DeWalt planer mishap

ken werner

Member
Messages
3,377
Location
Central NY State
I'm hoping my stupidity may help someone else. Fortunately, no damage done to flesh, just to pride and metal...

First mistake: Starting to replace the blades when I was tired.

Second mistake: not picking the heavy planer up off the floor to work on it. [Ended up having to do so anyway later.]

Third mistake: using my DW 18v impact driver to replace the bolts that hold the blade to the cutter head. [See item 1]

Fourth Mistake: Snapping off one bolt [an end one, of course] with the impact driver.

Fifth Mistake: Thinking [see item 1] "it's only one bolt, the rest will hold"

Sixth Mistake: Turning the planer on.

Seventh Mistake: telling anyone about items 1-6.

So, the centripetal force of the blade and holder spinning at 10,000 rpm tore the cover partly off, and broke the blade in two. Took all of about 1 sec. Maybe 2. Spent the next 90 minutes or so taking off the blade and drilling out the old half bolt and rethreading [metric] the hole.

Fortunately today I found a fellow kind enough to sell me one blade - I'd hate to have to trash the other perfectly ok blade, and an internet source for the blade cover...which will get here in a week or two.

Just sharing to hopefully prevent someone else from doing the same thing.

Ken
progress.gif
 
hey ben you forgot the other part that needed repair your britches and pride..:D glad you wernt so tired that you were leaning on it. could have been much worse..
 
Man, that could have been a lot worse. Glad to see it was only metal and pride that got damaged. Must be a lot of stupid going around these days. I know I caught a bad case of it myself. ;) Thanks for posting a reality check for the rest of us. :thumb:
 
Glad to hear your OK Ken. had a similar mishap a few years back with my planer/moulder. Was doing some new moulding and took way too deep of a cut (first time). All three blades shattered throwing them across the basement. Part of one stuck in a part of my return air stack for the furnace about 20 feet away. :eek: The other parts flung around inside and ruined a perfectly good set of 3 planer blades that the moulding blades inserted next to.
 
Seventh Mistake: telling anyone about items 1-6.

Ken,

Naw, that's actually the best part! ;)

For some reason, people love hearing about the dumb things *I* do! I guess it makes them feel better, like, "I did a silly thing. But at least I didn't do anything as dumb as Lantry! Did you ever hear about the time he..." :rofl:

So yeah, the whole thing may have have made you feel like a schlemiel. But at least you're not the resident schlimazel! (as it was explained to me once, a schlemiel is the guy who trips on a banana peel at the top of the stairs. The schlimazel is the one the guy lands on! ;)

So, everything's fine, you weren't hurt, both planer and pride are mostly intact! ;) Life is good! :thumb:

Thanks,

Bill
 
Sorry to hear about the mistake Ken. Thankful to you for sharing because it keeps us all aware of just how dangerous messing with our machines can be especially when we are tired. Glad to hear you are ok.:thumb:

Got the book and its a great little book ...thanks.
 
Don't feel too bad. One of the bolts holding my spark plug coil to my engine block of my white Echo looks different than the other three when I learned this exact same lesson.

Impact can usually always be used to remove bolts, but should not be used for bolt installation smaller than 1/4".
 
Parts came in, blades honed by hand, and reinstalled. Took the time to clean and lube the planer. Cuts as good or better than new. Even found someone with a spare blade. Life is good.
 
Top