I just set up my planer for the first time to work on some cutting boards. I'm facing a couple of issues, but I've got a handle on one of them. Here's my main concern: can I just run a piece of melamine or a stair tread through it, using some cleats to hold it in place, and skip the infeed and outfeed tables altogether? I spent about an hour adjusting everything, and it looks perfectly flat, but I'm still dealing with 2-3 inches of snipe. Since I'm planning to batch cut 14-inch-long boards and don't have the 20 inches to spare, will using a longer board help with this snipe problem if it extends beyond both ends of my boards?
8 Answers
Consider gluing runners on the sides of your boards that extend about 3-5 inches longer than the actual board on both ends. It creates a sort of ‘H’ shape, where those sacrificial boards handle the snipe. After you’re done, just cut them off and sand the edges.
The quickest fix is to add two long strips of sacrificial wood to each side of your cutting boards, making them about 3 inches longer at both ends. When you’re done, just cut them off. Snipe occurs when a board is only supported by one roller, which is why it's always the same distance from the cutterhead to that roller. While you can minimize it with a well-adjusted setup and lighter passes, snipe can often still happen, especially with bigger boards.
But if those stiff boards are underneath, shouldn’t that really help with the snipe? Or won't it just shift the support back to the cutting head?
Using melamine doesn’t eliminate snipe! Make sure you're applying pressure from the back as you feed it in. Try taking smaller cuts and angle the board as it engages the cutters.
When you say pressure, do you mean pushing in from the back?
One trick that’s worked for me is lifting the board slightly (about 1/8 inch) as you feed it in. This counteracts the lifting force until the second roller engages. You can do the same for the outfeed, however, less snipe typically happens there.
Even with a melamine bed, I still sometimes get snipe. Best tip is to experiment with your setup. If problems persist, the sacrificial wood strips are generally faster to deal with than sanding the whole board down again.
Remember, your infeed and outfeed tables shouldn't be completely flat with the main table. For example, with the DW735, the outer edges of those tables should be slightly angled upwards. This adjustment can help prevent snipe altogether.
I had the same setup with my first planer and it worked perfectly! Just give it a try and see how it goes!
Thanks for the encouragement! I’ve got a spare stair tread lying around, so I’ll try that out.
Your planer may have adjustable infeed and outfeed tables. If so, align them slightly upward. This way, the leading edge of your board will push down against the fixed portion of the table, which helps reduce snipe.
Honestly, I'd like to avoid that much extra work. I'm thinking I might just sand down any bumps after running them through the planer.