Patent ID: 7757733

Claim:
A locking mechanism for use with a thickness planer having a base including a base support, and a carriage with a cutting head, the carriage being mounted to a plurality of support columns that are movably attached to the base to allow the carriage to be displaceable from the base at a defined distance, where a workpiece passes between a work area on the base and the cutting head on the carriage to remove a layer of the workpiece, the locking mechanism comprising: a first lock plate associated with the base and positioned adjacent to a first pair of the support columns; a second lock plate associated with the base and positioned adjacent to a second different pair of the support columns, said first and second lock plates being mounted on an underside of the base support; and an actuator coupled to said first lock plate and said second lock plate, wherein said actuator is configured for causing said first lock plate to engage said first pair of the support columns and said second lock plate to engage said second pair of the support columns to exert a clamping force by moving said first and second lock plates towards each other to firmly secure the carriage in position.