Clever things you can do with an ELECTRIC hand planer 

▼EXPAND THIS SECTION FOR MORE RESOURCES RELATED TO THIS VIDEO▼ *Tools used in this video:* Bosch electric hand plane (not sponsored): amzn.to/3lXMkG5 Precision straight edges: lddy.no/191kj ★THIS VIDEO WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY★ Helical carbide jointer/planer heads from MyWoodCutters: mywoodcutters.com/ *Please help support us by using the link above for a quick look around!* (If you use one of these affiliate links, we may receive a small commission) *Links promised in this video:* -More videos on our website: stumpynubs.com/ -Subscribe to our e-Magazine: stumpynubs.com/browse-and-subscribe/ -Check out our project plans: stumpynubs.com/product-category/plans/ -Instagram: instagram.com/stumpynubs/ -Twitter: twitter.com/StumpyNubs ★SOME OF MY FAVORITE CHEAP TOOLS★ -123 Blocks: lddy.no/vpij -Mechanical Pencils: amzn.to/2PA7bwK -Lumber pencil: amzn.to/2QtwZjv -Pocket Measuring Tape: amzn.to/2kNTlI9 -Irwin Drill Bit Gauge: amzn.to/2AwTkQg -Nut/Bolt/Screw Gauge: amzn.to/2CuvxSK -Self-Centering Punch: amzn.to/2QvbcrC -Self-Centering Bits: amzn.to/2xs71UW -Angle Cube: lddy.no/10nam -Steel Ruler: lddy.no/10mv7 -Utility knife: amzn.to/3nfhIiv -Center-Finding Ruler: lddy.no/10nak -Bit & Blade Cleaner: amzn.to/2TfvEOI -Digital depth gauge: amzn.to/3mwRf2x -Wood Glue: amzn.to/3mqek6M -Spade Bits: amzn.to/3j8XPtD ★SOME OF MY FAVORITE HAND TOOLS★ -Digital Caliper: amzn.to/384H1Or -Marking Gauge: lddy.no/10muz -Marking knife: lddy.no/10mv0 -Narex Chisels: lddy.no/sqm3 -Stanley Sweetheart Chisels: amzn.to/3y5HDOc -Mini Pull Saw: amzn.to/2UEHBz6 -Gent Saw: lddy.no/ss2x -Coping saw: amzn.to/2W7ZiUS -Shinwa Rulers: lddy.no/zl13 ★SOME OF MY FAVORITE POWER TOOLS★ -Miter Saw: amzn.to/3gqIlQ8 -Jointer: amzn.to/3yc3gfZ -Planer: amzn.to/3mn6BGF -Router: amzn.to/3grD22S -Sander: amzn.to/3DdvD0Y -Cordless drill: amzn.to/3D9ZiIm -Brad nailer: amzn.to/3gsRkjH -Mini Compressor: amzn.to/3mvrmQr -Bladerunner: amzn.to/2Wl0TtJ -Jig Saw: amzn.to/3zetTBY -Scroll Saw: amzn.to/3gq9qDc -Multi-Tool: amzn.to/3muZuMi ★SOME OF MY FAVORITE OTHER TOOLS★ -Drill Bits: amzn.to/3B8Ckzh -Forstner Bits: amzn.to/3kk3wEI -Shop Vacuum: amzn.to/2Wkqnbl -Machine Setup Blocks: amzn.to/3gq7kDh -Counter-Sink Bit: amzn.to/37ZukUo -Featherboard: amzn.to/3DeqHsq -ISOtunes Hearing Protection (Save $10): bit.ly/3BHYdH7 (If you use one of the affiliate links above, we may receive a small commission)

I've found a good tip when working with power tools such as these is at the very beginning, with the tool off, do a practice run just above the workpiece to ensure the cord/hose will reach. Nothing worse than getting part way to realise the cord wasn't long enough or it was snagged on something. This will also ensure you're aware of your work area to pick up if there's something in the way or a bit that would require stretching too far.

