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imported>Jmf (Created page with "<big>Metabo HC260 Planer-Thicknesser Induction</big> {{inductioninfo}} == Introduction == This induction is designed to take a new user through the safe ope...") |
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This induction is designed to take a new user through the safe operation of the planer / thicknesser.
The planer thicknesser is a Metabo HC260.
This is a combination machine, which can be configured to work as a surface planer (
for the flattening of faces and edges of wood), and as a thickness planer, to dimension
wood that has already been surfaced (“jointed”) on one face and/or edge.
Both modes of operation involve passing the wood over a circular cutter block which holds two 260mm long HSS knives.
== Materials ==
The planer thicknesser is designed to work almost exclusively with wood, and additionally, it’s effective operation
depends on the direction of the wood grain as it is passed over the cutter block. It is not designed to work across
the grain of the wood, or on the end grain of the wood, in either of the surface planer or thickness planer modes.
For this reason, it is not possible to plane the face of plywood, as the alternating grain direction in subsequent
layers results in chips that are too large to evacuate, which clog the machine. It is possible to plane the edge of
plywood, but this is quite hard on the knives, and in most applications the table saw would make more sense.
There are some firm modelling foams which can be processed by the planer thicknesser. This should be done with extra
care, as they produce long chips which are difficult to evacuate and are known to blog the machine.
== Surface Planing ==
Surface planning requires the outfeed table to be attached to the top of the machine, with the dust extraction port
installed beneath the cutter block, held in place by the thicknessing bed.
The procedure for surface planning involves passing stock over the infeed table, into the cutter block, and out over
the outfeed table. The outfeed table is set fractionally lower than the peak of the cutting circle, and the infeed
table is set somewhat lower than the outfeed table. Therefore, as stock passes over the infeed table and through to
the outfeed table, the cutter head removes scallops of material, with repeated passes serving to smooth and flatten
a surface of the stock.
Additionally, a fence may be attached to the infeed table, to provide a reference surface for jointing two adjacent
surfaces of the stock to some user defined reference angle (normally 90 degrees). Here, a typical process would be
to flatten a face, and then, using this flattened face against the fence, flatten an edge at 90 degrees to the face.
From here the thicknesser and table saw can be used to give stock that has 4 sides which are either square or parallel
to each other.
There are some limiting dimensions to consider: You should not joint pieces less than 250mm and 5mm thick. And the
maximum width is 260mm.
=== Setup ===
With the machine unplugged…
Attach the outfeed table.
Install the dust collector below the cutter block on the thicknesser bed.
Check dust collection port is connected to the extractor and that the hose isn’t blocked (a common issue)
Check the height of the infeed table relative to the outfeed table. Ideally it will have been left about 0.5mm below
the outfeed table, but it may have been adjusted to take a heavier cut. Better results will be obtained by taking
multiple passes with a shallower cut. Also, heavier cuts are harder on the knives and will dull them faster. If
necessary, raise the infeed table with the red knob at the end of the infeed table. Check it is still lower than the
outfeed table, and that the cutter block can still freely rotate.
Set the guard. As much as possible of the cutter block must be covered by the guard during operation. If possible,
raise the guard above the work, and extend over the whole cutter block. If the work is too tall for the guard,
expose only just enough of the cutter block to process the stock, and lower the guard so it sits close to the cutter
block.
If using the fence, check that it is securely locked, and that it is at the right angle to the infeed/outfeed tables.
Start the planer, and then the dust extractor. Sometimes, if plugged into the same double socket, the start-up current
of the planer will trip the circuit breaker if the extractor is already on. So it’s less of a headache to start the
planer first.
Consider the grain direction of your stock. Best results will be obtained when the knives are cutting with the grain
(“downhill”), whereas in the opposite direction you are likely to get “tearout”.
[[File:Cutting uphill.jpg|frameless]]
Pass the stock over the infeed table, with only enough pressure the keep the stock securely on the table, and moving
forward at a steady rate. Too much pressure may well deform the stock as it goes over the cutter block, and will not
result in a flat surface. Too little pressure will result in a chattery poor quality surface. A consistent feed rate
over the cutter block is very important – a varying feed rate will result in a varying quality surface. When enough
material has reached the outside the guard on the outfeed table, transfer the downward pressure used to hold the stock
to the outfeed side, so that this serves as your reference surface. Then, from the infeed side, there should be primarily
a forward force pushing work over the cutter block. For the end piece of stock, pull this from the outfeed side. '''Never
should your fingers ever go under the guard.'''
It is common for there to be a slightly deeper scallop at the start and end of a piece of stock, called jointer snipe.
It is hard to completely avoid this. The easiest way is to leave a few extra cm on each end that can be trimmed off later
if needs be.
Take repeated passes until the surface is flat.
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