Wen PL1303, Instruction Manual

OPERATION

DEPTH OF CUT

• The depth of cut depends on the width, species, hardness, moisture content, grain direction, and grain structure 

of the wood.
• The maximum depth of cut is 1/8” for workpieces less than 6” wide, and 1/16” for workpieces wider than 6”. The 

wider the workpiece, the shallower the depth of cut should be. The harder the species of wood, the shallower the 

depth of cut should be.
• The smaller the depth of cut, the better the finished surface. It is better to take multiple shallow passes on a work-

piece, rather than one deep pass; this is better for the motor and cutting inserts, and will prolong their lives.
• If boards are cupped or bowed, use a jointer to flatten them out, or take multiple shallow passes until the work has 

one flat side. Once a level surface has been created, flip the workpiece and create parallel sides. It is easiest to do 

this if you can rip-cut the boards into multiple pieces beforehand.
• As a rule of thumb, it is best to alternate sides of the board being planed until the desired thickness is reached. This 

will result in the board having a more-uniform moisture content, since half of the total depth of cut has been taken 

from each side. Any additional drying should not cause warping or cupping.
• Scrap wood is your best friend. Make a cut on a test piece to verify the finish produced, as well as the accuracy of 

the depth of cut and the thickness of the finished product.

DEPTH STOP

The depth stop preset (Fig. 8 - 1) is a simple way to set the 

desired thickness of a workpiece. Move the knob to the desired 

finished thickness. For example, if you want a workpiece 1-1/4” 

thick, move the knob to the 1-1/4” setting. The finished work-

piece will be 1-1/4” thick. This feature is best used when planing 

multiple workpieces, in order to ensure that all workpieces have 

a uniform thickness.

NOTE: 

when adjusting the height of the rollercase, ensure the 

depth stop preset is in the lowest (thinnest) position. Failure 

to do so may result in damage to the depth stop preset or the 

rollercase.

Fig. 8 

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