Sure, they will get rid of glaring imperfections, some splinters, and unevenness, but they cannot achieve a super smooth finish like a real sander can. So, when you have planed a piece of wood, it will be smoother than it was before.

Planed wood is sawn timber which has been planed down until it’s smooth, and is meant for use where it can be seen. Planed wood, on the other hand, offers a wealth of possibilities as it has been machined down until it’s smooth, with the quality visible from every side.

Yes, it needs to be planed if you want any kind of a quality job. Sanding would be a lot of work and would not give a very good result. If they will plane it for free go for it.

Any hand tool enthusiast will tell you, hand planes produce a better surface with more clarity even after finishing. I tend to use scrapers and planes as the last step prior to finish mostly because it saves on sandpaper and creates less dust.

If you’ve used a sander before it’s tempting to think of it as a thickness planer. After all, both machines are effective a removing surface wood. As a thicknesser, sanders can be expensive to use because you’re constantly replacing worn out sandpaper.

The jointer is used to flatten one face and square up one edge and the planer is then used to make the second face flat and parallel to the first. You’ll be able to accomplish more with it on its own than you can with a jointer. The jointer excels at making one flat face and one square/flat edge and that’s about it.

You could plane off an old finish, but it’s not worth the risk. Planer cutterheads can generate sufficient friction to soften such finishes as polyurethane, gumming up their knives. Instead, use a belt sander set to about half its maximum speed and an 80- or 100-grit belt to remove the old film finish, as shown above.

Painted wood dulls planer blades rapidly because paint contains abrasive minerals. If you are really attached to certain pieces of painted lumber, a set of dull blades may not be a huge issue. One way to make planing painted wood safer is to give it the once-over with a metal detector designed for checking lumber.

Use a paint scraper, putty knife or specialty scraper to remove the softened paint, being careful to not gouge the wood. Reapply the paint stripper to detailed or problem areas. Scrub the entire project with nylon brushes or abrasive pads to remove all traces of the old finish and the stripper sludge.

You could pressure wash it and let it dry in the sun for a day. This is what I do. For good solid wood that I’m not interested in keeping the natural texture on, I use the “spinning cone of death” nozzle. If I’m trying to preserve a rough-sawn look, I’ll use a fan nozzle instead then a wire brush on an angle grinder.

The other day I was installing freshly sharpened knives into my thickness planer and while running a test strip of wood through decided on a whim to try a piece of 3/4″ MDF. I took a light pass and was very impressed with the output, it passed through easily and left me with a factory finish on the piece.

Yes you can and it comes out pretty smooth, but you can tell the difference between it and the factory finish. Yes Ken, MDF can be planed.

The Delta Power Tools 22-555 13 inch portable thickness planer is a mid-ranged benchtop planer which you can get for the price of $320 – $400.

MDF Sheets In 4mm, 6mm, 9mm, 12mm, 15mm, 18mm, 22mm, 25mm, thickness.

MDF board. MDF board is a timber product made from hardwood and softwood fibres that are glued together with wax and a resin adhesive containing urea-formaldehyde. Both wood dust and formaldehyde are Group 1 carcinogens. When working with wood products, dust and free formaldehyde are released.

You can plane the edges of chipboard with one or more types of hand plane, but the glue in chipboard is extremely hard and very abrasive to cutting edges so with most plane irons you have to stop frequently to resharpen, making the process very slow and difficult to rely on even to shave off a small amount every now …

Working with MDF is no different from working with wood or plywood; you use the same tools to cut and shape it.

1. Make your own trim—cheap! Cut any profile.
2. Combine MDF with wood moldings. Mix and match.
3. Prepare for a dust storm. Wear a good mask.
4. Don’t drop it.
5. Don’t let it get wet.
6. Reinforce MDF shelves.
7. Don’t use a hammer.

The 4 Key MDF Wood Disadvantages

• 1 – MDF Wood Is Weaker Than Natural Wood. You do not want to use this wood for any load-bearing structure.
• 2 – MDF Is More Water Absorbent Than Natural Wood.
• 3 – MDF Does Not Work Well With Nails Or Screws.
• 4 – MDF dust contains formaldehyde.

MDF is ideal for cutting, machining and drilling, since it does not chip easily. On the other hand, plywood is a much more stronger material, which can be used for doors, floors, staircases and outdoor furniture.