Your ability to give your presentation in a video in nearly one take is crazy. No uhs or ums….just straight and to the point!

Living here in the Philippines these are used everywhere since there is no such things as dimensional lumber here so every board is custom built and everything needs adjustment to fit.

I just started serious woodworking. I’m 65 and retiring in a couple weeks. I tore down a 100 year old barn a year ago and have made a few pieces out of the siding. I’ve made a bed with two endstands, a bookcase, and a bench with storage under the seat for gloves,wool caps, and scarfs. I’ve also turned out some shelves and coat hangers. One thing about using reclaimed wood is it’s not cabinet making so it doesn’t have to be as precise but you still have to marry edges together. This video helped a lot. I have an electric planer and several hand planers. I use the electric for taking a bow or cup out and then use one of the regular planers for my final face. I so enjoy your videos as it would take much trial and error to correct problems I would have had if it wasn’t for your instruction. Thank you again. This is a wonderful hobby for me and an excellent way for me to supplement my income

Thank you. Most of us are not only on a budget but space is a premium.

Having investigated way too many “accidents” where basic safety, that you always stress, was either ignored or “skipped, just this once”. I appreciate your consistent inclusion of safety instructions. Thanks for the great videos!

I've been using electric handheld planers for years, and in the ways mentioned here. I used one on a job today. The 12v cordless bosch with a 6ah battery is a great little tool. It isn't super powerful, but is perfect for many of the things I use it for. One Application not mentioned here that I have used corded handheld planers for is to strip the finish off of table tops. If the top you are refinishing has some thickness to play with, rather than taking a couple hours sanding the finish off, you can remove it in a matter of minutes with a planer. Typically, I set it at about 1/64th and do two passes-Then clean it up with a sander. A job that normally takes hours can be done in about 30 minutes to an hour if you know what you are doing and have the right sander.

One of best narrator who doesn't add non sense audio or other in each video. Great and thanks!

RECLAIMED WOOD: A portable hand planer can also save expensive blades. I use mine for cleaning up the rough and often dirty surface of reclaimed lumber. Doing that gets the dirt and other things that could nick or chip a planer knife, jointer cutter, table saw blade , etc off of the wood so that it’s much cleaner when you go to process the wood with your equipment. Replacing a power hand planer blade is pretty cheap compared to other tool cutters and since you’re going to process the wood even further anyway, it doesn’t matter if there’s imperfections in the surface left by a nicked blade there. Keep up the good work!

Great video... one addition worth noting is substituting for a thicknesser. After getting the one side flat as you have perfectly demonstrated here, simply scribe the edges of the board using a marking gauge set to the required thickness, using the plane, take the rough side down almost to the marks around the edges only, almost like a broard chamfer . Once that's done you simply remove the 'crown' that's left before a few final fine passes to take the whole board down to the gauge lines.

There has been such a lack of content on RU-vid about electric planers and how to use them properly. This video hits all the spots. I remember Stumpy had uploaded a video a long long time ago and that was the only video that was relevant to me. If I had seen this video 2 years ago I wouldn’t need to have find the uses for the electric planet myself by experimenting. Thank you Stumpy.

My woodworking father passed in 1993. 2 yrs ago I went through some of his tools and found a brand new Bosch planer in it's case. It was like opening a Christmas gift on Christmas morn. But finally after 2 yrs I've learned the nuances of this tool from your vid. Thanks.

Man I love that you brought out and showed how to use winding sticks. For some reason It was the best explanation I’ve seen on how to use them.

Thank you James for making fantastic videos. I'm an old bloke & I was taught by my Grandfather who was a Victorian Cabinet Maker. He was trained at Gillows of Lancaster. Using a hand plane to make a board 4 square we used a marking gauge referencing on the trued face side to make a mark on the edge. That's all the way around, Then plane down to that mark so you end up with parallel faces. I think it's a standard pre-power tool technique.

We use the electric hand planer for shaping surfboards. Thank for your sharing you woodworking perspective.

