DW734 Lock

I have a DW734 planer with a Wixey thickness gauge mounted on it. Blades are sharp, and I'm not taking deep cuts. The machine is about three years old, with fairly light use.

Lately, about a quarter of the way through the cut, the gauge will show a thickness change of a few thousands, as if the locking mechanism slipped a bit, causing the table to drop down. I can avoid the problem by setting the thickness with the crank, engaging the lock, and then cranking down an additional quarter turn. The gauge then holds the same reading throughout the entire cut.

The lock does not seem particularly loose or easy to set, but I have a sense that it needs tightening. Unless I missed something, there are no instructions in the manual for adjusting it. If anyone has experienced this, or has any thoughts about it , I'd appreciate comments. The overall performance of the machine is fine, but I'm going to upgrade this spring and I'd like to address this issue if it needs attention before I offer it for sale.

Thanks,

Tony
 
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It is a friction mechanism. I had this issue with my DW-734 a couple times over the years I had it but, mine would sneak up due to pressure creating a thicker cut than desired. Raise the cutter head all the way, diligently clean the vertical guides with alcohol or naphtha, lower the head and clean the rest. To be sure you didn't carry more contaminants down when lowering the head, raise it again and clean again. Worked for me.
 
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