Handheld Power Planes

[GaryM]

Anyone ever use on of these?

I'm replacing some interior doors and in some cases need to just shave off a little bit. I think it would work well, except for the fact that these doors are the more economical style where the face is more of a fiberboard rather than "real wood". These are the box store six panel doors. I'm just replacing the doors rather than buying prehung units and relpacing the frames too.

Just wondering if the power plane would work on the fiber type material.

[Hank]

How much do powerplanes cost these days? I've never used one on fiberboard doors; I'd think that a carbide cutter would help on fiberboard.

For a few doors, with light cuts, a hand block plane might be a good choice, plus with the hand plane you can easily angle in from each face to avoid tearouts of the fiberboard face.

Whichever you use, expect the fiberboard to dull the blade much more quickly than "real wood".

[GaryM]

Yeah, maybe I'll just use the belt sander.

I was thinking that I could use the power plane "on site" so to speak and avoid having to haul the door downstairs to the shop and the table saw.

[Hank]

A belt sander works very well, too [img]/forums/images/icons/smile.gif[/img] For onsite light trimming of doors (real wood or composite), I've always preferred the block plane; it's quick (quicker than maneuvering the door to the shop), and the waste is easier to clean up, as the pieces are bigger. For most of the top, and latch side, you don't even have to take it off the hinges.

Handheld power planes are neat tools to have; devised primarily for trimming doors back before prehung units were readily available, they can be used efficiently for lots of freehand cutting.

[beenthere]

I have a hand held power plane, and it is a devil of a thing to get set correctly. I haven't looked at the newer ones, but to get the heel set properly with the blade length, and then the front plate set so the depth is correct - is not easy. Seems a level more difficult than getting the front and rear tables set on a jointer. Biggest problem I had was getting snipe at the beginning of the cut, or at the end of the cut. And if not set right, the end effect is it wants to climb out of the cut, thus not giving a uniform depth of cut, but a dished out cut from end to end. Keeping it level (square) while cutting is also a trick. I guess just requires a tad more skill than I had.

But with the fiber board, it may be easier than a block plane which may hang up in the fibers. Please let us know what works. I wonder if a good sharp blade in a hand saw wouldn't work about as good as anything, followed up with sandpaper.

[Boondox]

I have a Hitachi and use it all the time for just that sort of thing. In fact, this year I waited too long to install the storm windows, and one of my circa 1860 frames had swelled from moisture. Had to nudge it open from the outside, then took it down a bit (1/64th at a time helps avoid chipout) till it fit again. Another way of avoiding tears at the ends of doors is to clamp a scrap piece of wood flush with the door/window etc before planing. The sacrificial wood might tear, but not the stuff you want to save.

Pete

[Carl]

Same technique I use with a Ryobi 3" power planer, but I clamp an 8' firring strip to the door/window extending beyond the ends eliminates the divots at the end point. Some tear out occurs if you try to take to big of a bite.

Carl

[GaryM]

All great tips, and I thank you for them.

I looked at the Bosch planer at Lowe's tonight. $149 and it includes carbide blades. But I passed it up.

I removed the door and hardware and passed the hinge side through the table saw, removing 1/8". mortised and installed new, non buggered, hinges. It fits OK. The gap on the latch side is a little more that I'd like, but I think it'll be OK when it's painted.

BTW, if anyone's looking for a hinge mortising jig, the Bosch unit is very good.

[wingnut]

When I originally posted, I wasn't thinking of planing fiber ... I was speaking of doing wood (hollow core) doors.
I once used the planer on fiberboard / osb ... never again. Remember that manufactured wood products use a LOT of glue and very hard stuff .... dulls your blades before you finsih a pass or two.

[Hank]

<font color="purple"> use the power plane "on site" </font color>

I've seen skilled carpenters use one of these to take my cabinetwork, and scribe it to a wall, making a clean 8ft taper cut from 1/4" to nothing. Not that I could ever accomplish that [img]/forums/images/icons/tongue.gif[/img] , but it illustrated to me the handiness of this tool. I would be lost to do this kind of taper without a jointer, or, on site, some kind of saw or hand plane.