]

Very informative thank you!! But that watch though is super cool!

[@ralphtamez5492]

Mr.Colin, once you pass your wood through the planer(1st.pass), do you flip the wood over(second pass)?

[@marilynmoore6752]

My husband has a dewalt 734 with lock down head, it lessens the snipe on both ends

[@tico78742]

Thanks!

[@brianpritt4154]

Great explanation

[@laikatravels]

Some good tips there, thank you 👍

[@knecht105]

You bet!

[@TCoffman]

Thank you for this video.

[@knecht105]

Thanks

[@imransadiq4149]

Please also do jointer tips and advice video

[@mikeledee8786]

I live in the south and would like to know about using southern live oak in a thickness planer. This wood is super hard. Thanks

[@robertivey3268]

Great video as usual. Much good info. Quick question, what is the make and model of that thickness planer??

[@johnny1980ns]

It looks like a rikon to me...

[@ebeaulieu813]

Great info but a repeat of every other video on the subject. I have a Delta 12" that is a SNIPE Monster. I tried all the work arounds with no success. Tore it apart and realized the whole cutter head rocks on the four posts. Miked them up and have 0.200" clearance on all four. You wouldn't think it would move that much but it does. Bought the planer some 30 years ago but it sits 360 out of 365 days a year. From brand new it was a snipe monster. Only thought I had was having shafts Knurled.

[@ryananthony4840]

Great!

[@darylboggs2917]

I love your videos Colin but here I believe you have made a serious mistake with the planer sled, and I have seen it on other planer sled videos of yours as well, so I have to point it out: on nearly all benchtop planers, when you use a sled, the "catch strip" should be at the front--the end that enters the planer first--not at the rear as you have it. Yes, the cutting blades try to slide the workpiece towards the rear, so you may think the stop strip is needed there to prevent the workpiece from sliding off the rear of the sled. But, there are also a couple of pinch rollers that are pulling the workpiece forward, and without a stop strip at the front the workpiece will tend to slide off the front end of the sled. Who wins this tug-o-war? Obviously the pinch rollers do; otherwise the entire sled would not be pulled into the planer--you would have to push it through yourself. If there is enough friction between the sled top and the workpiece bottom that might be enough to keep the workpiece in place, much like if it were taped down. But if those surfaces are slick the pinch rollers will simply win the battle and pull the workpiece forward, off the front end of the sled, and out through the front of the planer leaving the sled behind. This happens to me all the time, either by accident or whenever I want to demonstrate the effect for others. I'm surprised you have not experienced it yourself. Finally, I note that with some larger industrial planers the pinch rollers are at the bottom (under the sled), trying to pull the sled forward, while the cutting wheel works on the top, trying to push the workpiece back. In this case the effect is opposite, and the catch strip should then be at the rear of the sled.

[@usaf4dbt]

Thank you

[@romulusclay6697]

This guy knows all of the tricks to do when you really don't know how to fix your machine. His band saw video is the funniest of all

[@benjamess3194]

Just a silly question. What keeps the infeed and discharge rollers from pulling the work piece ahead of the sled?

[@polstakanoff]

Thank you!

[@peterfong8777]

Thanks 🙏

[@brucelee3388]

#4 - when buying your Thicknesser, get one that has a cutter head lock. This largely stops noticeable snipe as the board exits the machine because the cutter head height is firmly locked to a fixed column, the feed rollers are independently sprung and can't make the cutter head move up or down like on lesser machines.

[@markgado8782]

Thanks for the good tip.

[@gurjitsingh7126]

good video .

[@snips56]

Generally the reason snipe will occur is that before the end roller engages (on infeed) or after the lead roller disengages (on outfeed) the cutter head can pull the wood up into the cutter, especially if there is any give to the infeed and outfeed trays (and many of them have some give). One trick that can work is to slight lift up on the back of the board on infeed until the second roller engages and slightly lift the front of the board on outfeed. This leverages the board against the roller and forces it down onto the platten - in essence acting like a second roller, when only one of the machine's rollers is engaged. This is not a great solution when you are trying to flatten a dozen boards in a row, but with a single board or a second person to help, it can work well.

[@maximilianberger9293]

Thanks for your video! What planer are you using?

[@stevek3627]

Colin please help! I have a brand new 12.5" planer and I keep having this trouble whereby the board feeds fine for the first half to three quarters but then it stops feeding. I tried making a melamine table and have leveled the infeed and outfeed tables as well. Are my boards slightly warped? Should I throw the whole thing in the dump? I am fed up!

[@markdmaker3173]

Great video as usual👍🏼

[@MrConacher]

Does the cleat on the router sled enter the planer first? Or last? I have been feeding my material through cleat first. This is for a Ridgid R4331 lunchbox planer. Appreciate all the videos Colin. They have been very helpful.

[@FreddyFootlock]

Colin, Is that a Hercules 13” planer? I didn’t see make/model in the description. Thanks!

[@wizanzaini]

I think the machine needs small multiple in and out rollers 😊

[@robk3604]

What brand of planer do you have?

[@randyheinbaugh8238]

another good video. you need a new wire wheel for your grinder

[@rkstew]

do both sides of the board need to be flat before feeding it through the planer, or is one side sufficient? If so, the flat side faces down and the the other side up?

