Menu
What's new

Electric hand plane diagnose, = bad prognosis

Toni Ciuraneta

Toni Ciuraneta

Member
Messages
5,676
Location
Catalunya
A friend of mine some years ago knowing that I'm a woodworker gave me an electric hand plane that belonged to his father. I was happy with it, so I changed the blades and started to plande a piece of wood for the sake of trying and seeing how it performed. After a few minutes something broke inside and sparks came out from the motor stopping dead.
At that time I didn't have time to dissasemble to check what happened thinking that probably one of the carbon contacts broke.
Today I remembered and dissasembled it to finally find out. It wasn't a carbon what broke but the rotor collector. I've never seen that happening until now.

I will check if I find the spare and if they want to sell it to me, in here tool companies are quite picky with people repairing their machines themselves. If not, I will toss it away.
 

Attachments

  • IMG_6372.JPG
    IMG_6372.JPG
    133 KB · Views: 17
  • IMG_6373.JPG
    IMG_6373.JPG
    153.7 KB · Views: 16
  • IMG_6374.JPG
    IMG_6374.JPG
    129.5 KB · Views: 16
  • IMG_6375.JPG
    IMG_6375.JPG
    134.6 KB · Views: 17
I've never seen a commutator (rotor collector) do that in all my 73 years it is badly grooved so it has been heavily used. The Brushes (Carbone contact) doesn't look bad but that is a moot point. Yes I would just toss it. I always say if the cost of repair exceed 40% of new it ain't worth it.
 
I think you're wise to just let this one go. I have an electric plane and like you, I've never really liked the results I get with it.
 
I know absolutely nothing abut electric planes and for that not much more about hand planes... the only time I've ever seen an electric plane is on the Youtube videos of Leo (don't know last name), that is in process of rebuilding a 100 foot sailing yacht... he uses one often.

Since I don't do any flat wood working, never use a plane anyway.... although I have several I've collected from junk shops over the years.
 
Brent Dowell said:
I've got a ryobi version. It's a crude tool mostly suited for carpentry, like trimming the bottoms off of doors.
Click to expand...
I have the Ryobi as well - good for carpentry but I used a planer only once on the bottom of a door and it tore up the veneer face and the end grain of the stiles. Never again. The track saw is the perfect tool for trimming doors IMHO.
 
Rennie Heuer said:
I have the Ryobi as well - good for carpentry but I used a planer only once on the bottom of a door and it tore up the veneer face and the end grain of the stiles. Never again. The track saw is the perfect tool for trimming doors IMHO.
Click to expand...
That makes sense. Used mine to trim up a trash door recently. Didn't get tear out so much, but I could see it happening.

I'm trying to figure out a good use for it now that you mention it.
 
Brent Dowell said:
That makes sense. Used mine to trim up a trash door recently. Didn't get tear out so much, but I could see it happening.

I'm trying to figure out a good use for it now that you mention it.
Click to expand...
Apart from laughing at Don's suggestions, if you want to spend sometime on yours, you could try to subtitute or modify the cylinder where the blades are fixed by a sanding one of the diameter of a standard sanding drum, I wonder if it could work well enough for certain rough jobs.
 
I have an electric hand plane. I bought it to surface some rough sawn boards that were too large to fit through my portable planer. I also bought some extra blades....just in case. After reading this post I took it out of the original box to see if it still worked, plugged it in and it ran just fine. So back in the box until someone needs to buy a used portable plane.
 
Mike Stafford said:
I have an electric hand plane. I bought it to surface some rough sawn boards that were too large to fit through my portable planer. I also bought some extra blades....just in case. After reading this post I took it out of the original box to see if it still worked, plugged it in and it ran just fine. So back in the box until someone needs to buy a used portable plane.
Click to expand...
Is that an offer?? ;) Sorry I couldn't take it, we run on 220V /50Hz here:);)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top