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

Michael wrote:
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.

The cutting spindle out of alignment? I have no idea of the best way to
measure this.


Thanks for the help.

Mike

On Tuesday, October 4, 2016 at 5:33:31 PM UTC-5, Bill wrote:
Michael wrote:
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.

The cutting spindle out of alignment? I have no idea of the best way to
measure this.


Thanks for the help.

Mike

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

Michael wrote:
On Tuesday, October 4, 2016 at 5:33:31 PM UTC-5, Bill wrote:
Michael wrote:
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.
The cutting spindle out of alignment? I have no idea of the best way to
measure this.

Thanks for the help.

Mike
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.

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


Mike

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.

Martin

On 10/4/2016 9:06 PM, Bill wrote:
Michael wrote:
On Tuesday, October 4, 2016 at 5:33:31 PM UTC-5, Bill wrote:
Michael wrote:
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.
The cutting spindle out of alignment? I have no idea of the best way to
measure this.

Thanks for the help.

Mike
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.

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


Mike

On Tue, 4 Oct 2016 12:09:00 -0700 (PDT)
Michael wrote:

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.

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

On Tuesday, October 4, 2016 at 7:34:50 PM UTC-5, Electric Comet wrote:
On Tue, 4 Oct 2016 12:09:00 -0700 (PDT)
Michael wrote:

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.

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

On Tue, 4 Oct 2016 17:41:47 -0700 (PDT)
Michael wrote:

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.

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

with the rollers. If they are expensive, I'll first give the boiling
a try.

suggested the oil in case the planer is really old and no replacements
available

On 10/4/2016 2:09 PM, Michael wrote:
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



Are you certain it is not the wood?

On Tuesday, October 4, 2016 at 7:56:37 PM UTC-5, Leon wrote:
On 10/4/2016 2:09 PM, Michael wrote:
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



Are you certain it is not the wood?

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 the 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 blades. Again, I've check and double checked to make sure the blades are level installed correctly, but who knows, maybe a different set of blades will produce different results.

Thanks again,

Mike

Michael wrote in
:


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 the 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 blades. Again, I've check and double checked to make sure the
blades are level installed correctly, but who knows, maybe a different
set of blades will produce different results.

Thanks again,

Mike

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

"Puckdropper" puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com wrote in message
web.com...
Michael wrote in
:


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 the 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 blades. Again, I've check and double checked to make sure the
blades are level installed correctly, but who knows, maybe a different
set of blades will produce different results.

Thanks again,

Mike

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.

On Wed, 5 Oct 2016 10:18:44 -0700, "Bob La Londe"
wrote:

"Puckdropper" puckdropper(at)yahoo(dot)com wrote in message
aweb.com...
Michael wrote in
:


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 the 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 blades. Again, I've check and double checked to make sure the
blades are level installed correctly, but who knows, maybe a different
set of blades will produce different results.

Thanks again,

Mike

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 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" ;-).

On 10/5/16 11:40 AM, Puckdropper wrote:
Michael wrote in
:


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 the 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 blades. Again, I've check and double checked to make sure
the blades are level installed correctly, but who knows, maybe a
different set of blades will produce different results.

Thanks again,

Mike

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


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.
:-)


--

-MIKE-

"Playing is not something I do at night, it's my function in life"
--Elvin Jones (1927-2004)
--
http://mikedrums.com

---remove "DOT" ^^^^ to reply

Michael wrote:

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

Make sure the rollers are coPLANER. ( rimshot

In article ,
says...

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.

Were they straight going in? A planer gives you parallel surfaces, not
flat ones.

Mike