Benchtop spiral head thicknesser not feeding properly

[WoodyNZ]

So I've got the cheap Machinery House 'spiral' head thicknesser:
https://www.machineryhouse.co.nz/W815

I've been a bit underwhelmed with this thing to be honest, although I suppose that's what you can expect when spending under $1,000 on a thicknesser.

The latest problem is that it won't seem to feed the boards properly. If I just pop a board in and let it go then it stops feeding quite often and carves a dent in the board at the point where it stops. It usually needs a push to get it going again. The only way I can prevent this is to push quite hard on the board all the way through then quickly switch to pulling as it comes out the other end.

Has anyone else had this problem, and were you able to fix it? Was it a problem with the rollers? Too high to engage tight enough? Or made from a material not grippy enough?

[NCArcher]

A common problem and usually fixed by cleaning and waxing the bed of the thicknesser. I can recommend our benevolent dictators Trad Wax as an excellent source of enslipificating.

[Ilya]

I had a few thicknessers, and for me there were mainly three reasons for boards getting stuck:
1. As NCArcher said, lubricate the thicknesser bed and infeed/outfeed tables (I use Silver glide, its an awesome stuff). Also make sure the infeed/outfeed tables are aligned well.
2. The cut you are trying to make maybe too deep for the type and width of wood. For wider boards of harder wood try making shallower cuts.
3) The cutters are already blunt. If previous two do not resolve the issue, try rotating the cutters.

[rustynail]

Lubrication is essential. But a rusted surface will still give trouble even with lubrication. The table needs to be rust free and waxed to give best results.

[WoodyNZ]

Thanks for the comments. I've got some silver glide but hadn't thought to use any. The bed is stainless steel so I hadn't thought to use it on the thicknesser like I have used it on my other cast iron tops. The bed doesn't feel particularly sticky but will give it a go anyway. Can't hurt to add some silver glide.
In regard to cutters - no, that's not the issue. Even with brand new carbide cutters I have that problem.
And depth of cut - no, that's not the issue either. I can only ever get away with a tiny depth of cut anyway, but even just touching the surface it still gets stuck.

[Ilya]

If the tables are good and the cutters are sharp, then the rollers are not pulling the timber through. Are they rubber type? If yes, then there are few options that I can think of - either rubber is covered by something slippery (like lots of dust?), or the pressure of these rollers on the boards is not sufficient (you need pressure to create friction force to pull boards). I am not sure if this can be adjusted in your thicknesser though. However if your thicknesser behaves like this since new, I would take it back for replacement/repair.

[david.elliott]

I had the same on my little benchtop. Waxing the table and cleaning the rubber rollers with some turps did the trick...I'm not sure it's even possible to stop the board on my big one...

[Treecycle]

Have you tried to look at the drive rollers when the timber stops moving to make sure they are actually still turning.

[WoodyNZ]

Have you tried to look at the drive rollers when the timber stops moving to make sure they are actually still turning.

That's a good point. Will have a look.

[DaveVman]

Did you solve the problem?
I have one of these. I put silver glide on the bed when I unpacked it. I've never had a problem with it not feeding.
Only problem I have had is of my own making. I don't have dust extraction connected and so chips are everywhere and can dent the finish.

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[riverbuilder]

After 2 hours of use my machine did the same, the drive belts from the motor had stretched and needed tensioning, problem solved.