Planer Speed

[Brad Seubert]

Just got a new grizzly 15" planer. The planer has two feed speeds and the manual says to use the low speed for the dimensioning passes and the high speed for the finish pass. This seems backwards to me. Seems like you would use the slow feed speed for the finish passes and the fast speed for the dimensioning passes. What does everyone else do?

[Matt Day]

I leave it on one setting, high. I use my drum sander for final thicknessing. For crazy figured wood I might think about slowing the speed down.

I think you're thinking is right though, I'd use slow speed for final passes.

[Marty Tippin]

I leave my Grizzly 15" planer on slow speed nearly all the time. I'm not running 8' boards through, just rough cut parts so it does t take appreciably longer on slow.

[Mel Fulks]

In commercial shop work I've always used fast speed for all but last cut . Most of the time last cut is slower ,but not necessarily slowEST

[Jay Aubuchon]

I often plane several relatively short pieces in a batch, feeding them one right after another to avoid snipe. When I do this, I stick to the slow speed. Otherwise, I can't keep up with feeding the pieces in.

[Max Neu]

I run my Powermatic on fast speed most of the time,but run it slow if I am running edges of boards through,otherwise I get chipout,even with a Byrd head.

[Gary Yoder]

Just got a new grizzly 15" planer. The planer has two feed speeds and the manual says to use the low speed for the dimensioning passes and the high speed for the finish pass. This seems backwards to me. Seems like you would use the slow feed speed for the finish passes and the fast speed for the dimensioning passes. What does everyone else do?

Maybe in the manual it isn't making that statement for finish quality, but for having enough available power? Using the slow speed when taking thick passes and the high speed when just taking a light pass... ??

[glenn bradley]

Maybe in the manual it isn't making that statement for finish quality, but for having enough available power? Using the slow speed when taking thick passes and the high speed when just taking a light pass... ??

This would be my guess as well. At low speed you get more cuts per inch resulting in a "smoother" finish. This type of planer is not really a "finish" planer by design (ergo the serrated metal feed rollers) but, by backing the feed roller pressure way off, I have found a setting that still has plenty of feed grip without leaving serrated marks in all but the softest materials.

[Brad Seubert]

Maybe in the manual it isn't making that statement for finish quality, but for having enough available power? Using the slow speed when taking thick passes and the high speed when just taking a light pass... ??

Gary, I think your correct in that they are saying to use the slow speed and take a bigger cut. Still seems like you would want it on the slow speed for the final pass. Seems like most people here confirmed what I suspected though.

[eugene thomas]

I never have used high speed on my planer but when read the speed settings they stated in my owners manual only thing I could figure is at faster speed not have as man cut lines....

[Michael Yadfar]

I own the same planer and I was thinking the same thing myself. I do use low speed for dimension and high speed for finish, but on the finish passes I only take off a quarter turn at a time

[Justin Ludwig]

I use 30fpm only. Haven't seen any difference is any woods from pine to hickory when planing at 16fpm. Everything is gonna get sanded in my shop. If the planer had knives, I might consider 16fpm.