Shopsmith Forums

My planer manual describes a procedure for adjusting the table so that it is parallel to the tie bars (side to side) and it seems to me that one could use the same method to ensure the cutter head is parallel to the table.

The method described in my manual entails loosening the sync chain and adjusting the screw posts individually to set the table parallel to the tie bars.

The mothership method sets the blade height above the cutter head.

The mothership also has a method to set the table relative to the spacers(tierods).

Perform them and run a piece through.

Measure the piece.

Do not consider 0.010 deviation around the piece to be significant.





i.e. Do not waste time/energy on things that really do not matter. Striving for perfection is admirable, but eventually runs into the point of diminishing returns.

JPG wrote:The mothership method sets the blade height above the cutter head.

The mothership also has a method to set the table relative to the spacers(tierods).

Perform them and run a piece through.

Measure the piece.

Do not consider 0.010 deviation around the piece to be significant.




i.e. Do not waste time/energy on things that really do not matter. Striving for perfection is admirable, but eventually runs into the point of diminishing returns.

I agree. The cutter head has nothing to do with (well not really but...) the blades being parallel to the table. What is the print tolerance for the dimensions (diameter or run out in this case) of the cutter head? We will never know.

Again, 10 thou is not a problem. The leveling screws for the blades will take care of that. After all that is why they are there in the first place. Remember the table is supposed to be parallel to the tie bars and the SS blade setting guide uses the tie bar as a reference point to adjust the blade height.

And it continues. What is the tolerance of the SS blade setting gauge? What is the tolerance of the tie bar? What is the tolerance of the bore diameter and positioning of the tie bar holes in the side frame, etc.? It is called a stack up and all of these accumulating tolerances (+ or -) effect what the final tolerance is supposed to be.

JPG wrote: Do not waste time/energy on things that really do not matter. Striving for perfection is admirable, but eventually runs into the point of diminishing returns.

Thank you for saying that, Red!

Alright,

I am not gonna sweat it. I am new to a planer that you actually have to set knives.

Thanks!

I also installed newly sharpened blades in my SS Planer using the exact same dial indicator.

I never did check that the cutter head itself was level with the table, only that the blade tips were.

I managed to adjust all three blades end to end within .002 of level with the table itself by using the leveling screws under the blades. It was not what I would call an easy task at all but just takes time and patience. As I see it, what matters most is that the blades themselves are level with the table. That means that, in your case, your blades may end up .010 higher above the cutter head on one end than the other, yet they will be level with the table as that is what ultimately counts because your work is always flat on the table while moving through the planner.

So as long as the distance from the table to the tip of the blades, end to end, is the same it matters not how far they stick out of the cutter head.

This was my recent experiance and it ended up beautifully.

Max

MaxClass wrote:I also installed newly sharpened blades in my SS Planer using the exact same dial indicator.

I never did check that the cutter head itself was level with the table, only that the blade tips were.

I managed to adjust all three blades end to end within .002 of level with the table itself by using the leveling screws under the blades. It was not what I would call an easy task at all but just takes time and patience. As I see it, what matters most is that the blades themselves are level with the table. That means that, in your case, your blades may end up .010 higher above the cutter head on one end than the other, yet they will be level with the table as that is what ultimately counts because your work is always flat on the table while moving through the planner.

So as long as the distance from the table to the tip of the blades, end to end, is the same it matters not how far they stick out of the cutter head.

This was my recent experiance and it ended up beautifully.
Max

It's been a year or two, but ditto for me.