After changing the knives on my joiner I decided to try to fix the little bump line that the planner has developed after hitting a knot by shifting the blades left & right.
So, off with the DC pick up, use the provided T handle metric allen on the two bolts holding the cover over the cutter bar, oops it flexes —get my metric set of allen keys and after a very hard push SNAP- as the bolt broke free. The same with the other bolt.
Now clean and inspect the blades with a glass (this is needed at a certain age) and rub along the edge with a tapered 1/8″ dowel stick finding a little roughness in the suspect area but no chip –so — I guess it’s time to flip the two edged blade.
start by using the provided T handle after using the pointy stick to insure that the allen socket is clean and vacuum the area . SNAP, we now have a stripped allen socket.
Buttoned all up hoping that cleaning the blade removed the bump and will test in the AM. Knowing (after many years of dealing with Sears support)that this could get really ugly I decided to first ask you folks of any remedies you may know that work to take out the many “butter bolts” on these two blades. I am resigned that I will have to surgically remove the stripped one but I hope to avoid that with the others. As the planner had light duty over several years and 70% of it’s wear has been in the last year, these have never been removed. It looks like the factory really torqued these down dry so that makes a good case for checking these things when new.
While I really would like a 20″ stationary planner now , I would keep this one ( I am no Sears lover but) this was a floor model 13″ that I think was born at Makita , a single speed four poster with dual jack screws and lock that weighs in at almost 90 pounds with twin return rollers across the top and generates snipe only when you get sloppy supporting the stock.
All hints accepted, Paddy
Replies
A battery powered impact driver makes it a painless process. The short sharp shocks break the fastener loose without stripping.
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It would indeed be a tragedy if the history of the human race proved to be nothing more than the story of an ape playing with a box of matches on a petrol dump. ~David Ormsby Gore
dg, thanks , I don't have the big tool chest with the zillion sockets here yet ( I was foisting that load on the movers when the time comes), so I guess it's a trip to the borg where I have little or no chance of even getting a set of metric sockets so I think that the answer is an open stock metric wrench from an auto parts store, dremeled off and chucked up in the 14v dewalt with the $hitty chuck . My PC 19.2 hammer drill is in NY. " Rats". Paddy
Btw. these were really tight, that crack from the cover bolts was like a rifle shot and I thought I snapped off the head. I remember that sound from taking out exhaust manifold bolts, gives me tremmors even today. ha ha ha pfh
I've had the same problem with my craftsman planer. I ended up using a dremel tool with a cutting head and grinding the heads off. The studs screwed out with my fingers then. I went to a local fastner supply house and was able to get a supply of replacement bolts.
dwat, I would be grateful to know what you replaced them with, who supplied them and at what cost. These bolts were sooo soft that a quality forged 3/8" socket Allen of 4mm. galled in every bolt due to their softness(thus the term "Butter bolts") which is more found in home dopy than in expensive power tools .
These are the metric equivalent of 1/4"- 28 truss head bolts with a low profile round head-my best guess is in metric a 6 by 10 threads per cm. Were your replacements metric or a close US size that fit? I fear too high a head like a cap screw with out checking the clearance space up to the curve of the knife bar so your info is important to me as these all need to be replaced ---and not from Sears. Paddy
Paddy, Give me a day or so and I'll stop by the company that I got them from and get some more information. Because when I got the bolts I think I only got 6 and they did not charge me. They are metric and allen head and they are a better bolt then what sears used. I need to get some more anyway because the old sears bolts may last one more knife change. dwat
They are a M6 x 12.9 allen head bolt and you should be able to get at a local fastner company not Home Depot. If you have any problems finding them, let me know I'll send you some. I got some today. dwat
Edited 1/17/2008 5:23 pm ET by dwat
Check out post # 39452.1 It will give you some good info.
Work Safe, Count to 10 when your done for the day !!
Bruce S.
Bruce, thanks, I have an in. pounds wrench , great info. Paddy
How much of the cap screw head is above the knife? Sears Bolt Out removers are well worth the money.
http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_00952166000P?keyword=bolt+out
This kit is worth every penny. I use them all the time working on aircraft and cars.
If there is not enough head for a Bolt Out to remove it. Get a good hex drive screw extractor. Not the standard drill bit looking screw extractor, but the one with hex bolt heads. I have a set from Mac tools and they are 10x better than drill bit looking ones. You can put a real wrench on them for turning, while also being able to tap the top with a hammer. Works really well for removing stubborn screws.
http://www.mactools.com/Mac/Mac+Products/Catalog/Hand+Tools/Cutting-Scraping/Screw+Extracting/10SE
Again kit is worth every penny.
When replacing the bad ones. Make sure you use a higher grade bolt. The heads will also be stronger, not just the threads.
ben , thanks but it's done , I had stopped as soon as I recognized the butter bolts. I gave both keeper bars a bath with PB blaster to penetrate and went and bought a one piece forged and hardened 4mm 3/8 socket that I tapped with a small ballpeen hammer to seat the Allen key and gently applied pressure, all bolts galled onto the Allen key so bad that they had to be secured in a rubbed faced vise to wiggle out the Allen key. The stripped one was center drilled and removed with a commercial grade EZ-out using a ratcheting tap handle to insure axial torque and replaced with one from the blade cover. I cut a slot in the bad bolt to put IT in the cover. Another poster is giving me a lead on the harder bolts that he used after facing the same issue. Paddy
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