Using a Dewalt DW734 Planer

[Rob Davenport]

i recently got a dewalt 12 1/2 in planer, love it! i'm relatively new to this tool. does anybody know if you can use a bench top planer to plane boards on edge, like a jointer, to get a nice smooth edge for glue ups?

[lowell holmes]

You can't mill the edge of boards without a special home made jig. I feel that even with a makeshift jig, it is a hazardous thing to do.

I have the DW734 and it is a good planer. I edge my boards on a jointer and table saw. A good sawblade like a Forrest or Fusion blade will leave a straight smooth edge.

It doesn't happen often, but boards can splinter or even kickback if you get careless. Don't ask me how I know.

I wear safety glasses and hearing protection when using the planer.

[Matt Day]

You can only do so if you joint one edge first, and I like to have the boards 3/4" thick or more so they register firmly on the table.

If you don't have a jointer you can edge joint on a table saw with a jig. You can't face joint though.

Remember a planer will duplicate the shape of the reference side, so running a wavy rough sawn board will result in a wavy planed board

I had that planer for a long time and it's a workhorse.

[Michelle Rich]

I've done it for many, many years. I have seen jigs folks make to keep the piece steady..you might want to try that, but I just make one side flat & square, and them run it thru..if you have snipe, you will have to deal with that

[Curt Harms]

If you need several boards/ a few inches worth it's possible but requires a bit of care. I've face jointed, edge jointed and planed 2 X pine. Then clamp 2 or more together face to face. The fussy part is being sure the jointed edges are absolutely tight to a flat surface before clamping them together on each end. Otherwise the planed edge won't be square.Make certain the clamps will feed through without hitting the planer frame or cutter head (!) I think it's better to use a well set up table saw, or router table with offset fence.

[Rob Davenport]

thanx all for the feedback. i like to work safe so i guess i'll just do the table saw method. i've got a good 80t blade that should produce a nice edge.