I just picked up one of these. I was satisfied early on, but a couple things are beginning to bug me, was wondering if anyone else has tried one of these and their thoughts…
I started my first real milling process, and in face jointing a board, I found it was bowed end-to-end. I tried concentrating on keeping it registered against the fence – checked and set at 90 – and tried to keep pressure on outfeed table. But it still keeps coming out bowed.
Second – I find the dust collection to be weaker than even the cheap Ryobi I tried before this. A lot escapes the dust “hood” installed while jointing, and piles up on the planer feed table below.
Lastly, the outfeed support table slants down (granted, it’s a stainless steel table, not cast iron and bolts onto the planer feed table). Snipe is about the same as the Ryobi $200 planer
Thoughts on my technique on bowing, or on the machine itself?
Replies
Assuming that your technique is good (transferring pressure to the outfeed table as soon as the leading edge of the workpiece has cleared the knives), bowing is the result of the outfeed table being misaligned with respect to the cutterhead (either too high or too low) or the infeed and outfeed tables not being coplanar (parallel to each other).
-Steve
Steve - thanks for the suggestions. I'm a newbie, and "know" what I'm supposed to do, and can only say I'm trying, but still may be my technique, so I was trying to concentrate on that.After reading your reply, I noticed that when I loosen the infeed table locks there was some movement in it that might leave it out of alignment unless I'm careful. I had checked the level with the infeed at zero with a 4' straight edge and it was ok. but if it's able to move when setting it at 1/32" cut, then that might be part of it. I'll also double check the cutter head alignment.Thanks again for the advice. It's not an expensive machine - the new Jet 10" combo, but I'm in about 2/3 of 1 side of a double car garage, and space was really at a premium.
Exactly which machine are you talking about? The cheap ones for home hobby kind of stuff or the more expensive one? In either case, the bowed thing can be from any number of things. Technique, misalignment, even bad wood. Check/change what you can and see if you still have the problem. As for the snipe, people are always hoping to find a machine with no snipe but the reality of it is that all machines have it. How you deal with it is up to you. I simply allow an extra six inches and cut it off.
Chris
It's the 10" - home/hobby. It's a new model - came out in January, I think.I'm double checking the other suggestions and NEVER discounting it might be me!!
I hate to be the guy who says it - but I wouldnt expect too much from that machine. I think you may have to learn its weaknesses and work with them. Let us know if any of the solutions mentioned can even be adjusted for.Chris
Oh, don't hate saying it. I went in with eyes open. So I'm not opposed to ANY possibility.Thanks, Chris
It's a basic question but worth asking. Are you jointing with the concave side of bow "down"?
Frosty
"I sometimes think we consider the good fortune of the early bird and overlook the bad fortune of the early worm." FDR - 1922
Frosty - glad you asked. Because I found the bow when getting ready to attach some t-track and noticed it wasn't flush the whole length.I found the entire length bowed in the same direction, so one side concave, the other was convex. After running the concave a couple times trying to concentrate pressure on the outfeed, no change. so I thought I'd try the convex side, and see if I could flatten that.It did flatten after a couple passes, so as an experiment I ran it once more. It was starting to go concave.It may still be my technique, and am working on it. But at zero, with a good straight edge, the tables appear to be coplanar. Will be checking blades tonight after a bit more work....Thanks so much -
R,
This post has some photos in an attached PDF file that show a couple of big planks being flattened, edged and thicknessed in a machine not unlike yours. The photos may or may not help a bit with your problem.
http://forums.taunton.com/fw-knots/messages?msg=45433.1
Othes have already mentioned the importance of the tables being co-planar when set to no-cut; and the knives being the right height with respect to the outfeed table. Before I got to grips with my machine (years ago now) I too found it easy to make a plank smoother but still wonky in one way or another.
With me it was just poor technique and perhaps it will turn out to be the same for you, if this type of machine is new to you. If it is technique then some practice with scrap might help, to have a look at the results of different feed actions and presses on the plank as it travels over the knives. A bit of experimenting followed by mental rehersal of your actions and results might well turn on a lightbulb. :-)
Is your outfeed table bending under the weight of the plank and the pressure you put on it as you plane? It shouldn't but if the machine-build is a bit flimsy it might. This could cause the bow you mention.
How bowed was the face you first jointed to begin with? Is more bow getting put in by the planing or is it just replicating an existing bow?
Lataxe
Lataxe,THANKS for that link to the PDF. That shows exactly what I am working with.The machine is new, and new to me as I've not used jointer/planer since high school. I've used dimensioned (translate: expensive) wood as I've gotten back in to this.Although lighter weight than a floor model 6", the tables are cast iron, and I don't "think" the outfeed is flexing, but it's definitely something I'll check on. I'm also trying to keep just enough pressure to feed the wood without bearing down.As for the starting bow, I didn't think there was one when I started, just trying to clean up and make square. I mentioned to Frosty that I noticed it when I went to put a t-track on it and it was flush in the middle but not on the ends. The board was bowed - one concave side, one convex side.I was able to take the convex side and by just running it over went PAST flat to concave - so now both sides are slightly convex.So it must be me or the tool. I'm checking knife height in a bit...Thanks for the thoughts -Rick
This forum post is now archived. Commenting has been disabled