Avoid Damage To Blades; Prepare Work; Feeding Work; Avoiding Snipe - Craftsman 351.233780 Operator's Manual

• Position knife gauge assembly on the cutterhead so
that the two knife gauges (Fig 8, No t6) are approxi-
mately at the same distance from the cutterhead edge.
o Hold knife gauge assembly against cutterhead so
contact point is over the blade (see Figure 6).
Figure 6 - Adjusting Blade Height
° While holding rod (Fig., 8, No_.52) down use open
end wrench to loosen locking bolts (Fig. 8 No,.. 22)
° When all the bolts are loose, the springs (Fig. 8, No.
15) wil! raise the blade.
° Make sure the blade (Fig. 8, No. 23) is raised only so
much that it just touches the contact point in the
knife gauge°
• Make sure the blade just touches the contact point
on both knife gauges at each end of the rod.
o Tighten locking bolts and secure blade heighL
° Adjust second blade in same manner.
° Replace blade guard and fasten securely.
AVOID DAMAGE TO BLADES
o Thickness planer is a precision woodworking
machine and should be used on quality lumber only.
. Do not plane dirty boards; dirt and small stones are
abrasive and will wear out blade,.
o Remove nails and staples. Use planer to cut wood only.
• Avoid knots. Heavily cross-grained wood makes
knots hard, Knots can come loose and jam blade.
CAUTION: Any article that encounters planer blades
may be forcib]y ejected from planer creating risk of injury
PREPARE WORK
,, Thickness planer works best when lumber has at
least one flat surface.
° Use surface planer or jointer to create a flat surface
= Twisted or severely warped boards can jam planer..
Rip lumber in half to reduce magnitude of warp,
o Work should be fed into planer in same direction as
the grain of the wood. Sometimes grain will change
directions in middle of board. In such cases, if possi-
ble, cut board in middle before planing so grain
direction is correct,
CAUTION: Do not plane board which is less than
14V2" long; force of cut could split board and cause
kickback.
FEEDING WORK
Refer to Figures 8 and 9, pages 14 and 16,
WARNING: Always turn the planer off and disconnect
it from the power source whenever blade guard (Fig. 8,
No 7) is removed, Never operate planer without the
blade guard properly secured.
The planer is supplied with planing blades mounted in the
cutterhead and infeedand outfeed rollers adjusted to the
correct height. Planer feed is automatic; it will vary slightly
depending on type of wood,
° Feed rate refers to rate at which lumber travels
through planer.
o Operator is responsible for aligning work so it witi
feed properly.
o Adjust the cutterhead height to produce the depth of
cut desired
• Stand on side to which the handle is attached.
° Lift edge to infeed roller plate (Fig 9, No. 16) by
grasping edges of board at approximately middle of
length.
o Boards longer than 24" should have additional sup*
port from free standing material stands,.
° Position the workpiece with the face to be planed on
top°
° Rest board end on in-feed roller plate and direct
board into planer,,
- Gently slide workpiece into the infeed side of the
planer unti! the infeed roller begins to advance the
workpiece,
° Let go of the workpiece and allow automatic feed to
advance the workpiece
° Do not push/pull on workpiece, Move to the rear and
receive planed lumber by grasping it in same man-
ner as it was fed.
CAUTION: To avoid risk of injury due to kickbacks, do
not stand directly in line with front or rear of planer°
= Do not grasp any portion of board which has not
gone past out-feed roller..
o Repeat this operation on all boards which need to be
same thickness. For different thickness, adjust depth
of cut (see page 6).
o Planer has return rollers (Fig. 8, 1to. 12) on top so
assistant can pass work back to operator.
NOTE: Assistant must follow same precautions as
operator..
• Surface that the planer will produce wil! be smoother
if shallower depth of cut is used.
AVOIDING SNIPE
o Snipe refers to a depression at either end of board
caused by an uneven force on cutterhead when work
is entering or leaving planer..
o Snipe wilt occur when boards are not supported
properly or when only one feed roller is in contact
with work at beginning or end of cut
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