I am having difficulties with setting up to create moldings. My conversations with Jet tech support seem to be falling on deaf ears. They don't think they have a problem. I think there are depth limitations that are not advertised in the manual or sales literature. I would appreciate anybody out there who has used this beast getting in touch with me to help me resolve my issues so I can get some work done before I destroy the machine or me!
Len
I've got one of those machines... What do you mean by depth limitations?
John
Thanks for responding. The problem relates to setting the infeed and outfeed rollers during the molding process. I have placed a .pdf file on my web site. It contains two pages describing the problem along with figures of their recommendation and my concept - which could be wrong because I am missing something in the translation. I just don't see how you can set the rollers independently of the depth of the knives and still do thing like a skim cut.
You can get to the file by using your browser to go to the page:
On 1/3/2012 1:37 PM, snipped-for-privacy@uiuc.edu wrote: ...
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I'm prompted for a log-in... is it something you can upload to alt.binaries.pictures.woodworking ??
Thanks for responding. The problem relates to setting the infeed and outfeed rollers during the molding process. I have placed a .pdf file on my web site. It contains two pages describing the problem along with figures of their recommendation and my concept - which could be wrong because I am missing something in the translation. I just don't see how you can set the rollers independently of the depth of the knives and still do thing like a skim cut.
You can get to the file by using your browser to go to the page:
Sorry about that - I screwed up! Try:
On 1/3/2012 4:41 PM, snipped-for-privacy@uiuc.edu wrote: ...
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Your second interpretation is proper...I'd basically ignore the manual and set it up to do what is needed. :)
The only real problem that you can run into is allowing so much material in at one pass that you either hit the cutter head itself or stick a knife from lack of power.
Generally, a full-size moulder makes the full cut in one pass but may have more than one set of cutters instead of only the one. Given that, for deep profiles in hard wood you may find it necessary to do more than a single pass.
I like the old Deta/Powermatic feature--they had a solid stationary bar that was an irrevocable thickness of the material presented to the knives--more than that was prevented from entering. The bars were round and mounted on an eccentric so could adjust them some, but not limitlessly....
Len,
I agree... you are fouled up conceptually! Not to worry... you are on the right track.
When they say "maximum height of the feed rollers must not be more than 5/16" below the height of the cutterhead" I agree that as shown in the graphic that you'd take a 3/8" cut on the first pass. However, that is the MAXIMUM height. There is nothing that says you cannot lower the infeed roller, as suggested in the second graphic, to take a lighter cut. However, as actually shown in the second graphic you wouldn't cut anything as the cutter is even with the top of the wood...
In practice, starting with your second graphic set up, if you raise the infeed roller 1/6" and raise the bed 1/16" you'd take a 1/16" cut. If you had to remove 3/8" to get the full profile that would take 6 passes raising the bed 1/16" each time... not really a good idea. Unless you are cutting wide moldings in hard wood (physically, not in terms of leaves) you can typically cut the whole molding in one pass. Seems to me that Jet recommends making one pass also as with subsequent passes you'd have very little wood for the feed rollers to grab (e.g., only the peaks).
Between the roller height and bed height adjustments you can use any of the profiles Jet (or Grizzley) offers.
Hope that helps... playing a bit might make it clearer!
John
Sorry about that - I screwed up! Try:
I just happened to look at the Grizzly 13 inch planer on-line. It appears to function identically to the Jet one. It just isn't a closed base. The Grizzly manual that is on-line addresses the problem in much better detail than the Jet manual starting on page 21. Basically, they set the rollers taking the depth of the knives into account. I will review this and try again.
Thanks all for comments
Len
On 1/4/2012 10:52 AM, snipped-for-privacy@uiuc.edu wrote: ...
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I think you're over-thinking here...set the depth as required for the profile and the pressure rollers as required to feed the material. That's all there is to it.
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I may be, but the manual that came from JET specifically said not to change the pressure springs. The manual for the Grizzly says you should adjust the pressure after setting the roller height. I just printed the Grizzly manual and will read it more closely today. The next obvious question is "Is the Grizzly close enough to the Jet so that I can use the Grizzly instructions" I suspect yes. I am also beginning to think Jet set up one set of instructions assuming everybody was a "sheep" and would follow them blindly.
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Well, if they're ("they" being the pressure rollers here) set correctly to begin with, you really shouldn't have to adjust them for any operation. I presume that's why Jet says not to...
The bed position relative to the circle the cutterhead makes (including knives, of course, the only dimension that is of any interest) controls how much material is taken off and the infeed rollers are at a fixed height relative to the top surface of the material to provide the downward force necessary to hold the material from chattering and provide the driving force to push the material through the planer.
So, they really shouldn't ever have to be adjusted at all once they're right other than if need a tad more pressure for some heavy work.
I'm sure if you can make more sense of the Griz verbiage it's good enough; as you say, there's no difference between the machines of any consequence as far as operation.
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I generally concur with this when dealing with a relatively new machine with relatively new cutters. There are a few exceptions that may show up in the future for Len. One is that some tinkering may be needed if cutters are resharpened as the relationship between the infeed roller and a fully seated cutter is altered. Also, if you ignore the one pass recommendation and take multiple passes, the infeed roller may need to be adjusted lower due to the limited contact area with the molding profile. Otherwise this is right on!
John
Indeed; as said earlier, our OP is making more of this than seems warranted. I think he should just start throwing some material through it and get on w/ life... :)
After reading and following the Grizzly instructions on page 25 all is well. I "threw" about 100 feet through it today with excellent results.
Thanks all fro the advice and support.
Len
On 1/5/2012 3:12 PM, snipped-for-privacy@uiuc.edu wrote: ...
Kewl and no problem...
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Glad to hear it worked out!
John
It occurs to me that if you ever do use hard wood (not leaves but toughness) you could run straight, but narrow, knives through the stock to remove bulk before running it through with the molding knives. That way a single pass would be possible without straining the machine or knives and retain enough surface area for the infeed rollers to grab. This approach wouldn't be much different from how the job would have been done in the past with plough planes first and then molding planes.
John
On 1/6/2012 12:35 PM, John Grossbohlin wrote: ...
Indeed...good point.
I've done the basic idea by using the table saw to cut strategically-placed length-wise dadoes in essence for the purpose when using a light moulder of this sort. (Comes to me now would have been easier to use the moulding head cutter on the RAS to have done same as your suggestion... :) )
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