Restoring a planer

dublittle · Post by **dublittle** » Fri May 01, 2009 8:38 am

New poster here. I picked up a M5990 planer on a stand at a garage sale. I don't think it has been used very much since the feed rollers still have the sprues intact from the casting. The table is very hard to adjust and the whole machine showed quite a bit of rust. I believe it must have been dropped on the table because the table actually moves back and forth and left to right as it is adjusted. It looks like a complete disassembly now. I have started this process but haven't made much progress. I have removed all six of the cutter assembly bolts but evidently need to do something more to release it. Is this true? The feed motor chatters when power is applied and does not turn. I have removed it but have not disassembled the gear box yet. I expect to find a problem there. I will keep you posted. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

SDSSmith · Post by **SDSSmith** » Fri May 01, 2009 10:30 am

dublittle wrote:New poster here. I picked up a M5990 planer on a stand at a garage sale. I don't think it has been used very much since the feed rollers still have the sprues intact from the casting. The table is very hard to adjust and the whole machine showed quite a bit of rust. I believe it must have been dropped on the table because the table actually moves back and forth and left to right as it is adjusted. It looks like a complete disassembly now. I have started this process but haven't made much progress. I have removed all six of the cutter assembly bolts but evidently need to do something more to release it. Is this true? The feed motor chatters when power is applied and does not turn. I have removed it but have not disassembled the gear box yet. I expect to find a problem there. I will keep you posted. Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Shopsmith supplies good instructions for removing the cutter head with the upgraded infeed roller (555115). In those instructions you remove the planer from the stand, remove the covers, set it on the side opposite the feed motor, remove the feed motor, remove the gears, and then remove the three screws from the bearing support (the cutter head bearings fit into the bearing supports (part 20) on the following drawing http://www.shopsmith.com/ownersite/partscat/proplanerexpview.htm.) Then, you can gently pry off the bearing support with a large flat blade screwdriver.

I would contact Shopsmith and get the documentation that they have.

dublittle · Post by **dublittle** » Fri May 01, 2009 1:53 pm

Thanks Rob, that helped a lot. I managed to get the cutter head off following your suggestions. I now have the planer disassembled and found that all 4 thickness adjustment screws are bent. The machine must have fallen onto the table at some time. Additionally, the feed motor was damaged. One of the magnets in the housing was knocked loose. Fortunately, it can be fixed locally at very reasonable cost. A 110 volt cord had been connected to the feed motor. Sure hope there is no unseen damage there. Once it is repaired, I will be able to check out the speed control. With a bit of luck, I may have this up and running one day. I am interested in learning more about the improved feed roller mechanism you mentioned. Do you recommend I purchase that now that the unit is disassembled? Thanks again. I appreciate your time. Now to remove all that rust------

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Fri May 01, 2009 3:01 pm

Rust! You ARE aware of naval jelly, evaporust, electrolysis?????

dublittle · Post by **dublittle** » Fri May 01, 2009 3:57 pm

I used the electrolysis method several years ago on some old tools and would like to use it in this case. However, I am a little concerned about using it in a couple of places. The worst rust is on the tie bars. Since they have bushings (bronze?) installed, I am uncertain about the effect on them. The cutter bar and knives have some surface rust and I am reluctant to completely disassemble them unless it is really necessary. I don't have the means to remove the bushings and would have to go to a machine shop for that. I think I can touch up the knives in place and the other rust is not critical to operation. A lot of the bolt heads and the anti-kickback pawls also need some attention. Any suggestions?

JPG · Post by **JPG** » Fri May 01, 2009 4:37 pm

dublittle wrote:I used the electrolysis method several years ago on some old tools and would like to use it in this case. However, I am a little concerned about using it in a couple of places. The worst rust is on the tie bars. Since they have bushings (bronze?) installed, I am uncertain about the effect on them. The cutter bar and knives have some surface rust and I am reluctant to completely disassemble them unless it is really necessary. I don't have the means to remove the bushings and would have to go to a machine shop for that. I think I can touch up the knives in place and the other rust is not critical to operation. A lot of the bolt heads and the anti-kickback pawls also need some attention. Any suggestions?

Cannot say for sure, but I do not think the 'bronze' would be affected by electrolysis. Evaporust will NOT affect the bronze. Maybe evaporust IS your best alternative. Total disassembly not required, only need to be small enough to totally submerge.

SDSSmith · Post by **SDSSmith** » Fri May 01, 2009 4:52 pm

dublittle wrote:... I am interested in learning more about the improved feed roller mechanism you mentioned. Do you recommend I purchase that now that the unit is disassembled? Thanks again. I appreciate your time. Now to remove all that rust------

It would obviously be a good time to do the upgrade and Shopsmith is having a sale on planer parts. The new roller (555115) is made out of serrated steel segments and better grabs the wood better than the rubber roller. If your infeed roller is serrated steel, then you only need to clean the rust off. Otherwise, if your rubber infeed roller is in good shape and you upgrade, you can keep the old roller as a backup outfeed roller. The rubber infeed rollers eventually slip and do not feed the wood properly through the planer.