How to choose a power plan - tips and tricks

One of the most important stages of any carpentry work is the preparation of lumber. Of course, today you can buy rails, boards and timber of any quality of pre-training, including perfectly planed ones, however, real masters prefer to do it themselves. And from a financial point of view, it is much more profitable to buy unplanered wood and independently bring its surface quality to the level you need. From all of the above, it follows that on construction sites and in workshops where they work with wood, one cannot do without an electric planer. There will always be a job for him - planing, chamfering, choosing a quarter ...

Those who come to this conclusion invariably face the challenge: how to choose an electric planer. Given the huge number of models available today, it is very difficult to do. Amateur or professional, powerful and heavy or small and light, with the presence or absence of one or another function, expensive or not? .. In order for the new tool to perfectly meet your expectations from it, you should understand: what can you expect from modern electric planers ?

The device of the electric planer and the principle of its action

With the advent of the electric motor, the planer became more efficient in operation and easier to use, but its design remained generally as simple as that of its progenitor, the hand tool of the same name.

The engine and the drum of the electric plane are placed perpendicular to the direction of movement of the tool. They are interconnected by means of a drive belt hidden behind a side removable casing. The lower part of the drum, on which the blades are fixed, and which performs the function of a cutting element, is flush with the plane of the back of the support platform, called the base of the planer. The front part of the sole is raised relative to the back to a predetermined height and in the process of operation rests on still unplaned wood. A fast-rotating drum cuts off the material with its blades, as a result, the lower back of the sole slides over the already-machined surface.

Let us consider in a little more detail the individual structural elements of the electric planer.

Electroplate outsole

The lower working surface of the electric planer - the sole - consists of two parts, between which there is a rotating drum with knives fixed on it. The displacement of the movable "toe" of the sole relative to the stationary "heel" in the vertical direction sets the depth of cut.

The quality of the sole largely determines how satisfied you are with your new tool and the quality of its work. What to look for?

Firstly, on the material of which the sole is made. The vast majority of electric planers are aluminum, but aluminum can be cast or stamped. The first option, of course, is preferable, since cast metal has better strength characteristics than stamped.

However, if you select a tool for domestic use, do not neglect stamped planers, because they also have their undeniable advantage - a lower price.

Secondly, on the quality of polishing the surface of the sole. The last ironed, the easier the planer will slide over the workpiece. Sometimes, to improve slip, a special coating based on polytetrafluoroethylene is applied to the surface of the sole.

Thirdly, on the dimensions of the sole. The length of the sole (in ordinary electric planers it can range from 300 to 400 mm, and in electric planers reach 500 mm or more) determines the longitudinal stability of the tool.

And finally, the last on our list (but not at all the last in importance) characteristic of the sole to which attention should be paid is its general geometry. There should not be any transverse and vertical distortions, i.e. with the depth of planing set to zero, the “toe” and “heel” of the sole should form an ideal plane without gaps. And the line formed by their side edges should ideally be flat, which is easy to check right in the store by attaching a ruler to them.

On the sole, as a rule, there is a shallow longitudinal V-shaped groove (sometimes not one, but two or even three grooves of different sizes). Its main purpose is to facilitate the process of chamfering.

Knives and knife drum

The main working element of the electric planer is a knife drum, located in the transverse movement of the tool in the direction between two parts of its sole. It is on it that the blades are mounted, which remove the chips from the treated wooden surface.
The number of knives can vary from one to three depending on the model of electric planer. Three are relatively infrequent - mainly on professional instruments.

The most common and popular models with two knives. From this we should not conclude that planers with one blade are bad and worthless. In fact, this is the most acceptable option for those who are puzzled by the question of which electric planer to choose for the home. Such models have their advantages - a small load on the engine and, as a consequence, a small mass and low cost.

Many planer models support quarter sampling. To do this, make one end of the drum open, which allows you to choose a quarter along the entire length of the workpiece. The quarter sampling width is set using a special stop that comes with the power plan. To change the quarter sampling depth, use planing depth adjustment. To protect the open end of the drum, a protective rotary casing is used.