[@eric8675]

Flat side down and the planer will cut the top side to match, boom, two flat sides.

[@djtblizzle]

Adding in-feed/out-feed tables changes the gauges. How do you do the math conversions?

[@PikachuG5]

I must be very lucky. I get snipe at the end AND beginning of boards!

[@oneeyedphotographer]

6:00 if you're making your own platen, you can make it longer, to support longer workpieces. Or have supports for the sled you show later.

[@avidlearner5543]

Thanks Colin. What did you put on the MDF board to reduce the friction?

[@alexeyorlov9639]

Your eye bags are great!

[@MMWoodworking]

I think the big issue causing most weekend, or moderate level woodworkers, to have snipe issues is that most of us don't have a proper jointer. This is just a theory. I think most people have cup or twist snipe, which is very hard to eliminate even with setting up the planer perfectly. If the board naturally dips you will get some snipe. Jointing sleds are not truly as effective, and are sometimes time consuming. If you have any slack, or your shim isn't strong enough, the roller will depress it and you will still have that cup or twist. Let's be honest, most people are not going to take the time every time, especially because wood can change even after milling if it is in a shop that isn't climate controlled. I'm going to be getting my first jointer at the end of this year, and I am looking forward to speeding up the milling process.

[@lesteryoder2579]

Great video, but I am confused about the enishal setting for making the first pass through the plainer.

[@RatedRWoodturning]

Good tips but i hate when people say planer xyz has no snipe. Its just not possible no matter how good the planer is, hence all the ways the REDUCE snipe. The wood gods will always take their share

[@rodwynrhind5573]

Finally I have some answers to a very annoying experience!

[@knecht105]

Glad this helped

[@martinparmer]

Question I have is, how much thickness can you safely take off with one pass? If you have a 1" board and want to take it all the way to 1/2", how many passes should you plan on doing? Also, if it's a hardwood vs softwood, does that change the answer? Thanks!

[@G0F15H]

It depends on your machine; motor sizes vary, but the bigger difference is straight blades vs helical head with carbide teeth. The width of your board may also come into play. If you're too aggressive it's not only hard on the equipment but you risk tear-out. Generally speaking, try not to take more than 1/8" off with each pass. If it's a dense or figured hardwood keep it closer to 1/16"

[@martinparmer]

@@G0F15H I have the dewalt 735. 1/16 to 1/8 sounds reasonable to me. I'm going to be milling my own chestnut oak and want to get a bunch of panels at 1/2" so I think I'll mill at 5/8" and 3/4" and try both and see which works the best. Thanks.

[@johnhill8958]

With a continuous width knives like the DeWalt planers (12.5 inches), remove 1/16" max for softwood like pine 1/32" max for hardwood like oak.

[@corwind3888]

Some tips: Try and take a similar amount off of either face rather than taking all from one face. And don't lay your freshly planed boards flat on a workbench overnight, rather set it up on some stickers or something to allow air to circulate on both surfaces. Your material may still move after planing, so you may want to plane to a dimension a little thicker than you want, and after it sets overnight (or longer) you can plane to final dimension. Hope this helps.

[@harrydavis6903]

Resaw!! then plane.

[@uffesteenberg]

Seems Rikon doesn't exist in Europe.. Anyone know if it sells under a different name?

[@dacutler]

When planing wood like spalted maple there's a risk of tear out. How do I minimize that?

[@daviddionne8296]

Thin wedges.... I use playing cards.....

[@masterlock121490]

Hotel key cards work great too, but they are thicker than playing cards.

[@bazanderson8283]

Hey Colin, thanks for the informative video 🙏. Was wondering, what make and model is this?

[@chipandputt]

it is a Rikon for sure ... I believe it is the Rikon 25-135H

[@thomasbrovarone7136]

Colin ... I'm in the market for a 'lunch box' planer and this was good info on use. Now I understand why some of my wood working friends have that auxiliary MDF board / feed table. Based on the color of your new planer, I'm assuming the brand name begins with an "R". Be interested to know the research on brands you did that lead you to your choice. Thanks

[@G0F15H]

That's probably the best bang for the buck on the market. The carbide cutters are a huge step up over straight blades. They cut better, make less noise, last longer and can be rotated. The slightly higher initial cost of the unit will be eventually recouped once you start factoring in the replacement of straight blades

[@larrysebastian9482]

Question. The planer bed comes with approximately 3/16” flanges on both sides. I assume these are to keep the stock from creeping off the working area of the planer. I’ve watched several videos on making a one piece bed jig to eliminate snipe . Nobody recreates these flanges on their jig . Do the flanges not serve a purpose?

[@knecht105]

The flanges are to keep the wood from drifting from one side or another and out of the cutterhead path, which would then leave a small raised area that did not get planed, it wouldn't hurt to recreate them but even on the rare time this has happened, I just re-plane the board with no adjustments and that raised area is planed off

[@tonywilliamson1474]

I have a unit with a measuring tape a laser and a spirit level I’m confused how it works can you help please Tony

[@kellysean25]

Hi Colin i bought a parksede plainer thicknesser PADM1250A1 i set it up and on the manual it said to remove the cross struts before use what are they and more where are they? Can you help or are they there at all this is my first plainer and thicknesser.

[@ronkerouac309]

What is the make and model planer you're using