-25-
G0453/G0454 (Mfg. Since 3/08)
Wood Hardness
The species of wood, as well as its condition,
greatly affects the depth of cut the planer can
effectively take with each pass.
The chart in the figure below shows the Janka
Hardness Rating for a number of commonly
used species. The larger the number, the harder
the workpiece, and the less material should be
removed in any one pass for good results.
Note: The Janka Hardness Rating is expressed in
pounds of force required to embed a 0.444" steel
ball into the surface of the wood to a depth equal
to half the ball's diameter.
Species
Janka
Hardness
Ebony 3220
Red Mahogany 2697
Rosewood 1780
Red Pine 1630
Sugar Maple 1450
White Oak 1360
White Ash 1320
American Beech 1300
Red Oak 1290
Black Walnut 1010
Teak 1000
Black Cherry 950
Cedar 900
Sycamore 770
Douglas Fir 660
Chestnut 540
Hemlock 500
White Pin 420
Basswood 410
Eastern White Pine 380
Balsa 100
Figure 15. Janka Hardness Rating for some
common wood species.
Feed Rate
NOTICE
Only change the feed rate when the planer
is running, but DO NOT attempt to change
the feed rate during any cutting operations
or damage to the gearbox will result.
The infeed and outfeed rollers move the workpiece
through the planer while keeping it flat and provid-
ing a consistent rate of movement. The speed
that these rollers move the workpiece through the
planer is known as the feed rate.
Generally, low feed rates are used for dimension-
ing passes, while higher feed rates are used for
finishing passes.
Figure 16 illustrates the three different positions
of the feed rate control knob:
• Push the knob in to use the high feed rate (30
FPM for Model G0453, and 20 FPM for Model
G0454).
• Pull the know out to use the low feed rate of
16 FPM.
• Move the knob to the center position to place
the gearbox in neutral.
High
Low
Neutral
Figure 16. Feed rate control knob positions.