Got a planer problem

Tony Baideme said:

No Vaughn, What would wax do?

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You put it on the floor...makes cleanup a breeze.

Two more things cause feed roller problems

The first is age. Those things do get harder as they age, unlike me (getting soft in my old age )

The second is cold weather, but as I live in MN and you're in Hawaii, I don't think that's your problem.

Either way, I need to replace my rollers, and since a new set is about $150 I'll be getting a new planer before I get new rollers.

I have to agree Bruce. Pushing on the roller rubber with my fingernail made only a very slight indent. Seems they have hardened. The light wiping with the lacquer thinner did give them a bit more grip, but that won't last long. Just have to keep at it I guess.

New rollers are that expensive, Huh? (They remind me of the rollers on an old ringer washer. Hmmm, I wonder?)

Well, I guess a new planer will be in my future too, but not for a good while yet.

here's the source I looked at.

I'll keep mine for a few more years. I've had it since the early 90's and it works fine, but the newer ones are much better at preventing snipe.

I find baby powder works well also for the beds of tables saws, planers, and jointers. Might be cheaper than wax too.

Tony Baideme said:

...Pushing on the roller rubber with my fingernail made only a very slight indent. Seems they have hardened. The light wiping with the lacquer thinner did give them a bit more grip, but that won't last long. Just have to keep at it I guess...

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I don't know if you can still get it anywhere, but back just after the stoneage, when we were all still using typewriters with rubber platens on them, repair techs used to use TriChloroEthylene (TCE) to soften the rollers when they rebuilt typewriters.

TCE, if you can even find it, is a really nasty solvent that has skin absorption hazards, breathing hazards, and who know what else, so even if you can find some, take lots of precautions in using it. EPA may have even banned it outright by now!

Jim, Thanks for the tip. I am familiar with "Tri-chlor" and it's hazzards. Used to use it as a degreaser in the plant I worked in several (many) years ago.

I can still use the lacquer thinner for now. It seemd to help a lot, along with the sharper blades.

Aloha, Tony