Planer alignment driving me insane
 

I have been working on a custom cutting board for SWMBO for the last 2
weeks (roughly 2 hours per week) and have found after planing some small
parts that my Delta JT160 is out of alignment. I thought no big deal,
grabbed my square and set it against the fence. The outfeed table is right
on. However the infeed table is perplexing. It was out about .010 at the top
on the left and .015 on the right side. I made some shims for it and the
left side was then right on. Now the right side is over corrected by
..009.When I bring the fence back over the tables, there is more of a gap on
the left side of the infeed than on the right. As you keep sliding the fence
toward the front of the machine, the gap evens up.

Could this be a possible twisted table? I have tried everything that I can
think of.

Thanks,
Allen

Thanks to all that responded to opinions on table saws. I purchased the
Dewalt ( yes new as this is my first *new* power tool over $500 ). And it
gave me a love kiss tonight as well.

Planer alignment driving me insane
 

"Allen Roy" wrote in message
...
I have been working on a custom cutting board for SWMBO for the last 2
weeks (roughly 2 hours per week) and have found after planing some small
parts that my Delta JT160 is out of alignment. I thought no big deal,
grabbed my square and set it against the fence. The outfeed table is right
on. However the infeed table is perplexing. It was out about .010 at the
top on the left and .015 on the right side. I made some shims for it and
the left side was then right on. Now the right side is over corrected by
.009.When I bring the fence back over the tables, there is more of a gap
on the left side of the infeed than on the right. As you keep sliding the
fence toward the front of the machine, the gap evens up.

Could this be a possible twisted table? I have tried everything that I
can think of.

Thanks,
Allen

Thanks to all that responded to opinions on table saws. I purchased the
Dewalt ( yes new as this is my first *new* power tool over $500 ). And it
gave me a love kiss tonight as well.


Out of alignment? What are the results that you ate getting. You may be
worrying about and adjusting the wrong thing. Other than snipe I cannot
think of how an in feed or out feed table would introduce a problem.
I have a Stationary Delta planer and both In feed and out feed roller tables
tilt up towards the planer as they near the planer. I have no alignment
problems. Many planers including large ones have no in feed or out feed at
all so they are not essential to getting good results but only an aid in
holding one end of the board as it enters and exits the planer.
What are you calling a fence that you set your square against?

Planer alignment driving me insane
 

Leon wrote:
Out of alignment? What are the results that you ate getting. You may be
worrying about and adjusting the wrong thing. Other than snipe I cannot
think of how an in feed or out feed table would introduce a problem.
I have a Stationary Delta planer and both In feed and out feed roller tables
tilt up towards the planer as they near the planer. I have no alignment
problems. Many planers including large ones have no in feed or out feed at
all so they are not essential to getting good results but only an aid in
holding one end of the board as it enters and exits the planer.
What are you calling a fence that you set your square against?

"What we've got here is a failure to communicate."
I think he has a JOINTER-planer he's trying to align.
Allen, you need to get the infeed and outfeed tables parallel to each
other in both left-to-right and front-to-back planes. Then align the
fence at 90 degrees to both. Don't worry about the gap between the
fence and table. It's inconsequential if the angle between fence and
table is right.

DonkeyHody
"A bulldog can whip a skunk, but it's probably not worth his trouble."

Planer alignment driving me insane
 

In article , "Leon" wrote:

"Allen Roy" wrote in message
...
I have been working on a custom cutting board for SWMBO for the last 2
weeks (roughly 2 hours per week) and have found after planing some small
parts that my Delta JT160 is out of alignment. I thought no big deal,
grabbed my square and set it against the fence. The outfeed table is right
on. However the infeed table is perplexing. It was out about .010 at the
top on the left and .015 on the right side. I made some shims for it and
the left side was then right on. Now the right side is over corrected by
.009.When I bring the fence back over the tables, there is more of a gap
on the left side of the infeed than on the right. As you keep sliding the
fence toward the front of the machine, the gap evens up.

Could this be a possible twisted table? I have tried everything that I
can think of.

Yes, it could. Google on "winding sticks" for one method of checking for
twist.

Out of alignment? What are the results that you ate getting. You may be
worrying about and adjusting the wrong thing. Other than snipe I cannot
think of how an in feed or out feed table would introduce a problem.
I have a Stationary Delta planer and both In feed and out feed roller tables
tilt up towards the planer as they near the planer. I have no alignment
problems. Many planers including large ones have no in feed or out feed at
all so they are not essential to getting good results but only an aid in
holding one end of the board as it enters and exits the planer.
What are you calling a fence that you set your square against?

The JT160 is a benchtop *jointer*, not a planer as the OP mistakenly referred
to it...

--
Regards,
Doug Miller (alphageek at milmac dot com)

It's time to throw all their damned tea in the harbor again.

Planer alignment driving me insane
 

"DonkeyHody" wrote in message
oups.com...


"What we've got here is a failure to communicate."

Yeah, after rereading I find that perhaps the best way to find a solution is
to accurately identify the machine to begin with.



I think he has a JOINTER-planer he's trying to align.
Allen, you need to get the infeed and outfeed tables parallel to each
other in both left-to-right and front-to-back planes.

They need to be on parallel planes.

Then align the
fence at 90 degrees to both. Don't worry about the gap between the
fence and table. It's inconsequential if the angle between fence and
table is right.

DonkeyHody
"A bulldog can whip a skunk, but it's probably not worth his trouble."

Planer alignment driving me insane
 

On a jointer, it might be best to shim the outfeed table into alignment
with the infeed, as the outfeed gets moved much less often. Tom
Allen Roy wrote:
I have been working on a custom cutting board for SWMBO for the last 2
weeks (roughly 2 hours per week) and have found after planing some small
parts that my Delta JT160 is out of alignment. I thought no big deal,
grabbed my square and set it against the fence. The outfeed table is right
on. However the infeed table is perplexing. It was out about .010 at the top
on the left and .015 on the right side. I made some shims for it and the
left side was then right on. Now the right side is over corrected by
.009.When I bring the fence back over the tables, there is more of a gap on
the left side of the infeed than on the right. As you keep sliding the fence
toward the front of the machine, the gap evens up.

Could this be a possible twisted table? I have tried everything that I can
think of.

Thanks,
Allen

Thanks to all that responded to opinions on table saws. I purchased the
Dewalt ( yes new as this is my first *new* power tool over $500 ). And it
gave me a love kiss tonight as well.

Planer alignment driving me insane
 

Allen Roy wrote:
I have been working on a custom cutting board for SWMBO for the last 2
weeks (roughly 2 hours per week) and have found after planing some small
parts that my Delta JT160 is out of alignment. I thought no big deal,
grabbed my square and set it against the fence. The outfeed table is right
on. However the infeed table is perplexing. It was out about .010 at the top
on the left and .015 on the right side. I made some shims for it and the
left side was then right on. Now the right side is over corrected by
.009.When I bring the fence back over the tables, there is more of a gap on
the left side of the infeed than on the right. As you keep sliding the fence
toward the front of the machine, the gap evens up.

Could this be a possible twisted table? I have tried everything that I can
think of.

I think (as others noted) you're speaking of a jointer, not a planer,
but...

Depending on what you're using as the reference and where you're taking
the measurements, it's possible it's the fence rather than the tables.
You need to check the tables with respect to each and each to itself to
ensure they are first, flat and then parallel both lengthwise and
across. Unless you first can ensure the fence is true, you can't
reliably use it as a reference. The "winding sticks" reference gives
the necessary hint lacking a machinist's reference table of adequate
size.