Planer problem

[Arcrist]

I keep getting a ledge on the end of my board, the planer is taking a tiny bit off the first 3 inches of the board. I put the board in level and i get that problem. I put the board in with the back end sticking up 20 degrees or so and i still have the problem, i sanded the ledge down and I still have the problem. Please help before I ruin my cherry!

 

[DaveO]

Andy, snipe is a common problem with many planers especially the lower end models. The best thing that you can do is to make sure that you are starting the board perfectly parallel with the table, and add a couple extra inches to the final length of the board to cut off any snipe. Check out your owners manual to see if there is any adjustments that can be made to the feed roller-knife relation. One other thing that might help is to run a sacrificial board in first and then start your good stock. Start a pine board first then when it is partial the way through start your good stock, keeping it perfectly parallel to the table. End the pass with another sacrificial board if you get snipe on the back end also.
Dave

 

[McRabbet]

You can almost completely eliminate "snipe" if you plane a piece of scrap wood first down to the same starting size as your good wood. Then, run that piece of scrap wood through your planer butted up against the back end your good piece of wood as it begins to disappear into the planer (if you have enough width left, you can start it 3 inches or so early to one side). It serves to keep the leading side roller compressed. It is also important to hold the board that is exiting the back of the planer parallel to the planer tables so it does not tilt up toward the knives as it hangs out from the outfeed table. If you are planing multiple pieces to the same thickness, run them through in continuous sequence and run the scrap piece last. And never take more than 1/32" at a time for best results. HTH.

Rob

 

[Steve D]

It sounds like you are experiencing "snipe" is the ledge you describe a ridge that forms across the surface of the board where extra material is taken off either in the first or last 2-3" of the cut? This is a classic problem with planers and more so with the "lunchbox" style. It can be partially corrected with very precise setup of the infeed and outfeed sides of the planer but a solution I have found to work even better is to cut a 4' piece of melamine the width of your planer <12"> raide your cutterhead and place this board inside the planer with 2' sticking out each side. Screw cleats on the bottom of this board up against your infeed and outfeed to hold it in position. This gives you a continuous, flat bed that is less prone to snipe. It throws off your measurement scale by the thickness of the melamine but otherwise works very well. If you can, it is always better to plane your boards long and cut to length after thicknessing so that you can cut the snipe off.

 

[Steve D]

Another good aproach but I wouldn't use pine. The sap will gum up your blades in a hurry.

Start a pine board first then when it is partial the way through start your good stock, keeping it perfectly parallel to the table. End the pass with another sacrificial board if you get snipe on the back end also.
Dave

 

[DaveO]

Good point, I was just thinking of something inexpensive. Try Poplar :lol: :lol:

Dave

 

[DaveO]

You might also take a good straight edge and check to see if the infeed and outfeed tables are all in line with the main table.
Dave

 

[Arcrist]

Ok the problem is fixed, I had a guy come over and level the in and out feed ledges. Now it feeds perfectly level and I have nice boards

I have 2 cherry boards planed down about 7 inches wide each and 4 feet long. Im thinking of making a table for behind my couch. The boards are only 1/2" maybe a tad thicker. Would that work? The grain doesnt match because its not book matched though.

 

[DaveO]

1/2" is a little thin for a table top. But if it was only 14" wide or less you could support the thinness with a stout appron, and maybe a cleat (use enlongated holes in the cleat so the top can move). Make sure you allow for the top to expand and contract when you attach it to the appron. Use figure 8's or Z-clips.
Dave

 

[michaelgarner]

shoot friend grab some secondary wood and make a torsion box table. It will be light, strong, and look awsome. let me know if you need some help, be blessed.

 

[Arcrist]

It looks as if I will have 4 boards of that dimsension when im done cleaning up the cherry. That might make for a good dinner table if i lay it over some ply and boarder around it right?

 

[Steve D]

That is pretty thick for "veneer". I wouldn't lay it over ply because they will expand & contract differently and result in cracking.

 

[DaveO]

Andy, what SteveD said is very true. If you want to make a table top, we could re-saw those 1/2" cherry boards into veneer, then you could do a large surface table with them. Or you could use them to make many nice boxes and get some thick solid stock to make tables out of.
Dave

 

[Arcrist]

Okie, ill just plane them down a little more and do boxes. I had a hell of a hard time last night trying to make tongue and groves for this new jewlery box im working on. For some reason my router fence was acting funny, i took out the shim but when i ran a piece through it would get stuck on the 2nd half of the fence. It just needed to be adjusted a little, at the expense of me having to re-dimension the whole box.

 

[Steve D]

Just another tip Andy, it is always best to run test cuts with a piece of scrap to avoid creating problems with your good stock that is already dimensioned for your project, DAMHIKT.

 

[Arcrist]

Yeah i was rushing that project, and now its not going to get finished, too many gaps and the router bit chopped up the edge of the board where I was making tongues. I tried various speeds on the router but it kept shredding the sides, probably just the nature of cutting with the router bit and grain facing up.

 

[Travis Porter]

Probably trying to remove to much wood in a single pass. Are your bits carbide or high speed steel?

 

[Arcrist]

They're all carbide. And im not talking just little shreds, I mean shards of wood come flying off. I probably just am taking off too much at a time, but its faster to set the fence once, and cut all the pieces once.

 

[Travis Porter]

Then you might try changing your depth of cut incrementally. Speed is one thing, but you are going to destroy wood and not be able to repair it. Cherry is bad for chipping out anyway and taking too big of a cut makes it worse.

Plus your bits will over heat and be ruined.

 

[Arcrist]

The wood in this case was sassafras. The cherry i am making a small table with. It is my first piece of furniture, hop it comes ouy okay.