Popular Woodworking 2008-08 № 170, страница 40

Popular Woodworking 2008-08 № 170, страница 40

present a special kind of pinch point. Remember these rollers are spring-tensioned and have a tendency to force wood to the bed. If your hands are caught under the board when the infeed roller engages the wood, they will be smashed. I make it a habit to try to hold my boards from the top side as I load them onto the bed of the planer instead of the natural way of holding from beneath. At times when planing rough boards the tendency will be to wear leather gloves to protect your hands from the rough-sawn edges. I hate splinters as much as anyone, but under no circumstances would I ever wear gloves when running a planer. Never let your fingers slip into any knot holes, grooves or any other irregularities on the board.

The beds on planers never seem to be long enough, so in an effort to extend the beds for more support some manufacturers include an extension roller that can be added to both the infeed and outfeed side of the bed. These extension rollers are the most dangerous devices I have ever seen - especially on the outfeed side of the bed. Imagine that your mind drifts and as you reach to the outfeed side to grab the board, your hand gets between the extension roller and the wood. Once the board pinches your hand, it will continue to feed and will cause a serious injury. If you have these rollers I suggest you add a sub-table board that is long enough to cover the danger of this overlooked pinch point.

Remember the 3" rule from the

The danger zone.

Planers can kick back at you — and quite violently. Never stand directly in front of the machine while operating it. Stand to the side. The tape on my shop floor is a good reminder of where not to stand.

kind of wood and the desired quality of the surface of the stock after planing. Wider boards and harder woods should be fed at a slow speed, and narrower pieces of softer wood at a higher rate. Because the infeed and outfeed rollers are typically powered by the same motor as the cutterhead, when the machine is under exceptional load the rollers usually slow the feed rate as well.

Be Aware of Pinch Points

For the most part, pinch points on the planer are benign until the machine is turned on. Once the machine is on, these points become alive — regardless of what's in its way. Remember: The machine can't think but you can.

Other than the obvious pinch points such as belts, pulleys, chains and cranks, the infeed and outfeed rollers

54 ■ Popular Woodworking August 2008