Replies

1. 
   JohnWW | Sep 08, 2004 05:48pm | #1

   If you are going for the accuracy of a dial indicator, use a dial caliper and check the thickness of the stock after each pass at a new setting.  There's no need to stop the machine it takes just a few seconds to do a measurement. 

   Also, figure out what the thickness change is for a full turn of the thickness adjusting handle.  Once you get close to the dimension you want, you can then turn the handle the required amount to get the final pass at the desired dimension.

   John W.

2. 
   dreep | Sep 08, 2004 07:44pm | #2

   John, thanks for the quick reply. I actually started using calipers and distance per rotation,  but found that the backlash and the lack of a cutter head lock was not giving me the results I wanted. Is it possible that I am expecting too much from a non industrial tool and/or reasonable tolerances? For edification,  I found that I was unable to read the dial indicator properly w/ the vibration, hence the on and off cylce.

1. 
   GHR | Sep 08, 2004 08:36pm | #3

   What tolerances are you trying to work to?

   I have a Delta thickness sander and a Dewalt 354 planer. I am happy with .005" total error on either.

1. 
   dreep | Sep 08, 2004 09:47pm | #4

   .005 would be fine... but I am unable to approach that w/o the elaborate rigamarole that I mention above. Maybe you could describe your success w/ the Dewalt.

2. 
   forestgirl | Sep 08, 2004 09:50pm | #5

   "I found that I was unable to read the dial indicator properly w/ the vibration...."  Uhhhhh, what are you measuring?  Should be the wood.  I'm not familiar with the 12" Delta (have the 12.5" myself), but try easing down to the final cut by turning only in the down direction (the direction that pulls the head closer to the table). 

   Does the 12" not have a good scale on the side?forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

1. 
   dreep | Sep 09, 2004 12:15am | #8

   Uhhhh. forest girl.... notice indicator not caliper. I attach an indicator to the frame and measure the drop of the head. To properly read, I've found it easier to turn off the the machine.  Just to recap, I am able to hold a reasonable tolerance but it takes what I did consider too much effort. Based on the replies, maybe not.  Or this may be a philosophical difference.... it's possible that spending this much effort for accuracy  is misguided? As for the the crude scale printed on the side... I have a hard time believing that any one truly uses it.. heck, the physiology of the human eye precludes any accurate and/or repeatable setting w/ it.

1. 
   Mackwood | Sep 09, 2004 12:44am | #10

   That is an incredibly complicated way to plane wood!  You might want to use the DIAL INDICATOR to adjust the machine but certainly not in use.

   As another suggested, your machine is more than likely capable, it's just a glinch that can be worked out.

   First, are the knives sharp?  If not, the excess forces will cause the head to move as you plane.  Next, as another described, run a board on the left side and another on the right (or one board as close to the max. width as possibe) and compare the thickness side to side.  On a board approaching 12" wide, I would accept no more than .005" difference.  If difference is more, your table, cutter head and knives are not parallel (enough).

   Get a caliper to measure your planed stock and measure after each cut.  You can creep up on the desired dimension taking small cuts.

   If your machine needs adjustment, I strongly recommend you purchase or borrow John White's book "Care and Repair of Shop Machines".  Down and dirty, sweet and simple guide to care and feeding of all the common WW'ing machines.

   Good luck, I'm sure with a bit of patience you'll get your planer squared away.

   Mack

   "WISH IN ONE HAND, #### IN THE OTHER AND SEE WHICH FILLS UP FIRST"

2. 
   forestgirl | Sep 10, 2004 01:50am | #17

   dreep, looks like you're getting some good advice on your problem -- I second Mack's suggestions especially.  I agree that the scale on the machine isn't made for a final setting on cuts, but it's certainly useful, at least on my 12.5" machine, for the preliminary successive cuts.  I use digital calipers to measure the wood during the last 2 or 3 passes through the machine. forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

1. 
   BarryO | Sep 12, 2004 08:23am | #18

   I use digital calipers to measure the wood during the last 2 or 3 passes through the machine. 

   Yea, that's what I do.  Also, I plane all the pieces that need to be the same thickness at the same time, to ensure they end up the same.

   Wood rarely needs to be planed to an exact thickness; usually it's just important that similar pieces be identical, but the exact thickness usually isn't very critical.  So I don't sweat whatever it is, just as long as all pieces are the same.  That's the advantage of planing all the pieces together.

2. 
   sawdustmaker | Sep 13, 2004 12:07am | #19

   I agree with BarryO. The exact thickness is not critical, just that all boards are the same thickness. When you have to match a certain thickness "later on", that is when, in my mind, the calipers come in handy.

