Planer Snipe: It happens, get over it... 

When working with expensive materials, I have resorted to cutting a strip of pine longer than my piece to go through at the same time, or a shorter piece to start/end a long set of boards run through one after another. A well tuned jointer can flatten the board to meet the snipe in two passes (planed side down), flipping the board end for end, so if the infeed table is tilted slightly it evens out.

My 75 year old professional woodworking buddy once told me to just include in your measurements, plans to cut off the ends of the boards. Years later, here I am searching for how to tune my planer better to eliminate the snipe, and the first video I find is this one.

I like it! I think this gentleman is the first on youtube to "accept the snipe" hahaha. Yes there's several ways to minimize snipe. Is there a way that is permanantly repeatable and fail safe? No. The absolute vast majority of projects require cutting boards to length. Measure accordingly.

I use a standard Dewalt 734 planer. It works absolutely awesome! When the roller grabs the boards I very slightly lift up on the board keeping a little bit of upward pressure past the general snipe point that happen 3 inches in or so. Then on its way out I do the exact same thing. I just pinch the boards on the sides with Just a bit of upward pressure, very little. I would say that I get zero snipe in 18 or 19 out of 20 passses that I run and of the rare board that get snipe it buffs out by hand in 5-10 seconds with 80 or 120 grit sand paper held in my fingers. I didnt have to modify the bed, or scrutinizingly adjust the in and outfeed tables. Just a little upward pressure through the snipe points and all done.

Thank you.

I think this guy just likes living with snipe

if u affix a board on each side of that board lengthwise ,that are longer than the board you're planing , the snipe will hit that extra length and not snipe your work [piece . a longer piece on both sides solves problem

that is a great assortment of clamps in the background!

I completely agree with you and absolutely the best way to get rid of snake is to just allow an extra roughly 6 inches and the length of your bored

If a planer has 4 rollers than snipe can be completely eliminated . i modified my planer and it works. More roller less snipe

I also run the material through a wide belt planer afterwards so I have less imperfections

If you work with wood (especially with expensive wood), then one sheet of MDF you can afford. So just cut a strip the same width as your plank and use that instead of expensive wood.

I simply lower the bed rollers out of contact when I need to avoid this

I don't understand why some of my fellow woodworkers can pickup a 12 inch long board and run it through their planer and have absolutely NO snipe. I have to find and use a sacrificial board front and rear to just try to avoid having the dreaded snipe marks. I know the obvious answer would be to have them plane all my boards but that does not always work. Both of us use a DeWalt DW 735. I have watched just about all the videos on how to adjust my machine and NOTHING works.

Get a good quality old school planer, set it up properly and you won’t get snipe. I have a General 330 and a General 130 and get zero snipe on either machine.

what wood did u have there look like maple, but dark .

So adding a sacrifice board in the front and back will not help?

It doesn’t happen when I’m planing timber, it’s operator error.😂

Tried it, doesn't work.

Well that wasn’t very inspiring…I was waiting for the twist ending. 😢😢😢 but I guess now I have a new task 😅

I saw your thumbnail/title and decided to click just to tell you to eff off!! I hate snipe and I will not stop until it's gone!!!!!!!!!! You can roll over and play dead but I WILL win this snipe battle!!!!

that's not true at all, if the planer had a pressure bar there would be no snipe

I agree about the snipe. We have to remember in life that : We get what we get and we don't have a fit.

Extremely bad advice, just because the poorly designed machine you are running has snipe does not mean they all do or there is nothing you can do to limit or prevent it. I have no issues with snipe with the planer I am running, I just need a larger one. Will not settle or live with this issue.

Good machines don't snipe if they are properly adjusted. The pressure bars, assuming you have them, are designed to hold the ends down. Far to many woodworker's do not know how to adjust their machines properly. That piece of garbage machine ? There's no hope. Your right about that.

There are a couple different ways to avoid snipe! You are incorrect to say there is nothing you can do! Bad advice if you ask me!

The type of planer with a fixed cutter head and elevating bed does not have snipe. Apples and oranges.

Bull Sh#T

Snipe?......and the white fake wood board does what?

Wrong. This guy is wrong. TWICE in this video. YES, you CAN eliminate snipe. And NO, that is NOT why snipe occurs on a planet. It is NOT due to the blade lifting the board at the infeed, if it were the. You would NOT have snipe on the end in outfeed. Sorry, but he’s wrong.