What is a Thickness Planer Used For？

When it comes to planning a rough and uneven board to a dimensioned and smooth surface, a thickness planer plays an important role. Before using the planer, the board should be flattened on a jointer, and then the planer can take this surface as a reference to make a uniform thickness.

With its advanced capabilities, a thickness planer becomes an ideal choice for cutting and assembling various woodworking projects. In this blog, we will show you what the thickness planer is, what this tool is used for, and how it works.

What is a Thickness Planer?

A thickness planer is also called a planer in North America or a thicknesser in the UK and Australia. It is used for planing different kinds of wood to a uniform thickness. The rotating cutterhead can help remove material from the surface, and the flat bed can provide support and ensure uniform thickness.

To use a planer effectively, you need to note some considerations:

• Every planer has an adjustable table that you can use to control the final thickness of the board being planed.
• The wood must be fed with the grain to avoid the chipping or splintering of the wood surface.
• The planer cannot remove twisting or warping from the board. Therefore, you need to use the jointer before that.

The planed board is the best choice for various woodworking projects, especially in making furniture, cabinetry, installing a floor, etc.

How Does a Thickness Planer Work?

It's easy for every woodworker to use a thickness planer, even if you are a beginner. Just turn on the machine, put the board on the table, and then the cutterhead will help you remove the material to your desired thickness.

There are two rollers positioned at the front and the back of the machine, which can push the board at a consistent speed. A cutterhead lies between the rollers, which is the main part in deciding the planing effect. Typically, the helical cutterhead can produce a better result.

In addition, it's important to set up and adjust the thickness planer properly. As we mentioned above, you need to adjust the height of the feed table to ensure that every planing depth is no more than 1/16 inches. And you need to check if there are nails or staples on the board that harm the machine.

The planing process may take a long time, especially when planing a number of rough lumber. However, it's still worth it for you to master how to use a thickness planer.

Choose an Ideal Thickness Planer for Your Woodworking Projects

With a wide range of thickness planers available on the market, you might be confused about which one is the best. You are not only to consider the budget, but also the performance and practicality. We've tested the 6 best benchtop thickness planers, and you can take this review as a reference.

Here, we recommend the FB131H 13" benchtop thickness planer with helical cutterhead. Equipped with a 4-row helical cutterhead and 40 tungsten carbide inserts, it can effectively tackle all types of hardwoods, weathered wood, and engineered wood. It can cut the board up to 6 inches.

For this planer, we have pre-installed a helical cutterhead; thus, you don't need to change it yourself. And we offer 4 versions, including US, European, UK, and Australian.

By the way, Black Friday is just around the corner. And we prepare the discount for all products on our website from Nov.10 to Dec.3. If you are interested in woodworking tools or ready to buy a new tool, welcome to visit our site to shop around.

If you still have any questions about the thickness planer or our blog, please leave a comment below with an available email, and we will reply to you via it ASAP!