3. 
   forestgirl | Sep 13, 2004 01:56am | #20

   "I plane all the pieces that need to be the same thickness at the same time, to ensure they end up the same. "   Important point, which I left out.  I do the same, and always grit my teeth if I don't plane enough stock, LOL.forestgirl -- you can take the girl out of the forest, but you can't take the forest out of the girl ;-)Another proud member of the  "I Rocked With ToolDoc Club" .... :>) 

3. 
   JohnWW | Sep 08, 2004 10:17pm | #6

   If the machine has a lot of free play and won't hold a setting then it would be very difficult to consistently plane to a desired thickness. 

   Are you sure that the machine is in good condition?  After a fair amount of use planers can wear out or go out of line and will need repair.  This is especially true of the early machines, which were lightweight, the newer models are heavier and more robust. 

   Any of the modern benchtop planers are capable of consistently planing to within a few thousandths of an inch.

   John W.

1. 
   dreep | Sep 09, 2004 12:25am | #9

   John, my take on my malfeasant planer is excessive backlash that allows the cutting forces to push the cutter head assembly up, thereby losing what should be a simple calculation... i.e. thousands per inch per rotation. Where that leaves me, I am not sure. As a non sequitur, are you FWW's John W.?

1. 
   JohnWW | Sep 09, 2004 12:44am | #11

   The upward force on the head should be approximately the same from cut to cut and the resulting backlash should also be fairly consistent from cut to cut.  If you drop the head .050, the stock should come out that much thinner unless the machine is very worn and loose. 

   A number of things can throw off a planer: dull blades, badly jointed stock, or a head out of parallel with the base, in addition to mechanical problems, can all cause trouble.  I've used a planer with a dial indicator attached to the frame and had no problems with vibration, that alone makes me think that something is amiss with your machine.

   The answer to your second question is yes, I am that John W., but I am here as a civilian, for my own pleasure and education, not as a representative of the magazine.

   John W.

1. 
   dreep | Sep 09, 2004 01:25am | #12

   Looks like I'm going 'in' this weekend. Thanks John et. al for the timely replies.

2. 
   BG | Sep 09, 2004 02:48pm | #13

   Dreep,

   Just out of curiosity, have you run the board thru twice at the same setting?...did it cut on the second pass??

3. 
   IainEdwards | Sep 09, 2004 03:36pm | #14

   BG just butting in on your last question....my thicknesser does that....what's the story, there's me thinking what a nice feature in that it just skims across with a really fine finish...all the best Iain

4. 
   BG | Sep 09, 2004 04:20pm | #15

   lain,

   Unfortunately, I don't have any hard answers as to why it happens, but when I'm pushing through a relatively wide board of hard wood what goes through my mind is how much work this would be if I was doing the same thing with a 12" wide jointer plane by hand...ugh! 

   These planners are something less than one horse power and if there is some squirly grain..its gotta be too much for the machine.  I take a second cut at the same setting before I do my final passes....just in case previous cuts were a bit to much for the machine.  I use my dial calipers to measure but have never been too worried about dead no accuracy with regard to these activities....

5. 
   IainEdwards | Sep 09, 2004 05:23pm | #16

   I guess its just an idiosyncrasy of the type of tool, the machine I use is a fairly substantial planer/thicknesser with a fairly long thicknessing bed and swinging planer tables....It works and it'll consistently give me what I want, but I would'nt put it in the 'ooos of an inch category regarding accuracy....And your dead right it would be a serious stay in bed day if you actually had to do the 'roughing out work' by hand......I for one being a  passionate amateur could just have to find something else to occupy myself with....take care   Iain   

3. 
   MichaelPB | Sep 08, 2004 10:36pm | #7

   Here is a problem I had with my small Delta 12" planer.  I kept getting different thicknesses and it wasn't quite consistent.  I didn't even notice it at first, I thought it was some other tool like my shaper or something.

   Anyway, turns out the cutterhead wasn't realigned parallel with the table after I had it serviced by Valley Tool Repair in Sacramento.  I screwed up a lot of really nice wood before I figured out what the problem was.

   I took it to a better repair shop and they fixed it perfectly.  So, if you are having trouble, run a piece of stock through all the way on the left and another one all the way on the right side with the same setting and see if one is thicker than the other.

   When set up right, the planers do a great job so keep at it,  you will find the problem.

   Also, what size and length stock are you doing?  Heavy or long stock that are unsupported are going to get subtle snipe along the back edge as the weight shifts to the far end.