Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety/Centre canadien d'hygi¸ne et de sˇcuritˇ au travail
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What should you do before you start cutting with a planer?
What should you do while cutting with a planer?


What should you do before you start cutting with a planer?

  • Wear safety glasses or goggles, or a face shield and use the appropriate hearing protection.
  • Disconnect the planer from the power supply before making any adjustments to the cutter head or blades.
  • Ensure switch is in off position before plugging in.
  • Use blades of the same weight and set at the same height.
  • Ensure that the blade-locking screws are tight.
  • Remove adjusting keys and wrenches before turning on power.
  • Support the material (stock) in a comfortable position that will allow the job to be done safely and accurately.
  • Check stock thoroughly for staples, nails, screws, or other foreign objects before using a planer.
  • Do not cut stock less than 20 cm (8 in) long or 1 cm (0.5 in) thick.

    Use Proper Support for Work


    What should you do while cutting with a planer?

    • Start a cut with the infeed table (front shoe) resting firmly on the stock and with the cutter head slightly behind the edge of the stock.
    • Use two hands to operate a planer - one hand on the trigger switch and the other on a front handle.
    • Do not put your finger or any object in a deflector to clean out chips while a planer is running.
    • Disconnect the power supply when stopping to dump out chips.
    • Do not set a planer down until blades have stopped turning.
    • Stand on the side of the planer near the controls. Never stand behind stock when being fed into the planer.

    Planer

    • Keep all cords clear of cutting area.
    • Do not overreach. Keep proper footing and balance.

    Refer to Powered Hand Tools - Basic Safety for Electric Tools for general safety tips.

    Document last updated on March 21, 2007

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