Planer adjustment / tuneup?

DC Ross · Post by **DC Ross** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 11:51 am

Hey all,

I bought a planer (non-pro version) about a year ago, and haven't been able to really get it dialed in. It didn't come with any instructions, and SS doesn't have a PDF download of them on their site for some reason.
The problem is that the rollers are out of alignment with the table, so they contact the left side of the workpiece before the right side. Consequently, the piece will always be pushed to the right (& depending on the width of the piece, get wedged in the machine). I wasn't able to see any way to adjust the rollers, other than the obvious tension adjustments.

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Sun Dec 09, 2007 10:13 pm

It's a straightforward adjustment, Ross, that will require all of your patience and most of your religion.

The table is raised and lowered by four screws, all of which are joined by a small link chain. As you turn one screw, the gears at the end of that screw moves the chain. This in turn, causes three more gears and the screws to which they are attached to move. When one or more screws is out-of-synch with the others, the table will be canted at an angle. This can happen if sawdust becomes impacted on a screw and you force the screws to turn. The chain will "jump" over the teeth on the gear attached to the screw with the impacted sawdust. The system clears itself of sawdust when you turn the screws in the opposite direction, but the chain will not return to its original position on the gears.

1. Choose a small block of hardwood about 2" tall to use as a feeler gauge. If you have metalworker's 1-2-3 blocks, so much the better. Choose the 2" block. Adjust your planer so the block just fits under the round steel bars above the table (the same bars that hold the upper ends of the screws).

2. Remove the planer from the Mark V and place it on your workbench belly-up. Loosen the tensioner gear and remove the chain. Turn the planer right side up.

3. Turn the screws by hand one at a time until the feeler gauge just slips under the bar near each screw. You'll have to work your way around the planer several times to get this just right.

4. Turn the planer belly-up and mark the gears with a white wax pencil. Put a little mark on the teeth that face the interior of the planer. (If you mark the teeth next to the walls, you won't be able to see the marks when you install the chain.)

5. Install the chain and make sure those marks don't move one iota. (An iota is approximately equal to a smidgeon.)

6. Reset the tensioner, again making sure the marks don't move one iota.

7. Repeat #6, compensating for the movement of the marks so that when the tensioner is set, the marks are all in their iota-less position. Continue until (a) you get it right, (b) you die of apoplexy, or (c) your spouse stops you before you die of apoplexy.

Have fun. An owner's manual is available from Customer Service.

With all good wishes,

RobertTaylor · Post by **RobertTaylor** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 8:51 am

thanks nick for helping me to learn the difference between an "iota" and a "smidgeon". lol i generally work to the nearest smidgeon but now i feel i can get closer to an iota. as always thanks for your technical expertise, bob

ps: if anyone knows the difference between a "while" and "quite a while" it would be helpful to SWMBO (giggle)

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:27 am

A "while" is sometime today. "Quite a while" won't be today.

RobertTaylor · Post by **RobertTaylor** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:35 am

thanks dusty. that while and quite a while thing has gotten me in the dog house with SWMBO more than once. seems tht i may spend too much time in the shop. after she reads your reply i think that she will understand. thanks again, bob

does anyone know where a scoosh figures in?

ryanbp01 · Post by **ryanbp01** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 10:49 am

Oh, somewhere between a "tad" and "oops".

BPR

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 11:59 am

You know, folks, this will all change when we switch to the metric system.

With all good wishes,

reible · Post by **reible** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 12:18 pm

So the conversion will be:
1 millitads or mtads = 1 tad
1 millioops or moops = 1 oops
1 milliiota or miota = 1 miota
1 millismidgen or msmiggen = smiggen

or will it be centitad (ctad), centioops (coops), centimiota (ciota) and centismiggen (csmiggen). Boy this is going to take some getting use to...

Ed

dusty · Post by **dusty** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 12:31 pm

Not for me. I'm doing the way I always have. It's been good enough for seventy years, it'll be good enough for another thirty.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » Mon Dec 10, 2007 12:51 pm

There are probably enough of us around who share Dusty's sentiment to start a movement -- the National Ruler Association or the NRA. We can all wear camoflauge shop aprons and display bumper stickers on our pick-up trucks: "You can have my feet when you pry them from my cold, dead hands." Maybe we can get ATF to storm Dusty's shop and confiscate all his tape measures to whip up some public sympathy. What say?

With all good wishes,