Problem with 20 Inch Planer

[Brian Livingstone]

Hi All,

I bought a 20 inch planer approximately nine months ago.  It didn’t work properly from the get go.  Poor finishes, making lots of strange sounds.  After a couple of visits by the dealer’s technician it was determined that there is a bad sprocket.  Sprocket was replaced, up and running. 

Two further problems since then.  There are lines in the finished wood.  Not a huge deal, as I can sand them out.  However, when taking 1/32 off, the planer has just stopped twice in a row.  No tripped breakers.  Just stopped.

I am at the point now I want my money back.  I had to buy a 12 inch portable planer to operate.  The portable planer at 1/10th the cost works much better, and gives better results.

What do you think I should do ? 

Thanks.

Brian

P.S. I have purposely not mentioned the brand and/or the dealer.

 

[Tom the Remodeler]

Hi Brian,

Sorry to hear about your issues.

In terms of the lines, I'd suggest that you're likely to get lines no matter the brand, no matter the style of cutting head. A segmented cutting head will leave lines down the length of your board, whereas a straight knife head will leave lines across the board. I have a spiral cutter head and get faint lines down the length of the board, which disappear after a quick pass with the sander.

I have some colleagues who are getting exceptional results with machines fitted with a TERSA head and variable feed rate, where they slow the feed rate way down on the last pass so the horizontal lines are so close as to nearly disappear.

Not sure which style of cutter you have, or whether or not you have variable speed.

In terms of the machine "stopping", does the machine just turn off, or is the wood not feeding through? Unless you have rubber feed rollers, I'd suggest that 1/32" might be too light of a pass for the machine to adequately grip the wood. On my machine (Hammer A3-41), I've found that if I take less than 1.5mm I get marks in the wood from the serrated infeed roller, so whenever possible I try to take 2mm passes.

Good luck with your machine, hope you come to a satisfactory resolution.

 

[ChuckM]

I have had no experience with any spiral or helical blades, so I don't know if lines are common or not for those kinds of cutters. My Ridgid lunchbox planer, however, leaves no lines whatsoever, unless one time there was a nick on the blade. Dealing with lots of rough lumber, I never expect sanding to be a necessary follow-up as part of the process of thickness planing.

If the company is willing to take it back, of course, I'd recommend returning it for a full refund, or for an exchange if a 20" planer is still what you want. In a couple of times, I was offered both the refund and exchange options, and I took the exchange routes because the sellers and their service could be trusted. If I thought that an exchange had a high chance of being another lemon, I'd go for a refund, and either shop elsewhere or shop for a different brand.

 

[Crazyraceguy]

The likelihood of them taking it back after 9 months is minimal. They might give you some kind of trade-in credit since you have had issues with it from the beginning? I suppose it just depends on your relationship with them. Warranty from the manufacturer? It might help to know the brand?

 

[Brian Livingstone]

Hi All,

I usually take 1/16 off at a time.  This caused the planer to stop working.  I switched to 1/32nd and it shut off again.  It may have been a one or two off, I don’t know.  The surface finish is noticeably inferior to what I am getting out of my King Industrial lunchbox planer.  Very disappointing. 

The planer in question is an American brand made overseas.  I would prefer not to mention the brand.  It is a helical head. 

Thanks for your input. 

Brian

 

[usernumber1]

I don't understand the point of hiding brand names or models of machines

how does it 'stop'? what's the shutoff mechanism that turns the power off to the motor?

 

[luvmytoolz]

Is it a case of the belt being too loose and not tensioned properly?

 

[jaguar36]

Have you tried rotating the inserts where the lines are?  They may just be nicked or not adjusted properly.

What do you mean "it just shuts off".  Has this only happened twice in 9 months?  Does it happen regularly?  Have you done any diagnoses on it?

 

[woodferret]

There are lines in the finished wood.  Not a huge deal, as I can sand them out.

Going on a lark... feed roller spring tension too high for milled lumber?https://www.youtube.com/watch?t=464&v=M0arGQP38yg

However, when taking 1/32 off, the planer has just stopped twice in a row.  No tripped breakers.  Just stopped.

Keep track of when this happens with thin/thick stock and rough/milled lumber.  That might help narrow down if it's a roller height thing binding (I'm thinking likely it is).

The lunchboxes are much dumber but so much less hassle.  And if the make is the big green, you might want to mention it by name because if I'm not mistaken there are a few people here who do use it and can help more directly.

 

[squall_line]

And if the make is the big green, you might want to mention it by name because if I'm not mistaken there are a few people here who do use it and can help more directly.

This right here is why mentioning the brand would be more helpful than trying to "protect their image".  If no ill will is intended, and that is made clear, at least you might be able to get assistance from someone who has the same or similar unit.

 

[Birdhunter]

Sorry you are having this problem. I'd ask for a full refund.

I have a large Powermatic planer with helical head cutters. No marks on the wood ever. If I take too heavy a cut, the drive rollers will balk and stop. If I have too light a cut, the wood will not feed through. There is a "Goldilocks" span of cuts that produce excellent results.

I had a DeWalt bench top planer that gave excellent results. The shrill noise was terrible. My Powermatic is much more bearable noise-wise.