Pro planer chatter

[wilsjay]

I have a standalone pro planer which has worked fantastic for years. I am getting chatter marks on the wood. I have tried cleaning everything, replacing the knives, etc. What is causing this and how do I fix it? Thanks!

[JPG]

Suspects:

Blade heights differing.

Feed rate too fast.

Worn/out of round feed rolls.

Too deep a cut.

Loose table.

Play in cutter head bearings.

All WAGs.



Have you recently replaced the in feed roll with the steel/splined roll?

[wilsjay]

Thanks for the reply! I spent a little over 2hrs setting the new blades with a dial indicator (followed steps from Nick's Sawdust Sessions #20 video) I absolutely could have made a mistake, but I honestly don't think so. They were all within 5/1000th inch out from each other in my measurements. I started with the indicator directly on the cutter head and did not detect any play turning it by hand or when I removed the old knives and wedges, but I can't say I was looking for it either.

I did notice a little slop in the table adjustment chain but did not tighten.

I am planing soft maple and have the speed set at 8, taking approx. between 1/32-1/16th off per pass.

Full disclosure, I received the unit used, and it does have the steel splined in feed roller.

[JPG]

Closely examine it to determine if the steel feed roll is creating indentations in the soft maple. It should be regularly spaced if the splines are creating those indentations.

Now if you mean something else by 'chatter'(noise?) we need to start over.

[br549]

I have a standalone pro planer which has worked fantastic for years. I am getting chatter marks on the wood. I have tried cleaning everything, replacing the knives, etc. What is causing this and how do I fix it? Thanks!

Your post caught my attention, as do all posts that involve equipment I own and problems I have not yet experienced, as I hope to learn from others' solutions. Looking at my Shopsmith Planer Owner's Manual (which is not for a Pro model), the trouble shooting guide if experiencing "chatter" gives these suggestions. If you don't have a manual, I highly recommend getting one, available from Shopsmith for a reasonable fee, considering the number of pages.

[wilsjay]

As always thanks for the replies. Very interesting. I am referring to chatter lines on the finished wood. The chatter lines are spaced further apart than the splines on the in feed roller. Very interesting though, I would have never thought about that making lines but that makes complete sense that it could though.

[JPG]

As always thanks for the replies. Very interesting. I am referring to chatter lines on the finished wood. The chatter lines are spaced further apart than the splines on the in feed roller. Very interesting though, I would have never thought about that making lines but that makes complete sense that it could though.

Does the spacing vary with different feed rate with the cut depth the same?

[wilsjay]

That is a great question. I will have to try that when I get home. Traveling today.