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{{inductioninfo}}
== Introduction ==
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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.
== Safety ==
Ear protection is sensible, as the machine is very noisy.
Eye protection is a must when surface planing, but is unlikely to be needed for thicknessing (you shouldn’t be bent over looking at the wood going through).
Dust masks are not necessary, as the machine produces chips rather than dust.
'''Never''' pass your hands over the exposed cutter block.
'''Never''' push stock directly down into the cutter block.
'''Never''' manipulate the cutter block or knives with the machine plugged in.
The HSE document on safe working practices for surface planning can be found here [http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wis17.pdf http://www.hse.gov.uk/pubns/wis17.pdf ]
The Metabo HC260 operating manual is here [https://www.metabo-service.com/manuals/1151717264_00_0416_192_A4_de_en_fr_nl_it_es_sv_no_da_pl_el_hu_ru_sl_%20HC%20260%20C.pdf (Metabo Manual)]
== Materials ==
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Take repeated passes until the surface is flat.
== Thicknessing ==
Thicknessing is simpler than surface planing, as the machine does more of the work. In this mode, stock is passed underneath
the cutter block and feeder generally pulls the stock through for you. In this mode, stock is passed through the machine in
the opposite direction to surface planing (so that it still goes against the rotation of the knives). The same considerations
about grain direction apply, and you want to aim to be cutting with the grain/downhill.
The crank handle raises the bed of the thicknesser, so that you place the already surfaced face down onto the thicknesser
bed, and take repeated passes through the thicknesser, incrementally raising the bed, will make the opposite face flat and
parallel to the previously surfaced face. You can stop when the face is flat and parallel, or continue until you reach a
desired dimension.
However, if you want to remove more than about 5mm of material with the thicknesser, it might well be more efficient to get
very close to this with either the band saw or table saw, and then take only a final few passes on the thicknesser.
Additionally, if you want to process a batch of stock to be the same dimension, it can be more efficient and successful to
put them all through once, then raise the bed, and repeat, as otherwise it is difficult to get the stock to be exactly the
same size with a similar surface finish.
=== Setup ===
If needed, remove the outfeed table, and install the dust collector over the top of the cutter block, fixing it with the wing nut.
Check the dust extraction hose is connected to the extractor and the hose isn’t blocked.
Set the bed height so that it is a few mm lower than the maximum thickness of the stock.
Start the machine, and then the extractor.
Pass the stock into the machine. Ensure the surfaced face is flat on the thicknessing table – rotating the stock up or down will
result in heavy snipe. When the table is high enough, the feeder wheel will grab the stock and pull it through. Occasionally you
might need to apply a bit of pressure to get the stock to engage with the feeder wheel, but not huge amounts. Similarly, you
might need to apply gentle pressure to maintain a steady feed rate through the thicknesser, but not much.
Raise the bed and repeat. Each turn of the crank raises the bed 3mm. 3mm is typically too heavy a cut in all but very softwoods.
Aim for a cut between 0.5 and 1mm – between a quarter and a third of a turn. This will give better results and is easier on the
knives and machine. The chips coming off the thicknesser are typically larger than surface planing, and the extractor sometimes
struggles to clear them. Occasionally check that the hose isn’t jamming up at the extractor end.
Clean the machine – hoovering the chips out, and making sure the extraction hose is clear. The dust extractor bag fills quickly
when thicknessing – empty it if it is close to full.
There are some limiting dimensions to consider: You should not thickness pieces less than 250mm long and 5mm thick. And the maximum
width is 260mm. It is technically possible to thickness pieces thinner than 5mm, with an auxillary table added to the thicknessing
bed, but care must be taken that the work doesn’t become so flimsy that the cutter block just destroys it.
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