Solar Guy

[Smeg]

You guys are going to love this. I bought the Delta 305 back 8-10 years ago at Crappy Tire. I purchased it to rerun My square D white pine 10"x6" logs, some are 3 ft and some are 20 ft. Yes I know I need a industrial planner but on My budget it isn't happening. Now the dilemma, It feeds Ok but fails to pull the log through the machine. I have to assist it which becomes very labour intensive. Is there any way to have the rollers modified with a substance to grab the log better? Even with multiple light passes I still have to push. It is not laboring the cutter head but certainly doesn't pull these logs through. I don't care @ $199. cost if I burn this thing out, as long as it does all My logs board feet with several knives I will still be ahead of the game. Any suggestions or assistance would be appreciated.

[Sonny]

Does this happen with all the logs or with just the longer, heavier ones? I suppose, with just the longer, heavier ones.

Have you tried an extended outfeed roller, 8' to 12' from the planer, to li ft the front end of the longer logs, as the rear of the logs are planed.

I'm also visualizing your logs have one face flat (to be planed) and the re st of the log is live edged, i.e., uneven, for the planer rollers to grasp it properly, consistantly. I could see it jamming if the small end, of a log, is run through the planer, first.

Two other options: 1) have a pro shop joint the faces on a 12" jointer or

2) use a powered hand planer and finish/cleanup with a belt sander.... *Wondering, how perfectly planed do the faces need to be?

Sonny

[Leon]

Think about this, "you" are strong enough to lift the work and help push it through and that is labor intensive for you. Your dinky planer is not. If it cannot grip tight enough to feed the work "and" cut, you are asking too much. These type planers will marginally cut 10" wide on stock that is

3/4" thick let alone have the power to feed something 8 times heavier.

[Smeg]

Longer logs but I just purchased 4 roller stands so should be easier now. The logs a square D and are flat on both sides. They don't have to be perfect just taking off less than 1/4 inch off each side using about 4-6 passes very lightly on each side. They have been sitting about ten years now and weathered on the outside and a bit punky, they have come up very nicely and grain is showing through. Will use hand power planer on bottoms and tops, they are factory cut T&G

[Smeg]

Yes I know I am asking too much from My dinky planner but it's working and I just purchase 4 stand rollers. It may burn out eventually but as I wrote earlier for $199. on sale who cares. I set it so hardly nothing comes off the 1st two passes but it more trues the surface. I have done about 20 logs so far and haven't had to spin the blades as of Yet. I am surprised at the quality of the finish product. Thanks for You input.

[dpb]

On 08/24/2015 8:44 AM, Smeg wrote: ...

As said, it's too much to expect of the planer to move that much material thru it; as you've noted it's not the actual planing that's too much for the machine but the material movement.

Somewhat on the vein of Leon's earlier suggestion, rig up a power-feed assist. A 12V winch with some proper pulley sizing to get an appropriate speed would be one way...

That load would put a strain on my old Rockwell/Delta Model 13 which is the industrial-strength old small planer...

[Smeg]

Well I will let You know what happens with the roller stands My set up is very basic, planner is set onto concrete blocks then concrete blocks 8ft then 6 ft behind the one on the feed side. allows me to not have to lift the whole log, just put leading edge onto planner then lift about the halfway point and help it feed. There is a wooden box on the out side and I must support and help the log through, it's quite a work out! I also read some had raised the leading and leaving table above flat and that helped a bit with the pull of both rollers.

You know I didn't expect a Delta little job like this to even run these massive logs, one of My Bros said it would stall and lock up their mastercraft ones but this Delta was bought way back over 15 years ago and never used, We lived off grid and this planner would overheat My 2425 Trace Inverter and kick it off on over temp. So it's really nothing if it gets burned out and owes me nothing. Gives fact to some of the older North America products with beefy chains sprockets and the resiliency of the products We use to produce in this country.

Way to go Delta Michigan for a Previous little planner that some Nut could actually run full house logs through! Maybe I will now get the dream Shop I always wanted! Hey DELTA I could use some Roof Trusses!! Lol

Will let You know how the rollers help/work, I know My arms and shoulders are getting bigger and I don't need a workout that day!

[J. Clarke]

Whether the planer locks up depends on how much of a cut you're taking, not on the size of the timber. The local hardwood yard has an immense industrial-strength planer--I don't know the horsepower but it's the size of an SUV. They stuck a piece of 8/4 ipe in it and tried to cut a half inch off and the thing stalled. OTOH, my little delta will cut up ipe all day as long as I don't go more than 1/8 or so at a pass.

[Leon]

Some how I don't believe you are taking 1/8" out of ipe, maybe 1/16" out of a narrow board. Care to share a picture of a partial pass?