Pro Planer barely feeds

[jms]

Bought a pro planer on clist. Seems in pretty good condition.

Fed some poplar throughout the it today. Worked great for the first few boards, but then basically stopped feeding the boards through without me assisting by pushing / pulling. With a constant force, I can push the board through and it goes at the speed which the feed motor is set, no faster.

Feed rollers are turning, just don't seem to be catching. I'm taking off 1/16th or less per pass.

As stated, it worked flawlessly for the first few passes.

Thoughts?

[JPG]

Waxed the table?

[jms]

Waxed the table?

It's so shiny I didn't even think of waxing it - I'll give that a shot before my next planks go through later this week.

[dusty]

What kind of feed rollers does it have?

Picture might help. Not necessary if waxing and buffing alleviates the problem!

Good luck.

[JPG]

If you have not done so since it arrived, give the table a thorough cleaning prior to waxing.

Next ? is feed roll tension if this does not 'fix' it.

If you have the cast iron table, wax it twice.

[everettdavis]

If you unplug the cutter-head motor, with the blade out of the path, you can feed stock through the system and gauge your feed motor / and feed roller by pushing down on the top of the stock as it feeds in.

Having a good muscle memory of how it feels can help you diagnose problems in the future related to feed.

Obviously you have cleaned the rollers and waxed the table, right?

Is it by chance the original rubber roller or has it been upgraded to Knurled steel Infeed Roller?

It helps provide a more solid feed on the stock.

Retrofitting a unit is about $60 if that's your issue.

http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/cata ... roller.htm

Everett

[jms]

Yes, it is the original rubber roller.

I have not cleaned the rollers -- is there a procedure somewhere that I can follow, or quick instructions as to what to use to clean them?

I'm going to wax the table as well.

I've got another 18 board ft of poplar to run through later this week and will report back.

[everettdavis]

I would suggest another video for the planer tune up process.

http://www.shopsmithacademy.com/SS_Arch ... Tuneup.htm

The rubber roller changes over time and wears. When you have time and the resources to do it, consider the upgrade. It will make a world of difference.

Everett