Anybody how needs to watch the first half of this video has no business watching the second half. In my day you spent 2 years learning your craft with hand tools before progressing to power tools, this helps you understand the nature of the wood beast. It also stops the E.R being clogged up with have a go hero’s with their fingers in a sandwich bag.

I made a holder/table that allows me to use the hand planer upside down, like how a jointer works.

I find myself having more success with a long hand plane (jointer) than with the electric one for jointing. Cool video anyway, thanks.

I just got a deal from my neighbor for a “hand planer” and this guy is showing me how to use it. Love it!

Hi, I'm about to start to build furniture with metal and wood and don't have too much money, and this video is critical to me and my wallet, I don't have too much experience, so I'm subscribing from now on, thanks for explaining this topic so well!

A friend persuaded me to buy an electric plane, it soon became a paperweight / dust collector. I then bought a hand plane and I've used them ever since.

I have this exact hand planer, and it's great to see different uses. Thank you. For edge jointing, I will just use my table saw. I affix the board to a piece of straight plywood with double-sided tape and just cut off the offending wood. Since the board is never touching the fence, it should be as safe as possible :)

James, I could not put a dollar value on the worth of your lessons. Especially this one! I bought a good electric planer a couple of years ago and it’s still in the box. Can’t wait to practice with it and use it. Your target audience loves and respects you! MANY thanks!

Thank you, James. I’ve watched this twice - once when deciding whether to buy a hand planer (I did), and once before fixing a door that had a toe that dragged on the floor, causing it to stick. No snipe, thanks to you. And my daughter no longer has to push hard to get into the laundry room - no dragging on the floor. I got a cheap Black & Decker and it does what I need.

Possibly the most instructional woodworking channel out there. I don't think anyone has taught me more about safely and confidently using the tools in my shop than Stumpy! You are a legend

I found a very easy way to straighten a board on its edge was to clamp a straight edge board to each side then keeping the back base on the two clamped on boards, I would move the plane forward. I could slowly work my way across through several passes until I’d straighten the edge. It takes a couple of minutes to make sure everything’s all square and parallel but it’s a easy way to use a electric hand plane as a jointer. If I was gonna do it on a regular basis I would probably create a jig they could easily be clamped that’s eliminating a lot of the individual adjustments to get everything lined up just so.

A beginner workworker would like to say a heartfelt thank you to you Sir. Thank you!

You are such a great help to us Newbies...and probably everyone else.

I learned a great deal about using an electric hand plane with Louis Sauzedde (Tips from a Shipwright). They are great for almost all planing tasks where I usually use a manual hand plane. By keeping the cuts as thin as a manual plane, I can sneak up on a line with confidence. Their major advantages are not having to continually worry about grain direction and their labour saving. Perhaps this tool has a larger audience with boatbuilders, so for me, it’s a necessity.

Stumpy, how do you do it? Having made multiple YT videos myself I am in awe of how you can make such clear, perfectly timed and presented long takes. Of course your content is top notch! You’re a natural presenter

I was looking for a video on explaining the process of planing construction lumber if it has a high spot in the middle and you explained it perfectly! Thank you!

Thank you! I am new to wood working and when I was planing a table top, I had that horrible huge snipe at the end and I had no idea what I did wrong. I so appreciated this video :)

The consistently high quality and great value of your videos truly sets them apart. I'm VERY grateful for this solid advice and instruction on using a portable electric plane, a tool that I have avoided until now because it scared the crap out of me. Now, however, armed with your guidelines, I'm ready to use one. Please keep up the great work.

I use my electric 4 in Wen planer all the time. Your ideas have worked great for me as usual.

No wonder I'm subscribed. Even older videos contain tons of value. ;)

I've used one of these tools in my shop for years but you've given me a few more techniques to make my jobs even better. Thanks keep it coming.

I love that your videos are no nonsense and to the point! I have learned a lot from these and I really enjoy them. Thanks!

