Being a finish carpenter who works in renovation and restoration, I have been forced on many occasions to complete work on-site where a shop enviroment would be way more ideal. One of these tasks is planing down doors, both interior and exterior. Living in the south where humidity can be a carpenter’s worst enemy, I always have to come back and plane doors that closed just fine when they were hung. I use a Dewalt power planer for this job, and I always run into an issue when my planer reaches the end of the door and the front sole drops off, causing the blades to dig in. To counteract this, I usually stop short with the power planer and finish the job with a shoulder plane or belt sander. However, I am not satisfied with this method, and the end result is hardly ever perfect. Any suggestions?
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I have been using my Porter-Cable 3x21 belt sander to do this with good results.. use a coarse belt,it works better at taking down the wood..
ToolDoc
I do this a lot also so 2 suggestions. 1.) Use the edge guide. It helps with keeping the back of the planer on the door edge. 2 bearing surfaces are better then one 2.) take smaller cuts.
I'm assuming you do have the door clamped solid and you're not trying to hold it and plane at the same time? This makes all the difference in the world.
I don't hang that many doors, but when I do I use my #5 Baily. It doesn't take all that long and offers all the control in the world.
John O'Connell - JKO Handcrafted Woodworking
Life is tough. It's tougher if you're stupid - John Wayne
Al, the gouge is not caused by the front sole going past the door edge.Possibly the cutter and the rear sole are not in the same plane.They should be straight across the rear and cutter. The front sets the depth only. I have used the Dewalt planer but did not have this problem. I did add onto the fence as it seems to short for me.If you have a manual, see if the rear sole can be adjusted.
That would be true if he is not letting the front drop when it goes off the door. But you are right, Keeping the cutters and the rear in line is the first thing to check.
Have the same problem with my cheap power plane, but didn't when I borrowed a PC for one job. I estimate how much needs to come off, and start with power going for about 1/16 short of where I want to be. I stop short of the end and reverse the cut just as you do, finish the flat with a block plane to the final size, and smooth the final surface and bevel the edges with a belt sander on slow with 220 grit. I'm sure there are 20 successful variations, that one just works for me.
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