Portable power planer

A portable power planer comprising:

• a base defining a reference surface;
• a carriage that is coupled to the base and movable relative to the base along an axis;
• a cutting tool that is carried by the carriage, the cutting tool defining a cutting plane;
• a setting device having a first stop and a second stop, the first stop being coupled to one of the base and the carriage, the second stop being coupled to the other one of the base and the carriage, the setting device being operable for preventing a distance between the reference surface and the cutting plane from being set to a dimension that is smaller than a selected dimension, the selected dimension being selected from a plurality of predetermined dimensions that are defined by contact between the first and second stops when the carriage is moved toward the base;
• wherein the first stop includes a threaded member and a jam nut, the threaded member being threadably coupled to the one of the base and the carriage, the jam nut being threadably engaged to the threaded member so as to fixedly but removably secure the threaded member to the one of the base and the carriage, wherein the first stop further comprises a pin for contacting the second stop and wherein the pin is selectable from a group of differently sized pins.

A portable power planer comprising:

• a base defining a reference surface;
• a carriage that is coupled to the base and movable relative to the base along an axis;
• a cutting tool that is carried by the carriage, the cutting tool defining a cutting plane;
• a setting device having a first stop and a second stop, the first stop being coupled to one of the base and the carriage, the second stop being coupled to the other one of the base and the carriage, the setting device being operable for preventing a distance between the reference surface and the cutting plane from being set to a dimension that is smaller than a selected dimension, the selected dimension being selected from a plurality of predetermined dimensions that are defined by contact between the first and second stops when the carriage is moved toward the base;
• wherein the first stop includes a threaded member and a jam nut, the threaded member being threadably coupled to the one of the base and the carriage, the jam nut being threadably engaged to the threaded member so as to fixedly but removably secure the threaded member to the one of the base and the carriage, wherein the first stop further comprises a pin for contacting the second stop, the pin being selectable from a group of differently sized pins;
• and
• wherein the second stop includes an adjustment portion that is rotatably mounted to the other one of the base and the carriage about a pivot point.

A portable power planer comprising:

• a base defining a reference surface;
• a carriage that is coupled to the base and movable relative to the base along an axis;
• a cutting tool that is carried by the carriage, the cutting tool defining a cutting plane;
• a setting device having a first stop and a second stop, the first stop being coupled to one of the base and the carriage, the second stop being coupled to the other one of the base and the carriage, the setting device being operable for preventing a distance between the reference surface and the cutting plane from being set to a dimension that is smaller than a selected dimension, the selected dimension being selected from a plurality of predetermined dimensions that are defined by contact between the first and second stops when the carriage is moved toward the base;
• wherein the second stop includes an adjustment portion that is rotatably mounted to the other one of the base and the carriage about a pivot point;
• and
• wherein the adjustment portion includes a plurality of predetermined contact points, each of the contact points being spaced outwardly from the pivot point by a different predetermined distance, each predetermined distance corresponding to an associated one of the plurality of predetermined dimensions.

A portable power planer comprising:

• a base defining a reference surface;
• a carriage that is coupled to the base and movable relative to the base along an axis;
• a cutting tool that is carried by the carriage, the cutting tool defining a cutting plane;
• a setting device having a first stop and a second stop, the first stop being coupled to one of the base and the carriage, the second stop being coupled to the other one of the base and the carriage, the setting device being operable for preventing a distance between the reference surface and the cutting plane from being set to a dimension that is smaller than a selected dimension, the selected dimension being selected from a plurality of predetermined dimensions that are defined by contact between the first and second stops when the carriage is moved toward the base;
• wherein the first stop is coupled to the base and the second stop is coupled to the carriage.

A method for adjusting a dimension between a power planer blade and a power planer base, the power planer blade being rotatably supported by a carriage and defining a cutting plane, the power planer base defining a reference plane, the method comprising:

• coupling a first stop to one of the power planer base and the carriage;
• providing a second stop with an adjustment portion, the adjustment portion including a plurality of contact points;
• rotatably coupling the adjustment portion to the other one of the power planer base and the carriage about a pivot point such that each of the contact points is spaced radially outwardly from the pivot point by a different predetermined distance;
• rotating the adjustment portion about the pivot point to select a given one of the contact points;
• and
• lowering the carriage toward the base so that the first stop contacts the given one of the contact points.

A portable power planer comprising:

• a base defining a reference surface;
• a carriage that is coupled to the base and movable relative to the base along an axis;
• a cutting tool that is carried by the carriage, the cutting tool defining a cutting plane;
• a setting device having a first stop and a second stop, the first stop being coupled to one of the base and the carriage, the second stop being coupled to the other one of the base and the carriage, the second stop including an adjustment portion that is rotatably mounted about an axis, the adjustment portion being segregated into a plurality of sectors, each of the sectors having a sector surface that is configured to be selectively abutted against the first stop when the carriage assembly is lowered toward the base, each of the sector surfaces being spaced outwardly from the axis by a different predetermined distance, each predetermined distance being related to an associated one of the plurality of predetermined dimensions, the setting device being operable for preventing a distance between the reference surface and the cutting plane from being set to a dimension that is smaller than a selected dimension, the selected dimension being selected from a plurality of predetermined dimensions that are defined by contact between the first stop and a selected one of the sectors on the adjustment portion when the carriage is moved toward the base.