Planer issues

[Travis Porter]

I am starting to have issues with my planer. It is a Powermatic 209HH - a 20" Chiwanese planer with a Byrd shelix head. I know of at least one member who has the same type of unit, but I think his head has straight knives not the carbide insert head.

I will say up front that I changed the feed rate of this unit. It came with the gears and the chains to make it feed slower. I have checked the unit and at no point do the feed rollers ever stop turning.

It worked pretty good when I first got it, but seems to have gotten worse. What it is doing is that it is not feeding boards well. I have to consistently push the boards through the planer. They get stuck/stop. Also, as short boards (18" or so) come out of the planer they tilt up and then "slap" the table. Lastly, i have around 3 inches of snipe on the rear end of the board around 1/64" to 1/32".

The springs for the infeed and outfeed rollers were tensioned way tight. I loosened up the tension a lot, but it didn't make any difference. I got my straight edge out and aligned both the infeed and outfeed tables. No change.
The bed rollers are set flush to the table, and since I use it for finish planing as well, I don't see the need to have them above the bed. I checked the belts and they are not loose so no slipping there.

Doug Robinson suggested feeding boards on 1 side of the unit or the other to see if it was out of alignment on 1 side. It feeds horribly on both sides.

So, I am thinking I am going to need to check the height of the pressure bar and/or chip breaker may be to low and causing too much friction/resistance. Getting this checked and adjusted will be a royal PITA as it is not a simplistic or quick undertaking. If I go through that, then I am going to check the infeed and outfeed roller height as well. Again, not pleasant.

Anyone have any other suggestions/thoughts that I may be overlooking before I take the steps that I really hope I don't have to take?

 

[WoodWrangler]

Not sure man, but I would do what you already did and loosen the rollers tension a bit (maybe even a bit more).

I'd also check that the infeed and outfeed are set with the far side up about 1/16" (so as to not be perfectly flat with the main bed). I've done this with success for snipe. It keeps pressure on the board to offset the time when only one tension roller is in play.

Another idea .. and what I did on the Woodmaster ... get a couple sheets of SlickSaw and adhere them to MDF (or something flat) and make an auxilary bed that's super slick. That seems to help with sticking.

Good luck.

 

[Travis Porter]

I got a PM about waxing/slicking up the beds and I am going to try that tonight. I have some of the slick sheet stuff so it can't hurt to try that as well. Both are easy and I am all about easy before I go to the complex.

 

[Larry Rose]

Travis, My planer is a Rigid and will do the same thing. When it starts acting up I scrub the bed with laquer thinner and then use plain parifin wax on it an it solves the problem every time. Gummy woods like pine will mess it up more often.

 

[Keye]

Actually, I haven't done that and it is not a bad idea. I too look for the complex too much and overlook the simple. I will do it tonight.

Thanks. BTW - why didn't you post to the thread? It is a very valid thought?

Originally Posted by Keye

When I have the same kind of problems with my planner I always start looking for the most complex solution I can think of. I know you are frustrated and I do not want to add to your frustration with this question. Have you used your favorite slickum on the surfaces, end and out feed?

I have spent hours looking for a solution for not feeding properly and then solved the probelm by cleaning and waxing everything.

I know this is very basic and you have probably done all this kind of stuff but I thought I would just mention it.

Good luck!!

Keye

OK Travis, here it is.
​

 

[FredP]

I had to make all those ajustments on mine after changing knives. tension of the feed rollers should be stiff. also the rollers can be ajusted for hight along with the chip breaker and the pressure bar. i did not folow the book. [cant read!]:gar-La; I eyeballed em all and the planer works great! the ol hairy eyeball may not work for you technical types but it works for me.:icon_thum

 

[FredP]

a side note. raise the lower rollers a few thousands above the tables. it makes stuff work more efficiently. less snipe and less work on the feed rollers. I also wax the tables regularly.:gar-La;

 

[tom hintz]

I have the PM 15HH an dhad similar issues after using it for a while. I wound up adding just a bit of pressure to the infeed roller and waxing the beds. All was fine since.

I get more planer-related email complaining about feed problems and virtually all of them has been solved with some wax on the tables. There have been a few with real mechanical issues but VERY few, like three out of over a hundred so far.

 

[FredP]

I have the PM 15HH an dhad similar issues after using it for a while. I wound up adding just a bit of pressure to the infeed roller and waxing the beds. All was fine since.

I get more planer-related email complaining about feed problems and virtually all of them has been solved with some wax on the tables. There have been a few with real mechanical issues but VERY few, like three out of over a hundred so far.

my problems started with a blade change. I noticed the originals were a little high compared with the guage so I set the new ones with the guage. If I recall there is a limiter that gives you a maximum cut per pass. By setting the knives a little closer to the head I had to move this up a little. basically it wasnt feeding because the board would ride this bar and plane very little causing it to not feed well. Not sure why they added this limiter.:dontknow: the cast iron wont let you fit a board in that is too thick therefore limiting depth of cut.:gar-Bi I think the manual says 3/16 per pass max but I wouldnt want to take that much for any reason. lighter passes give you much better finnished product.:icon_thum

 

[tom hintz]

Not sure why they added this limiter.:dontknow: the cast iron wont let you fit a board in that is too thick therefore limiting depth of cut.:gar-Bi I think the manual says 3/16 per pass max but I wouldnt want to take that much for any reason. lighter passes give you much better finnished product.:icon_thum

the 15hh has a limiter at the center that prevents taking overly deep full-width cuts. I wouldn't cut that deep either but lots of people do. I guess they are in a bigger hurry than I am.

 

[NCPete]

Travis, I have the 20" Yorkcraft, and when it fails to feed well, I also wax the beds.

 

[redhawknc1]

Travis, I have the PM209 with straight knives...It does a little of everything you mention. I'll try waxing the table today!
I didn't get the speed change set when I purchased it. Maybe the previous owner forgot about it. So, I run the higher speed gear set that came installed. Maybe I should email him to see if he has the reduction set or order from PM? I still have a Dewalt 735 with new knives that I finish plane the final last pass or 2 before actual assembly of project. Seems like the final finish is superior on the dewalt. Should it be?

 

[Travis Porter]

I have the shelix head so I can't compare. Personally, I would think your cut should be superior to the DeWalt at the increased cuts per inch. I would definitely ask the previous owner about the reduction set. It is a chain and a gear.

I didn't get to mess with it last night, but I will torque the rollers down and wax the table and see what happens.