How to Troubleshoot a DeWalt Planer That Doesn't Feed

Change the planer knives if the lumber doesn’t feed properly. Dull knives can stop feeding. Unplug the planer and use the supplied T-wrench to take off the tool tray and expose the cutter head. Rotate the cutter head by pushing it with some scrap lumber so the bolts are exposed and the locking lever locks. Remove the bolts from the knife clamp and attract the knife clamp with the magnet on top of the T-wrench. Change the first knife. Then depress the cutter head lock lever and remove the other knives and replace them, too.

Remove clogging from the dust hood if you continue to have problems feeding. Unplug the planer if you haven't already. Remove the screws from the hood and unclip the hood. Clear it of accumulated saw dust and debris with your hand. Avoid touching the knives. Clear any dust collector that may be attached. Then, clip the hood back on and screw it into place. Tighten the bottom screw first, and then the two side screws.

Replace the wood with lumber that’s not twisted, cupped or bowed. Poor material will jam the planer. Try to have at least one side of the lumber level and flat before you start planing. You can run it through a jointer to get a flat surface on one side that won’t jam the planer.