I'm building a bass guitar out of a bunch of junk mail glued together with epoxy resin. The electric plane is truly a saving grace, I don't have the money for a thickness planer, but the electric planer did the job, all I had to do was some touch ups with a card scraper. So, just in case anyone is wondering, yes, the electric planer works on epoxy too.

I am so new to wood work and cannot tell you how much I need this level of explanation. THANK YOU!

Fantastic to see you doing this. I did a deep renovation of my bedroom and finished it off with a set of shelves for the alcove which I made from reclaimed wood from scaffolding boards. Safe to say that used my electric planer to face and joint the surfaces took as long as the whole of the rest of the renovation. Hard work indeed!

I really enjoy the videos you put out Stumpy, thank you. I almost always find some useful tip, idea, or info from your videos. I can't speak for others, but I find it easy to ignore useful tips and the the like sometimes due to having been a wood worker/ carpenter for so long. But we're never too old or too experienced to learn. Prime example being ear protection. I came in a era that didn't place a lot value or importance on hearing protection. Thankfully we've learned better and I really try hard to save or protect what hearing I have left, and try really hard to encourage the younger guys to use hearing protection. Thanks for your content and keeping us old guys updated on things.

I would add to ALWAYS be sure that the screws that hold the blades are well fixed. When I use it I check the screw time to time to be sure it's really stable. Any rooter tools are spinning really fast and can cause severe injuries if the blade get loose and fly out.

Hi, my name is Mike. Been watching your videos for about a year. Lots of good information. I've been woodworking for about 2 years. I'm retired, and woodworking is a side business for me. Keep up the good work.

great video James. A cool tip i use to plane a board flat is lay the board on a flat surface, using shims if needed so there is no rocking, and scribe around the board with a pencil scribe set to the thickness i want the board. This gives me a good visual guide to plane down to, all across the board. In addition, I bought the specialty dust bag which is much less in the way, it fills up fast but I just quickly vacuum the bag out and resume.

They are excellent at finding nails and screws, with the last good blade, after all the stores are closed, in the middle of nowhere, on a job that was promised to get done that day.

This is a really useful video, and as a hobbyist makes purchasing decisions easier for a small shop - I have an electric planer, which I like and have used a few times but have struggled to maybe think about it out of the confines of the rougher DIY work that I do, but by using this in combination with a smaller thicknesser I now know I can use it for other forms of work. It's also helped me to avoid snipe on the front end of the board, which I have done in the past. Thanks!

My favorite use I've found for my electric hand planer is actually drywall. I had a crack form in my drywall and I used the planer along the crack to make a groove to set drywall tape into rather than surface taping and feathering out the joint compound. Worked great!

Love using the electric planer to flatten rough lumber. At first I had an issue with snipe but I've gotten better over time with practice.

This is one of the best videos i've seen about explaining how to use eletric planners, thank you!

As someone who doesn't have the money or the room for a large jointer, this is a pretty valuable video. Glad I stumbled across this one.

Thanks James, great video! I've owned a Makita 1100 planner for over 30 years... and have maybe used it a dozen times. This video is motivating me to take it out of mothballs, especially since it's a long discontinued model that is much longer than the ones currently sold... 16", which is between a Stanley #5 Jack and Stanley #6 fore plane in length.

For a thikness planing or at least making it parralel - you can use an "indicator" hand jig (simmilar to machinist indicator stand). Fit it with pencil and it will automatically mark thicker sides to plane out.

I'm a newbie and you solved my planng issues in 10 minutes with this video - many thanks!

Best part of your videos, the Red Wings cup on work bench. 👌

Great video. As a hobbyist with a small work space I make use of an electric hand plane regularly. I’ve used it to flatten cutting boards (test of patience!) I still fall victim to snipe with it from time to time and any dip in concentration can cause havoc.

There's a good video out there from Tales from a Shipwright on how he "tunes" his planers. He does remove the kick stand which I also did, but I think I wouldn't have needed to if the spring weren't so strong. With how overkill the spring was on my cheap Harbor Freight planer, it was jumping and sniping in a very dangerous feeling way when it was being pushed down.

