Despite the wide range of electric planers offered by stores, ordinary hand tools are still quite popular among carpenters. The fact is that with their help, wood processing can be done somewhat better. Most often, modern carpenters have both types of planers in stock. Electric is used for the initial processing of workpieces, and manual is used for finishing them.
Design Features
To know how to choose a good hand planer, you should have an idea about its design. Such tools consist of the following main parts:
- Case. This structural element is most often made of wood. It is in it that all the main components of the planer are attached.
- Knife. Sharpened at a certain angle.
- Clamp. Can be made from different materials. It can be a metal plate or a bar.
- Chipbreaker. It is mounted slightly above the knife. As you can already judge by the name of this element, it serves to break chips and guide them.
- Adjusting screw. This elementdesign is responsible for changing the position of the knife relative to the surface to be treated.
All universal hand planers for wood have this design. The basic elements described above are also present in other, specialized varieties. On the body of any planer, among other things, there are two handles.
What to look for when choosing
The main element of the planer design is a knife. It is on its quality that you should pay attention first of all. This element must be made of high quality steel. In this case, the planer can be used as long as possible without the need for sharpening. Of course, it is visually difficult to determine how successful the material was chosen for the planer knife. Therefore, first of all, you should pay attention to the reputation of the manufacturer.
Of course, the cutting tool must never wobble. When buying, it is worth checking the front handle. She must also hold on tight. In addition, when choosing a planer, you should pay attention to the size of the handle for the right hand. The length of this element varies. A tool with a small handle may simply not be suitable for a person with large brushes.
Varieties
Of course, you should choose a manual planer, based on the specific purpose for which it will be intended. There are several types of planers on the market today. The most popular are:
- Universal. This is a regular planer that can do most carpentry work.
- Jointer. The body of this instrument is longer than that of a conventional one. A jointer is used for processing dimensional workpieces.
- End planer. The knife of such a tool is located at a more gentle angle. This allows high-quality processing of the end grain.
- Zenzubel. Planer of this variety is used mainly for sampling all kinds of joinery joints and folds.
Reviews about plane brands
On the modern market, carpentry tools of this type are sold from different manufacturers. Many brands are of very good quality. Good reviews from craftsmen, for example, have earned planes from companies such as Bailey and Handyman. Bailey tools are valued above all for their excellent knife quality and long service life. Sharpening a knife of a manual planer of this brand is quite rare. Sometimes there are comments that mention a not very high-quality assembly. But even if any flaws are found in the purchased tool, they can usually be easily and quickly eliminated, and on your own. Handyman planers, judging by the reviews, are also comfortable and reliable. Their only drawback is not too neat design.
Experienced craftsmen do not advise purchasing Groz brand products (India). Despite the fact that the products of this brand are classified as expensive, judging by the reviews, they do not differ in particularly good quality. Their build quality is just terrible, and at the same time they are uncomfortable to work with.
How to use
Hand planers for wood are simple in design and quite easy to use. The main thing is to do the work smoothly, without jerking. This is especially true for very long workpieces. Subject to this condition, the surface of the finished product will turn out to be very neat and even. When planing, stand on the side of the workpiece with one foot forward.
The top and bottom surface of products is very easy to process. Somewhat more difficult to work on the edges. In this case, it is important to fasten the knife very firmly. It should not vibrate in the block in any case. Beveling should be done exclusively in the direction of the fibers.
There is also a technique that allows high-quality processing of very wide workpieces. In this case, the product is first stretched with a planer diagonally, adhering to the direction of the fibers. Next, the plane is checked for evenness using a special ruler. At the final stage, fine-tuning is performed. In this case, a thin layer of chips is removed from the workpiece parallel to the edge.
How to sharpen a knife
Of course, a hand planer, like any other tool, requires some care. No matter how good steel the knife of this tool is made of, sooner or later it will become dull anyway, and it will have to be sharpened. Most often, this procedure is performed on a special stone calledtouchstone. The latter is pre-wetted with water. When sharpening, it is desirable to moisten the knife itself. Press it against the stone as tightly as possible.
The sharpening angle of a manual planer may vary depending on the model. Most often, this figure is 30 degrees. When working on a whetstone, one usually simply pays attention to how the blade was sharpened initially.
Sometimes experienced carpenters sharpen the planer knife and on the circle. In this case, it should not be pressed against the edge, but against the side surface. When using a circle, you can also get a pretty high-quality sharpening. A hand planer with such a knife will be very convenient to use. But only if an abrasive fine-grained abrasive wheel is used. After sharpening on such a tool, finishing is usually performed. This procedure is performed either on a piece of sandpaper fixed on the table, or on a bar. Checking the quality of sharpening is quite easy. To do this, you just need to carefully examine the blade. If it does not shine, then the knife is sharp enough to be used.
How to set up a hand planer correctly
You will need a special screwdriver to perform this procedure. Such tools are designed for setting exactly planers. Their distinctive feature is a large width and a small length. The main purpose of the planer adjustment is to set the amount of blade exit above the surface of the sole. If the knife protrudes too far, the planer will begin to remove very thickshavings. A slightly exposed blade will simply slide over the surface of the wood.
For the initial processing of workpieces, the output of the knife should be about 0.5 mm. If the planer is to be used for finishing, the blade should protrude slightly less from the sole.
How to store properly
Experienced craftsmen believe that a knife for a hand planer gets dull, at least not even during operation, but due to improper storage. After the end of the planing of the workpieces, this tool should be cleaned of chips and put in a box specially designed for it. In this case, the position of the tool should be such that the knife blade protruding from the body is not at the bottom, but on the side.
If the hand planer is going to be stored for a very long time, it must be taken apart and thoroughly cleaned before being put into the box. Knives and other metal parts should be wiped with an oiled rag.
