Planer Problem

I have a 12" Delta Planer I bought a few years back. Haven't used it in a long while. I'm trying to smooth some 8 X10 wood I'm going to use for a plaque. My problem is I always get a depression in the wood about 2" from the end every time I try it. The rest of the board comes out smooth.

What can I do to eliminate this problem.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Jim
 
Jim this is a common problem refered to as snipe. It is caused by the wood not being properly secured on the in feed and out feed sides. If you can try supporting the board with some sort of a in feed table and out feed table, you'll have to play around but the table need to be slightly higher then the planer bed, I can tell you how much higher cause it varies with the planer. Mine is 1/32" but others need more.
 
Jim Sparks;287253 My problem is I always get a depression in the wood about 2" from the end every time I try it. The rest of the board comes out smooth. [/QUOTE said:
Jim,

Two inches from the trailing end? If so, it means that as the end of the board gets past the forward roller, it's falling a little bit towards the heavy side. Two solutions:

Support the outfeed end with a roller stand so that the "nose" of the board doesn't drop. If the board is four feet long, the stand should be placed at least two feet from the planer blades.

or

You can achieve the same effect manually. Stand at the outfeed side of the planer, and as the board is nearly finished, apply *gentle* pressure upwards at the nose end of the board.

Don't ask me how I know how to do this... ;)

Thanks,

Bill
 
Got a picture Jim?

Some times I get what I can only call a 'divot' towards the end of the board if I drop the end when one of of the board isn't in contact with the rollers.

The same basic process Bill described helps me to not get the problem. I usually only get though when I'm running long heavy boards through he planer.
 
Jim I lift the ends of the boards when feeding and taking out of the planer as snipe can and does happen at both ends. Doing that I rarely have snipe:)
 
I have a 12" Delta Planer I bought a few years back. Haven't used it in a long while. I'm trying to smooth some 8 X10 wood I'm going to use for a plaque. My problem is I always get a depression in the wood about 2" from the end every time I try it. The rest of the board comes out smooth.

What can I do to eliminate this problem.

Any help/advice would be greatly appreciated.

Jim

Check this out.

http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/planer_setup.pdf
 
Jim, I have the low-end Delta 12" planer, and I've tried every trick in the book but still haven't found a way to eliminate the snipe completely. I've gotten to the point where I just plan on cutting the boards 5" to 6" longer than I need, then trim the snipe off after planing. I hate wasting the wood, but so far it's the only 100% solution I've found with my planer. I've read of others who have apparently gotten gotten rid of the snipe problem when using this planer, but so far, I haven't been able to crack that nut myself.
 
Jim, I have the low-end Delta 12" planer, and I've tried every trick in the book but still haven't found a way to eliminate the snipe completely. I've gotten to the point where I just plan on cutting the boards 5" to 6" longer than I need, then trim the snipe off after planing. I hate wasting the wood, but so far it's the only 100% solution I've found with my planer. I've read of others who have apparently gotten gotten rid of the snipe problem when using this planer, but so far, I haven't been able to crack that nut myself.

I have the Model TP305 12 1/2 portable planer... I've about come to the same conclusion as Vaughn... run it through and cut off the snipe... it is a waste of wood, but can't think of anything else to try... I set mine up on a board across two saw horses outside my shop... I'm thinking I may not be level... it has drop down in feed and out feed tables that are adjusted by a little bolt... really a pain trying to get any kind of level feed.

I just got it back working again after running a segmented board strip through... it doesn't work well if the woods are of different densities... the board exploded, jammed a piece of wood up between one of the blades and the blade guard... shattered the blade, bent the blade guard and caused a couple of the screws to jam or something... I had a heckuva time getting them out to replace the guard and blade... it's exciting when a board explodes in a planer and causes the blade guard to clang against the frame... :eek::eek::eek::eek::rofl::rofl:
 
I had not thought about the shorter pieces... may be why my piece exploded... think it was about 10" long.... I watched a fellow at a local show I was working a few years back running walnut rounds through his planer... he was using them for plaques for something... I don't think they were much more than 10" to 12" diameter... didn't notice any problems... he had the planer on the ground behind his booth and just shot them through, flipped them over and ran the other side... watched him run about 10 before I got bored...
 
I have the Model TP305 12 1/2 portable planer... I've about come to the same conclusion as Vaughn... run it through and cut off the snipe... it is a waste of wood, but can't think of anything else to try... I set mine up on a board across two saw horses outside my shop... I'm thinking I may not be level... it has drop down in feed and out feed tables that are adjusted by a little bolt... really a pain trying to get any kind of level feed.

I just got it back working again after running a segmented board strip through... it doesn't work well if the woods are of different densities... the board exploded, jammed a piece of wood up between one of the blades and the blade guard... shattered the blade, bent the blade guard and caused a couple of the screws to jam or something... I had a heckuva time getting them out to replace the guard and blade... it's exciting when a board explodes in a planer and causes the blade guard to clang against the frame... :eek::eek::eek::eek::rofl::rofl:

Yeah that tends to get your attention pretty quickly.....:eek::scram:
 
Jim,
I have the same planer as you, which I've owned since the early 90's. The bad news is that there is virtually no way to eliminate snipe from this planer. There are only tricks to minimize it. The problem is that the early Delta planer uses only two posts to support the cutter head, so that when wood passes under it, the cutter head tips and causes that snipe. It can be minimized, but not eliminated, by adjusting the backlash in the gears underneath the base. You'll figure it out.

Two of the best ways have already been mentioned: using a piece longer than needed and cutting off the snipe; and putting sacrifical sides on the work piece. The only other way I know of is to feed pieces end to end so that the cutter head won't move. That might mean that you can feed a piece of scrap first, followed immediately by the good piece and follow that immediately by another piece of scrap.

The best way is to get another planer, one with four posts and a cutter head lock. Not in the cards? Not for me, either, until this one wears out.
 
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