There are many woodworking videos, but yours are true tutorials and are loaded with info about techniques, safety and often include largely unknown uses . Thanks for sharing your “wood wisdom”😊

I am pleased to see Richard Werner at this discussion. I have read his book and many essays and studies and regard him as the vanguard of macro economics. Now I see him as an advocate of social justice.

STUMPY: May I humbly suggest you to take a serious look on the MAKITA 1912B electric hand plane, because of its size (a wider 4 3/8" wide and correspondingly longer model) that I have found much more convenient for using it BOTH by hand, and mounted in a DIY jointer. This machine has been my favorite due to a combination of unique size, precision and smoothness, together with adequate power. The oddly shaped shavings port is not its best feature, but I was able to make an adapter for my vacuum. With the recently issued Carbide blades, it is now an almost "perfect buy" and definitely, a "keeper".

Really excellent tips, James! Thanks! 😃 I've seen someone making a jig to use an electric planer as a thicknesser. You know? Something similar to a router sled. The issue is that you need to glue some wood pieces to the rear part, so it can be supported... Which isn't an idea I like too much. Anyway, stay safe there with your family! 🖖😊

I'm restoring three park benches with a cast iron frame and 2x3 wood slats. They are about 10 years old and the wood was in horrible condition, with some severely raised grain and starting to rot. I ran the electric hand planer over all four sides of the boards and then used an orbital sander with a couple passes. These Douglas fir boards look fantastic now. I'm going to use 1/4 in oak dowels to fill in the screw holes so that the screws bite really well when I reinstall them. I am putting a couple coats of TotalBoat penetrating epoxy sealer and then about eight coats of marine varnish. I will just let them know that they need to periodically maintain the finish. Fortunately they face east and catch the morning sun and not the afternoon sun The handheld electric planer saved me so much time compared to using a belt sander, which is what I started with.

I like how you put it, "theres no putting back on what one of these tools will remove". Lol. I developed the habit of cranking the wheel back to zero every time i set it down, since i removed the kickstand. These are great for pallet wood you may not want yo risk knives on more expensive tools to process- knives for these are only around ten bucks AND theyre usually reversible so two for one!

This channel seems very useful, no bullshit talk but straight talking to the point. very educational. subed.

Looks like the kind of tool.that will make small mistakes into big ones.

Thank you for this. Very very small shop, and this is a better solution to getting a jointer I can’t fit.

Great for for taking off bulk material , but for finishing accuracy you can’t beat a good old fashion hand plane

I always wondered how this tool could be used successfully! Thank you! One thing I was wondering, though, was how you might use that to work with an edge that isn’t mostly perpendicular to the face. A jointer can do this by running the flattened face along the fence to square up the edge. Any tips for doing that with this tool?

It’s a lazy man’s scrub plane. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Good solid planer info! You can also add a small piece of sacrificia board at each end of board to minimize chance of gouging your work surface

Appreciate this one a lot. I never worked with an electric hand planer before buying one and made some mistakes when I finally got a chance to use it. This video helped me understand how to correct those mistakes for next time.

I had a $30 Chicago Electric hand planer. I used some scrap 3/4 oak to make a jig. I swapped out the fixed plate for my jig to plane the edges of a pair of french doors for a smoke house before I put the large over lapping skins on. The jig had one fixed jaw and one adjustable jaw, so it could be kept perpendicular to the faces. The jaws were equal height so they could ride on another jig which clamped onto the door and stopped the cutting at a pre determined depth. One could do something similar on a flat table to surface the face. I've never had to surface a face that way, but the edges only took a couple of minutes to finish up. It was soooo easy, I never looked back.

Much respect for actually disconnecting power for demonstrations.

I took some woodworking classes where we did this with a manual planer. This video makes me regret not doing sticking it out - it seems like such a good skill to have.

I inherited an unopened Craftsman Electric planer from my father-in-law. I was going to sell it but now l’m excited to try it out!

