Risk Assessment - Wood Planers

This risk assessment is intended to provide guidance on the risk associated with the above equipment and activities in normal use. Please also check general risk assessments for the space as a whole. Any discrepancies, errors or concerns should be raised with the document maintainers or trustees - do not edit this assessment directly. For responsible persons and last update, see 'version log' of the assessment page.

Activity

Use of handheld or stationary wood planing equipment such as handheld planers, bench planers (aka jointers) or thickness planers

Signage

Understanding Risk Rating

LOW - Ensure current control measures are in place and continue with activity

MED - Control measures may be adequate, co-supervision is recommended

HIGH - Do not undertake activity without further consultation with area specialists

Risk Assessment

Identify Hazards	Who May be Harmed and How	Severity	Control Measures	Likelihood	Risk Rating
Incompetent user	User, bystander	HIGH	Members must not use tools that they are not competent to use. Members must challenge use that they believe is dangerous. Members must read the user manual for this tool. Members must read the risk assessment before using a tool. Members will be advised during induction which tools they will need supervision or an induction to use. Only authorised members will complete maintenance and calibration tasks.	LOW	MED
Contact with rotary knives	User	HIGH	Do not put hands within 10cm of blade. Do not push workpiece over blade with hands. Use a push block to push workpiece over cutting area. Use guard to cover unused cutting area. Use guard to cover entire cutting area when thicknesser is being used. Do not insert hands into thicknesser when machine is plugged in. Planer should be turned off immediately after use.	MEDIUM	MED
Drawing in (being pulled into the drum)	User	HIGH	User of the thicknesser/planer should not wear gloves, ties, scarves, or other long flowy clothing that could get pulled into the blade. Do not move hands past the blade. Do not use the machine on short stock.	LOW	MED
Dust (inhalation, fire, explosion)	User, bystander	MEDIUM	Stationary machines must be used with the workshop dust extractor. An extraction hose must be attached to the machine’s extraction hood, which must be positioned appropriately for use with the thicknesser or planer. Maintenance must include the cleaning of dust from within the unit housing where accessible. Check the extraction hood periodically for blockages. A respirator or mask should be used whilst operating this tool for prolonged periods.	LOW	LOW
Noise	User, bystander	MEDIUM	Ear protection is advised.	LOW	LOW
Flying splinters	User, bystander	HIGH	Eye protection must be worn In the workshop. Only cut wood, ensuring the workpiece is free from nails, screws or other objects.	LOW	MED
Lifting heavy object	User	MEDIUM	The machine must be lifted into a stable position on the working area using correct manual handling procedures.	LOW	LOW
Electrocution	User, bystander	HIGH	Do not use if any damage to plug, cables, or machine.	LOW	MED

What are the Planers For

Generating smooth flat surfaces on a piece of timber Reducing the thickness of timber to a specific size

Demonstrate the 4-step process to surfacing a board:

Plane one wide face on the surface planer
Plane one edge on the surface planer, 90° to the first
Thickness plane the other face to dimension, parallel to the first
Square the other edge parallel to the other edge. Best to use the table saw for this, use thickness planer if > tablesaw capacity

Just can jump it at any page of this procedure depending on how flat and how smooth you need to be (e.g. if one face already good can go straight to the thicknesser)

Alternatives:

Handheld planer for big stuff
Handplanes for small stuff, also often get a better finish

Surface Planer

Parts of the Machine

Point Out:

The blade
The infeed and outfeed tables
The infeed table height adjustment
The fence
The guard - vertical and horizontal adjustments

Pre-inspection

Check blades are not damaged or chipped. If doing anything critical, run a test piece through.

If blades are damaged it's a nightmare job to change - speak to the maintainers

If edge planing, always a good idea to check the squareness of the fence.

Face Planing

Check material is suitable - length > 300mm, at least 10mm thick, no loose knots or shakes
Set guard to the appropriate width (width of material + ~5mm)
If material is very wide, more than about 100mm, switch to bridge guard mode
Have paddles at the ready
Set depth of cut (generally don't start more than 1mm, can dial it up if needed)
Turn on and run up to speed. Gently move work forward over the bed, keeping good down pressure throughout
Keep pressure consistent over the whole length of the cut

Edge Planing with the Fence

Generally the same procedure as face planning, but use hand pressure (generally not paddles) to keep the wood pressed against the fence as well as down on the bed and forwards (a three-way push)
Never pass hands directly over the blade, pass-through motion

Thickness Planer

Generally a safer machine as the blades are enclosed, but that doesn't mean inherently safe Minimum length (300mm) very important. Side runners can be glued on if piece is short

Set depth (just enough for workpiece to slide under grey tray)
Pass wood through. First few cuts won't do anything till you find the depth
Keep cutting. Generally 1/2 turns of the handle is a happy feed rate
Stop when you reach depth. The scale is a useful guide but not accurate, best to measure

After Use

Sweep down the bed and the surrounding bench
Hoover inside the machines if they've been run without extraction.

Induction Script - Wood Planers