A few words should be said about the material from which the knives are made. Today on the market there are two varieties of knives for electric planes - carbide and high-speed steel. The former have a fairly large resource of work, but when the cutting edge is still dull, the blade will have to be replaced, but it costs quite a lot. Such knives can be recommended to those who use the plane only occasionally - they have installed a new blade and you can not remember it for several months, or even years.

For the same craftsmen, for whom the electric plane is the number one tool, high-speed steel knives are more suitable, which blunt quickly, but must be sharpened. This task, however, is not easy, but taking into account the fact that such blades are quite inexpensive, the question is legitimate: is it worth sharpening them at all or is it easier to replace them with new ones as needed.

Technical characteristics that must be considered when choosing an electric planer

All technical specifications of the electric planer can be found in the documentation for the tool. But finding them is not difficult, but in order to understand what these or those numbers mean, you must first get at least a general idea of ​​all these parameters.

Planing depth

Depth of planing - a parameter showing how thick the material can take a planer in one pass. It is determined by the vertical displacement of the “toe” of the sole relative to the “heel” and is regulated by a screw mechanism.

In simple electric planers intended for domestic use, this value can vary from 0 to 2 mm, while professional models are able to remove up to 4 mm of wood per pass. The pitch depth adjustment step is usually in the range 0.1-0.5 mm. The quality of work performed using a finely adjustable planer is, of course, higher, but such tools also cost significantly more.

Planing width

Planing width - a parameter that determines the maximum width of the “path” that the planer makes in one pass, and which directly depends on the size of the cutting edge of the knife. It is worthwhile to pay attention to this characteristic if using the purchased tool it is supposed to process wide boards, timber, etc. Of course, nothing prevents you from making two parallel passes, but when it comes to large volumes of work, this is irrational from the point of view of time costs.

Power

Power is the main characteristic of an electric planer (as, indeed, of any other electric tool), which determines its performance. Power is directly related to the two parameters discussed above: the wider and / or deeper layer of material should remove the planer in one pass, the more powerful it should have. The ability of the planer to process hardwood also depends on the power: not every tool that can easily cope with, for example, pine or aspen, will have oak or maple “in the teeth”. Professional models of electric planers are equipped with engines with a power of 1500-2200 watts (we are talking about power consumption in this case), 500-900 watts are enough for household ones.

Rotation frequency

Rotation speed is a parameter using which you can evaluate how quickly and efficiently a planer can cope with its task. The angular velocity of rotation of the drum in most models of electric planes lies in the range of 10000-17000 rpm. Models with a low shaft speed are designed for rough processing of solid wood. It should be noted that at low speeds, the vibration of the instrument begins to be distinctly felt.

Cordless Electric Plane

Recently, there has been a clear trend towards an increase in the share of wireless construction equipment. And if earlier they were rather “weak” tools, the help of which was resorted to only when it was necessary to perform work in conditions of high humidity or at a considerable distance from the access point to the mains, today battery models are not inferior in many ways (or almost not inferior) to their wired counterparts.

Almost every manufacturer of electric planers has their own line of wireless models. The voltage of the batteries in most of these tools is 18 V, a little less often you can find models with a voltage of 14.4 V.

In addition to the obvious advantages, of course, wireless electric planers have their own disadvantage - the high cost. But then it’s up to you to decide whether to overpay for the convenience of work. One thing is obvious, it is advisable to buy such an instrument in the case when it is supposed to be used where there is no possibility to connect to the electric network. In all other cases, it is better to give preference to a network device.

Other structural elements and additional useful features

Lever

The main requirement for the handle of an electric planer (as, indeed, of any other manual electric tool) is ergonomics.It largely depends on how convenient it will be to use it. Therefore, before buying, you should definitely hold the plane you like in your hands. Ideally, the handle should have a rubberized pad or any other non-slip coating.

In the front of the case of some electric planes, manufacturers install an additional handle for the left hand of the master: this is a very useful element, since it allows you to evenly distribute the force during operation.