I fix it reverse (head down), align it with planks. Works like a charm as a jointer

Anche se non parlo inglese, è così chiaro che ho capito tutto. Bravo, complimenti e grazie!

I didn’t know I needed one of these until now.

I’ve had one for years, tend to forget about it- not anymore!

Thanks for promoting safety. So many channels ignore it.

James, what a great explanation of the uses of an electric hand planer. As usual for you, this was info packed and with great tutorial. Much appreciated, thank you!

I work for a acrylic company. We specialize in custom viewing panels for pools, spas, aquariums. We use planers to shave panels that are of level to save time sanding. The technique we use to plane acrylic is different in some ways compared to wood. Great teaching video on how to plane wood correctly and safely

Great video. Excellent demonstrations. Winding sticks are great. I don't think a lot of people know about them. My planer needs new blades and I'll be damned if I can't get them out of there. I should try again today. This video inspired me. Thank you.

I have used these for basic jobs in the past but learned a few things today. I appreciate it much. Keep up the great work!

Good on you for taking the time to go over the safety rules. A lot of woodworking videos just assume you know how to safely handle tools, and for a large portion of the audience, that's actually true or not relevant (ie: already skilled woodworkers or folks who aren't actually going to do it and just appreciate the craft, respectively), but there's a good chunk of us who are looking to get into woodworking and haven't been trained from the ground up like a lot of the old pros were. And for relatively uncommon tools like this, that goes double, because sure, folks have probably used power saws and many of us will have learned hand planing back in school shop classes, but...I didn't even know an electric hand-planer was a thing, the only electric planer design I knew of is the big planers that you feed rough lumber through. And yes, a full safety brief on every tool used in every project video would get old, but it's worth mentally going through that list yourself whenever you fire up power tools - an abundance of caution is what keeps airplanes flying and woodworkers attached to all their fingers. But I've seen plenty of specific product spotlight videos like this that skip over the safety aspect entirely unless it's some wildly dangerous contraption like a circular saw mounted on a sling (no I've not seen that, it's just the most absurdly dangerous idea that came to mind). And that, I feel, is a shame - learning to respect the power of your power tools comes two ways: drilling proper care and handling repeatedly, or by discovering first hand exactly what a power tool does to a human...and *that* is a lesson nobody wants to attend.

Awesome to see you dedicate so much time to safety practises in all your videos, "It's hard to put back what you remove with one of these" doubly so for pieces removed from the operator.

So helpful, thank you! I'm getting started making simple furniture for my house and videos like this help me understand what's possible even with relatively cheap, small tools.

Nice tip about the strip of tape on the rear winding stick. Thanks for that one, much appreciated. 👍

The shipwright channel shows some amazing skills using an electric hand plane.

I had been looking for a solution to leveling twisted boards for weeks. I tried water and a vise and a hand plane that caused awful tearouts. Without a jointer or a planer, I thought I was sunk. But thanks to this video and a cheap hand planer, I'm set. Thank you for helping me FINALLY find a solution to the problem.

Had to do a double take at 3.07 when you said jerking the tool, don't ever start jerking the tool when using power tools, just brings tears to the eyes.

Your channel is simply the best!

Love your channel! I learned so much, especially how to safely, carefully and properly use tools. Cheers, Stumpy!

Thank you. And congratulations, a vrey clear and very focused video.

Loved this. You’ve just saved me from needing to buy a jointer that I don’t actually have money or room for. Money can go into the thickness planer.

This was one of the best, most informative yet still concise woodworking videos I’ve seen in a long time. As someone who has just picked up an electric hand planer, this answered all of my questions and gave me exactly the kinds of tips I needed to get started the right way. Thank you!

Thank you. Simple, solid advices and techniques explained concisely and accurately. Nothing beats such a video.

This is such an underestimated tool. I use my planer very often.

Great video, as always. Right pace, very good and clear diction plus sensible safety advice. Many thanks.

Great information James, I’ve owned a power plan for years and rarely ever use it. Thanks to you, I’ll now find more use’s for it around the shop. God bless.