Ridgid Planer 13″ feedl roller question
Recently I noticed that I was having to push wood to get it through the planer. I figured the problem was not so sharp blades so I turned them over. I tried to wipe most of the two rollers that were exposed with a soft rag soaked in denatured alcohol (I know from reading a related post I should probably switch to mineral spirits).
My question is I noticed that I cannot really rotate the rollers and reading my manual gives no clue how to rotate them by hand. There is no release or latch to free up the rollers so they can be rotated – I am able to rotate them only a little – I am sure they are coneected by some chain or belt to a pulley. The wood that I feed now will go through with minimal pushing and light pulling from the other end but I’d prefer a more hands-free operation – Actually, the first two boards I fed through went through on their own but now I am back to light pushing or pulling. Any advice on whether my rollers are defective or just need to be cleaned better. If more cleaning needed – how do I access the rollers? I would say over the two years that I have owned this I have fed approximately 75 board feet of lumber through the planer. -Tom
Replies
The rollers are powered, so they are hooked up to the gear box and the motor. The only way to turn them is to switch on the motor for a second to get the hidden sides of the rollers turned to where you can clean them. Don't forget to unplug the machine again after you get the rollers turned.
In addition to dull blades and glazed rollers the third cause of poor feeding is a dirty bottom table. Cleaning and waxing the table will solve that. Don't uses a spray wax it will get on the rollers and you don't want them to be slippery.
You can use a water based cleaner like Simple Green or Formula 409 with a Scotchbrite pad to clean the rollers without any risk of damaging the rubber. Don't use the pad on the chromed table surface it will scratch it.
John White
Tom,
I have the same planer and have had the same problem. I am sure that this is common with all planers. You have gotten excellent advice (as always) from John. I would only add that you can watch the rollers reflection in your freshly polished feed table and see when the dirty sides come into view. So you can switch the machine on and off until the part of the roller you still need to clean is accessible.
Rob
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