Branch pipe

A nozzle located on the side of the electric planer housing is designed to discharge chips and wood dust from the working area. Connecting a construction vacuum cleaner specially designed for this bag or hose will allow you to keep the workshop in order and reduce the time it takes to clean it. Rarely, but still there are planers with two mirrored nozzles. Such models should especially interest left-handed people who are uncomfortable working when the chip bag is connected to a standardly located nozzle.

Power On Lock

In order to increase safety when handling a power tool, most of the models produced today are equipped with a button to prevent accidental switching on. Without pressing this additional button, you will not be able to press the trigger to start the engine, which means that you can safely carry a planer that is not disconnected from the mains without thinking that you can accidentally hit the start key. In addition, thanks to this feature, your young children will not be able to accidentally or intentionally turn on a potentially dangerous "toy".

Smooth start

The electric planer motor with soft start function is gaining momentum gradually. This prevents the rapid wear of the main components of the tool and makes working with it safer. This feature is especially useful for heavy and powerful equipment.

Electrodynamic brake

The presence of the electrodynamic braking function of the shaft allows you to very quickly stop the rotation of the knife drum. This significantly reduces the risk of knife damage at the time of turning off the planer, when the operator wants to release the tool as soon as possible. And for the master, working with the tool becomes a little safer.

Constant electronics

With an increase in the load on the tool, “braking” of the engine inevitably occurs, that is, a decrease in the number of revolutions per unit time. To avoid the risk of tool jamming and to ensure a high quality of workpiece surface processing under these conditions, constant electronics will help, maintaining a given optimal speed of rotation of the knife shaft, regardless of the speed of movement of the planer and the hardness of the wood. As a rule, only expensive professional models are equipped with such a function.

Non-standard varieties of electric planers

The tasks for carpenters and joiners can be very diverse, and trying to satisfy all their needs, manufacturers of power tools are constantly expanding the functionality of their products. As a result, non-standard, but at the same time popular varieties of electric planes appear on the market.

Some, far from frequent models of electric planers allow stationary installation: you will not move the planer along the wooden workpiece, but the workpiece along the planer - in some cases this is really more convenient. Such tools have special devices that allow them to be rigidly fixed in an inverted position, and a power button lock. As a result, you get a miniature planer.

Almost any modern electric planer can chamfer, but, as a rule, we are talking only about a slight smoothing of the workpiece angles. Seam planers are designed specifically to remove a full bevel with a depth of up to 25 mm. To do this, they have a deep V-neck in their soles.

It is infrequent, but there are models in which a single spiral-shaped knife or, alternatively, several straight knives placed at an angle to the axis of rotation of the shaft is installed on the drum. Such planers make it possible to obtain a particularly smooth surface.

Also available are planers designed specifically for machining curved surfaces. This is achieved thanks to the variable geometry of the sole made of sheet metal. The possibilities of such planers, however, are not unlimited: the radius of curvature of the convex surfaces that they can process should be at least 400 mm, concave - at least 450 mm.

This is not a complete list of highly specialized planers available on the market today, and if you need a tool for performing non-standard work - look and find out.

Safety rules for working with electric planer

If you are reading this article, then you have not yet decided which electric planer to choose, and the joyful moment of its acquisition is ahead of you. However, already at this stage it will not be superfluous to familiarize yourself with the basic safety rules when working with this potentially very dangerous tool.

• Adjustment and cleaning of the instrument can only be carried out after disconnecting it from the mains. The presence of a button to prevent accidental activation does not save you from having to comply with this requirement.
• Carefully approach the issue of choosing work clothes, it is not allowed to have freely hanging arms and a floor. Never neglect personal protective equipment such as glasses.
• Before starting work, carefully inspect the tool for damage to rotating parts and loose knives.
• Before planing, all nails and screws, if any, must be removed from the workpiece.
• The workpiece to be machined must be securely fixed with a vice, clamps, etc.
• Ensure a comfortable and, most importantly, stable position when working.
• Use only manufacturer recommended blades. If your electric planer has several knives, all of them should be the same (including the same degree of wear), otherwise during the work the balancing of the drum is inevitable and, as a result, strong vibration of the tool.
• Do not leave the power plan unattended. Keep it out of the reach of children.

Video. Choosing and working with an electric planer