How to Plane Rough Wood

Bench-top planers are mechanized versions of hand-held planers that sit atop a work surface or woodworking table. They accomplish in a fraction of the time the process of whittling down the rough edges and uneven parts of wood needed for projects that range from large signs and furniture to models of animals and even carved pipes. These planers are a boon to anyone who does woodwork, whether for work or pleasure.

• 1

  Mark the finished depth you want the planed wood to be, using a pencil. If more than one side of the wood needs planing, mark each of the rough sides.

• 2

  Set the planer depth to 1/32 inch shorter than the depth of the side of the wood you want to plane. If the wood is 4 inches thick on the side that needs planing, set the planer to 3-31/32 inches.

• 3

  Find the direction of the wood grain in the piece you want to plane. The grain is the pattern of the fiber lines in the piece of wood.

• 4

  Put on safety goggles and set the wood down at the mouth of the bench planer. Position the wood so that the blades move along the direction of the wood grain.

• 5

  Turn the planer on and apply light pressure to the wood to make it pass through. Do not force the wood or it will cause marks in the surface of the wood.

• 6

  Stop the planer when the wood passes through it and inspect the wood. If it requires further planing, lower the blade by another 1/32 of an inch and pass the wood through again.

• 7

  Flip the wood between passes if you need to plane more than one side of the wood. Alternate between each side of the wood, planing no more than 1/32 at a time until the wood is smooth.