Replies

1. 
   mike4244 | Jul 03, 2007 04:07am | #1

   I imagine the rod adjustment is an acme thread. It may be easier to replace the threaded shaft with a fine machine thread. Personally I prefer the acme thread, just inch up to the height needed .Try 5 or 10° at a time instead of 20 to 30°.I don't consider this as a problem on a planer, at most a minor annoyance.

   mike

2. 
   stpatrick | Jul 03, 2007 04:15am | #2

   yes, i have the same problem but limited experience with it.  Thus far I  have had to always put a test board thru after each adjustment downward and then use the dial calipers to try to dial it in.  It loves to "race" downward and i seem to spend  as much time adjusting it as i do running boards thru it. 

   Next time I will try to get a planer with a digital guide . . . . . which will be more expensive but probably more efficient.

3. 
   hammer1 | Jul 03, 2007 06:17am | #3

   I have the same planer. A full 360° turn of the wheel results in a .150" movement +-, or about 5/32". The movement is quite uniform. There isn't much slop in the adjusting mechanism. A quarter turn, 90°, would be roughly equivalent to .0375", just a bit more than 1/32". A 20° turn would be in the neighborhood of something I can't see that good, less than 1/128".

   The scale on the post can be moved. After planing a few boards and checking them with calipers, I set the scale accordingly. It's not the best scale but you can read it as closely as you can see an ordinary measuring tape. You may have to scoot down and close one eye for the best accuracy. You may have to adjust it when changing knives, if you don't have the new knives set the same as the used ones.

   If you need to dial in your work to .00something, I don't think you are going to be satisfied with the planer. In most species, the infeed roller will leave marks a bit deeper than that. I suspect that the tips of the blades will get worn too. Especially if you are making multiple passes at that measurement.

   I removed the limiting bar that is screwed on the front of the planer so I could hog off a little more than Delta would like me to. I go a half turn with each pass. I try to leave at least 1/32" for the final pass, and set the depth I want by the scale. If I ever felt the need, I could split one of the little black lines on the scale in three, maybe four. Most of the time I want a specific measurement so I just set it to that depth on the scale.

   I've used a lot of different planers. I think the 380 Delta is as good or better than most for it's size and cost. I doesn't work well with miniscule passes but neither will most planers. I think you have to understand that planers like to take a bite, not a kiss. I can surface most of my rough stock with four passes. More passes mean more wear and tear on the machine and the knives. When you have a little time, go through the manual, make a gauge block and check all the settings. Just learn how it works the best for you. It might be a good idea to loosen up a touch. If you want your woodwork to be accurate to the thousands, you will be in for some frustration, wood doesn't work that way.

   Beat it to fit / Paint it to match

1. 
   colebearanimals | Jul 04, 2007 12:34am | #7

   hammer1

          This darn thing is still gnawing at me. Seems like a lot of cut for very little movement. So....... went out to the shop to check my numbers. 1/4 turn= .04" or 2.5/64" .  1/2 turn = .08" or 5/64 .  1 full turn = well, can't pass any material through.  O K.  My mind is working overtime today. Just run it through and measure it, dummy.

                                              Paul 

1. 
   USANigel | Jul 04, 2007 12:45am | #8

   Bigger wheel with a pointer to show how much you moved or rotated the wheel.

4. 
   Cincinnati | Jul 03, 2007 06:32am | #4

   I'm wondering how fine of control you require.

   Can you change the adjustment wheel. A bigger wheel will require more circumferential travel for the same radial travel. This should give you more fine control in the height adjustment. If a larger wheel can't be installed, perhaps a homemade lever to hook over the wheel can be designed and fabricated. This would give you a larger radius with the same wheel

   This will be cheaper than either the gearbox addition or changing the lead screw.

    

   Greg

   •••••••

   Exo 35:30-35

   
   

   ---

   Edited 7/2/2007 11:34 pm by Cincinnati

1. 
   colebearanimals | Jul 04, 2007 12:57am | #9

   Good idea, Greg.  That will definitely be part of the solution.

                                  Paul

5. 
   SARGEgrinder47 | Jul 03, 2007 05:27pm | #5

   Morning Paul...

   "I think you have to understand that planers like to take a bite, not a kiss".... valuable statement by Hammer

   With that said I will suggest an exert from something that was drilled deeply in my mind on a rifle range 7 days a week for 6 months before being issued a M-70 sniper rifle a long time ago and a far distance away.

   "Take a deep breath, exhale slowly and squeeze the trigger.. do not anticipate the recoil.. let the recoil come to you"...

   Squeeze the trigger slowly, very slowly.. do not pull it!

   Regards...

   Sarge.. jt

1. 
   colebearanimals | Jul 03, 2007 08:47pm | #6

   Thanks Everyone,

          For years I used a delta lunchbox planer. When it finally died I needed something to finish a job I was in the middle of. Went to HD and bought a Rigid. It worked quite well and had some very useful features. What I liked most, though, was the finer adjustment gotten with the handwheel ( I ended up giving it to my brother,early Christmas ). But the Delta still runs circles around the Rigid in a production environment. I do have a Wixey digital scale that I haven't installed yet. Waiting to stuff a spiral cuttrthead into it before I do. Maybe between that and a larger handwheel like Cincinnati suggested I might get a little refinement.

                                                 Paul

   ps    Sarge, Just like I try to sneak up on my wood dimensions, you were trained to sneak up on the enemy. Not too many with that kind of talent. Thanks, again, for your service

6. 
   Sean2112 | Jul 05, 2007 01:44am | #10

   Cole-

   Why are you trying to take such a light pass?  If the blades merely skim the surface, the planer will leave feed roller marks of the wood.  Have you not experienced this yet?

   I have the same planer and a 1/4 turn on the trunion = 1/32", which is about the minimum to avoid feed roller marks.

   Regards, Sean

1. 
   colebearanimals | Jul 05, 2007 03:12am | #11

   Hi Sean,

           Nope.  Haven't seen any feed roller marks, at all. It's not that I want to make a light pass as much as having a little more control on the head adjustment.

           Since I bought this planer used I decided to go through the entire machine and readjust everything just in case something is out of wack. Even so, that shouldn't affect the amount of material removed in relation to handwheel movement.

           So, I'll see if I can find a slightly larger handwheel, like Greg suggested, install the Wixey readout and live with it.

                                                  Paul

1. 
   bd | Jul 09, 2007 01:56pm | #12

   I seem to have a little slop in my dc380; free-play, backlash, whatever it's called. I've gotten in the habit of going below the cut dimension I want & then raising the carriage back up. Is that standard practice?BTW, just remembered something I posted a year or so ago, but would like to point out to people that have bought Delta planers recently. You should periodically check to make sure the cooling fan is tight on the motor shaft. Mine worked loose & wallowed itself out. You can't buy a replacement fan from anywhere. Nothing available fits & Delta doesn't sell parts -- but they are quite willing to sell you a new motor for approx $350 to replace a $5 part.

   Edited 7/9/2007 7:03 am ET by bd