Wood planers are essential for a woodworking shop where pieces need to be precision-engineered for great furniture, cabinets, etc. As a mainstay of the woodworking floor, an industrial wood planer allows for efficient cutting and ripping of wooden pieces.

For a larger wood shop, a purchasing manager who gets one of the many wood planers for sale on the market may want to look for supplementary materials for the wood or lumber planer area. In terms of buying for a wood planer area, a business leader may want to consider these items:

1. Sawdust collection bins or barrels to keep the floor area organized and avoid having piles of loose sawdust from industrial wood planers obstruct the work area and dirty the air.

2. Safety goggles and other safety equipment for helping workers deal with the occasional flying debris from the wood planer.

3. Safety displays and signs communicating to workers the specific hazards of using a wood planer.

Action Steps
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Find hoods and parts for heavy duty wood planers

Specialized parts for wood planers help people use wood planers every day in a woodworking shop environment.

I recommend: Wood plane attachments and accessories from Lowe's can get wood scraps routed into the right places. For top quality wood planer parts, try River Valley Machinery.

Find blades and knives for wood planer use

Another good buy for wood planers is blades and knives that will keep them working well long term. The cutting tools for wood working planers are eventually going to wear out, so it's good to have a stock supply of these accessories.

I recommend: Get choices for planer blades and knives at the visual website of ESTA-USA. You can find more for planers and other equipment including carbide tipped gear at Infinity Cutting Tools.

Get more accessories for wood planers from workshop vendors

Lots more is available from more woodworking shop suppliers who provide parts and accessories for these specialized planing machines over the internet. Use visual catalog pages to find the gear you need to keep your wood planers running smoothly.

I recommend: Looking for dust hoods? What about drive belts for an ailing power wood planer, or angle edgers? All of this is available at the website of Wood Planers.Net. Get more various wood planer accessories at industrial and workshop outfitter Grainger.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Another side safety item is hearing protection for a wood planer: simple small ear plugs can save a worker's hearing over time, and anybody who has worked around these machines knows the effect they can have on hearing. Keep ear plugs and other supplies for wood planer handy in the work area as well; they are cheap and guaranteed to pay for themselves many times over in terms of the end result in workplace health and safety.

An industrial wood planer is used to cut down and shape wood for every wood product from pencils to kitchen cabinets. Woodworkers start with very large cuts of lumber and surface the wood with tools called wood jointers and wood planers. Though wood planers are typically expensive and bulky, we owe the beauty of natural wood products to wood planers since they control the thickness of the cut and are essential in offering well-made wood products.

Whether you're looking to buy one industrial wood planer for a small business or several for a large-scale operation, remember the following:

1. The services that come with a new lumber planer

2. Advice from consumers and industrial wood planer experts

3. Price breaks from buying reconditioned wood planers.

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Purchase a new lumber planer and get some support

If you're looking to start a business that requires the use of heavy duty wood planers or industrial wood planers, you may want to buy new. Often, new equipment comes with warranties as well as customer service and training -- all can come in handy for training new staff.

I recommend: For top-of-the-line wood planer machines with extended warranties, find tools from top-grade wood planer manufacturers with Grainger. For more trusted names like Jet and Powermatic, go to Southern-Tool.com.

Get guidance for big purchases with wood planer reviews

Among the qualities to look for in a wood planer are accurate depth controls for precise thickness, perfect balances and motor strength. And, since you'll be dealing with wood, a wood planer's ability to hold up after lots of wear and tear is also important.

I recommend: ConsumerDemocracy offers wood planer information and consumer reviews of wood planers from a wide variety of manufacturers. Galt suggests a top-rated wood planer as well as a planer-buying guide.

Check out reconditioned wood planers for sale

New wood planers for sale are heavy and expensive. Unless you're buying locally, you'll have to factor in the cost of both the machinery and the shipping. If you think the shipping costs will break your budget, consider purchasing 'as-is,' reconditioned wood planers. For a little more, there are even companies who guarantee top name brand planers that have been reconditioned by experts.

I recommend: Find a nice selection of reconditioned wood planers through Wm. J. Redmond & Son, Inc.. Reconditioned Sales, Inc., an authorized Hitachi reconditioning center, also offers reconditioned wood planers.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Wood chips and knots are often thrown out of wood planers during use. Wearing a protective vest and a pair of goggles is essential when working with most woodworking equipment -- especially wood planers. You'll also need to invest in a set of ear plugs or ear protectors if you purchase a wood planer without a sound-proof enclosure.

Whether it's industrial wood planers, reconditioned wood planers or the more traditional hand held planer, planing tools play a large role in finishing wood projects, providing uniformity in construction and allowing the individual craftsman to show off his skills.

With such a varied market for wood planer machines, knowing what you need for the budget and the job at hand is foundational to any education on wood planers. Taking the time to inform yourself about the tools in your workshop results in better application, higher frequency of use and improved safety. When looking into wood planer education and training:

1. Understand that a variety of wood planers exist with different uses, budgets and specialties

2. Know the hand planer is the most affordable and practical for the home woodworker

3. Realize power planers, although more expensive, are often more efficient and work best for the industrial setting

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Increase safety and overall knowledge with articles and guides on how to use the power lumber planer

The Internet abounds with power wood planer information and narrowing your search will save lots of time. Finding out about the best wood planers for sale, the safety measures involved in their use, the differences between certain styles of an electric wood planer and woodworking industry best practices will only enhance your skill level and understanding of your tool.

I recommend: Toolprice.com, although a commercial site, offers great how-to articles on wood planing. With instructions on using a wood planer, as well as safety tips, the article offer a good introduction to the woodworking beginner. Reader's Digest has a simple-to-follow wood planer use guide with full color photos and diagrams to explain each step.

Learn to use traditional wood working planers as an affordable alternative

Training manuals for hand planers have become rare in the last few years with the popularity of power tools and the industrial wood planer. Because of its low price, the hand wood planer is often the only option for the home woodworker's budget, so education on proper use is essential.

I recommend: TechnologyStudent.com has a great one page full color wood planer training guide with useful graphic effects. Sawdust Making 101 has a detailed article on the parts and uses of the hand planer.

Increase overall understanding of the tool use with visual training for wood planer equipment

Online woodworking videos give the beginner planer a good visual on the use of planing tools. Often, video tutorials are down-to-earth in their language, easy to follow and not too long.

I recommend: Expert Village offers a tutorial on using a powered wood planer. YouTube offers a series of video clips on how to use a thickness adjuster wood planer.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Reconditioned wood planers save industrial use firms a lot of money and often come with on site training.