I've had this Sears thickness planer for years and it's worked just great, but now my boards are coming out with about a 1/32 twist about every three feet, obviously unacceptable.
Of course, I checked the blades to make sure they are aligned, but I wonder if this could be a roller issue or some other issue I can't identify.
Thanks for the help.
Mike
The cutting spindle out of alignment? I have no idea of the best way to measure this.
Thanks, Bill. After scanning the internets, I think I located one good thing to try. There are adjustment screws on the bottom that level the table. I hope it's just one of those on a corner that has dipped a bit.
Mike
you mean you are getting some snipe
not sure what a twist is here
is the platen nice and clean maybe some sap on there
or the rollers are not grabbing consistently due to hardened rubber
i remember reading a oscilloscope refurb blog and he boiled some of the old rubber pieces in olive oil and brought them back to life
If it's snipe, it's only on one side, hence causing a kind of twist. I can normally avoid snipe by lifting the piece as it clears that back roller.
I've scanned the platen with a light for defect. Thanks for the help with the rollers. If they are expensive, I'll first give the boiling a try.
Mike
Are you certain it is not the wood?
After I posted, it occurred to me to ask whether it could possibly be the bearings? That would seem (to me) that it might produce the problem you described. Folks with more experience on this know better than me. Good luck!
Bill
Might well be a flat bearing ball that moves about and shifts the center of work. Either the main cutter bearing or if the table has them they would be suspect.
On the bearing, there are numbers. You can take them to (take one) the auto parts store and ask for them to locate a bearing for you. Pay for the highest quality you can stand. They don't cost much.
If you are into large part suppliers - you can try yourself.
No mater if they were sealed or not, get sealed. Wood fiber is tough on bearings. They tend to build up and wedge bearings to stop working.
Many years ago - in the 70's I used to replace ball bearings in 8" floppy disk drives. Different designs and different times. Floppies were old hat to change bearings after a while.
Mart> Michael wrote:
at, but now my boards are coming out with about a 1/32 twist about every th ree feet, obviously unacceptable.
nder if this could be a roller issue or some other issue I can't identify.
Leon, Bill, Martin,
I don't think it's the wood. I've planed various lengths and widths of hard maple and I'm having the problem. I haven't tried a different kind of wood , so I'll do that.
If leveling the table won't help, I'll check the bearings. I looked over th e schematics, and thankfully it's a standard part that's available locally, unlike the rollers, which are no longer available at Sears. The issue (for me) is getting it all back together without "extra" parts laying around.
It also occurs to me that I had this problem when I flipped the two sided b lades. Again, I've check and double checked to make sure the blades are lev el installed correctly, but who knows, maybe a different set of blades will produce different results.
Thanks again,
Mike
Michael wrote in news: snipped-for-privacy@googlegroups.com:
When you take something apart, one thing that helps is to lay the parts out in the order they were removed. I often start on the left side of the bench and work to the right. Now you *know* that part A came off after Part B and needs to go back first.
Take pictures if you need them, I sometimes have to go back to photos and diagrams to figure out where something went.
Puckdropper
I've done something like that with engine rebuilds. My first digital camera got used for that sort of thing more than anything else. Making sure I had records of all the hoses, wiring, etc.
When I used to do a lot of electronics repairs, I kept a video camera above the workbench, looking down. If I didn't have a service manual for whatever I was operating on, I'd record the surgery so I could check the tape to make sure I was putting the patient back together properly. :-)
Make sure the rollers are coPLANER. ( rimshot :)
When I was poor and did my own brakes, I'd put both axles (front or back) up on stands with wheels (and drums) removed. I'd then do one, referring to the opposite side (remembering to think "mirror" ;-).
Heck, I *still* do that!
I haven't touched car maintenance, past filling a tire or washing the windows ;-) for thirty years. I always hated doing it but at one time, it was either do it myself or walk. If I did, I have a cell phone to take pictures of the thing as I disassemble it. ;-)
I was just thinking how strange "I have a phone to take pictures" would have sounded thirty years ago.
...and then wait for them to be developed? ;-)
Were they straight going in? A planer gives you parallel surfaces, not flat ones.
when you figure it out share what you found
is it every piece you put through or just some i have seen super hard knots cause lots of unexpected planer results
suggested the oil in case the planer is really old and no replacements available
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