Has any have this problem

[colbra]

Has any have this problem
I own a Dewalt thickness planer DW733 after a moderate amount of use the feed roller will not pick up the material and push it through I have been told by the tech people at Dewalt that 95% of this problem is due to the knifes being dull but what I have found that if I simply remove clean and realign, blades it seems to fix the problem. Has any one had this problem with any other portable planer Dewalt or other machine
Regards Colbra :(

[Bob Willson]

What is it that you are thicknessing that is gumming up your blades?

[colbra]

Thanks for your reply Bob
I have used a variety of timbers most of it recycled including some hard woods the residue that I remove from the blade was, I thought only minuscule amount.
Bob do you think such a small amount would cause this problem, although I am using recycled timber I take every precaution, stacking and drying and removing any paint from timber before planing I remove no more than .5 to 1mm at a time if it is this residue have you any ideas
Regards Col

[mkcl]

Hi Col,

I've got the same thicknesser and used to have that problem before I hooked it up to a dust collector. The dust and shavings used to coat the roller, stopping it from working properly. Now that I've got the dust collection hood, the problem has pretty much disappeared.

I doubt it's a problem with blunt blades, since you sound like you're a lot more careful than I am!

Michael.

[colbra]

Thanks for your reply Michael
Putting in a dust extractor unit is something I entered to do for some time I genially just ware a dust mask this will push things along, are there fittings you can get to fit the DW733 or should I purchase fittings from carba-tec once I go down this tract I will fit it to other equipment as well
Regards Col

[Ian007]

I also have this thicknesser and must say that i am not that happy with it. :mad:
i mainly use new pine and my blades chip out. i dont know why only taking off no more than 1mm per pass. the first set chipped out, got them sharppened chipped out again. went and brought a new set of blades ( could only find dewalt blades to suit, couldnt get any other blades that would fit or would have tried them) second pass with new blades in clean pine guess what? chipped blade. yes my setup is spot on does any body have ideas for me :confused:
as for your problem i i have only had the gumming when i dont connect my dust extactor for just a couple of passes ( 2 lazy)

cheers
Ian :)

[mkcl]

Hi Col,

I basically wouldn't consider using a thicknesser without a dust collector nowadays. They fill up with chips, the rollers stop working, and cleaning up afterwards is no fun at all.

You can get a special dust collection hood from DeWalt. It's not that cheap, considering it's just a simple piece of metal (> $50 but < $100, IIRC), but works well. I got mine from their service centre in Homebush.

Michael.

[colbra]

Hi Ian
Have tryed the Dewalt tech asst line 1800816900

[Bob Willson]

Colbra, sounds as though you are up for a bit more money. :) Have you thought of making a cyclone?

Ian
There is something seriously wrong if you are getting damage to your blades, in pine, after just one pass. It sounds to me as if the blades are actually hitting something else other than timber. Is the damage always in the same spot?

[Ben from Vic.]

Colbra,

I just purchased the Delta 12inch thicknesser, and set it to work on some old Oregon veranda posts and had the same problem as you, after a while the timber wouldn't feed in and needed a hefty push to get it through.

Part of the reason I got the smaller thicknesser was it's portability. I don't have room in the shed for it, and certinly couldn't get an extractor in their, so I just take it out side, use it, then bring it back in (after cleaning up all the shavings!).

My solution was to wipe the same wax I put on the sole of my handplane onto the bed of the thicknesser.

Worked like a charm. :D :D

Ben.

[colbra]

Hi Ben
Will give it ago have already orded extractor from Dewalt cost $50 thanks every one for all your help
Regards Col :)

[Jim Carroll]

The 12" thicknessers all have the same problem in that they are belt drive. You rely on the front roller to start pulling the timber in then the sharp cutters help pull in a bit more then the out feed rollers help push the timber the rest of the way out. Some of the problems that occur with these units are too much of a cut and it slow the units feed down and belt slippage, or with pine & oregan the blades gum up which slows them down as they are not able to bite into the timber . The feed rollers are generally rubber composite and have no real bite on the timber and rely on a small amount of pressure. You have to keep the cutters clean and sharp and aslo the suggestion of waxing the bench will also help. Anything over 8" wide needs a very light cut as you can imagine a 12"board is going to create a lot of drag on these light duty machines. You should always have a dust extractor on a thicknesser to get rid of the shavings because if not the shvings get sucked back into the machine and finish up getting between the blades and the timber and make a decorative pattern on the peice you are trying to clean up. A 2hp unit is the best way to go as the 1hp units do not have enough guts to clear all the material away.
They work great as a thicknesser if you appreciate their capabilities.
If you compare these against the 15" thicknesser these are generally 150kg have a chain drive on the feed rollers and the feed rollers are steel with serrated edges made for pulling the timber through and they have a 3 blade cutter head. Great for the workshop and not so portable.

[DarrylF]

I've had a DeWalt for probably 18 months or so.

Yes, you need to connect any thicknesser to a dust collection system - otherwise apart from making a mess the chips will wind up under the workpiece and under the rollers.

Yes, the blades are less than ideal. They need to be kept sharp, and I do get minor chipping - but usually only after a bit of work on hardwoods. You need to handplane, scrape or sand any thicknessed timber anyway - it's for dimensioning timber, not final finishing. Not a big deal for me.

Yes, the bed needs to be kept reasonably clean and waxed occasionally - and of course aligned properly in the first place.

The biggest recurring issue is the rollers getting gummed up though - especially working with recycled or rough-sawn timber. They are rubber to allow light cuts - the toothed rollers on larger machines often require a heavier cut to remove the roller marks. But rubber rollers collect junk - so you have to clean them, at least each time you sharpen the blades.

I did a belt in on the weekend. I had one piece half way through, went to put a second piece in and bumped the power switch with it, turning the machine off. No big deal I thought, just turn it back on again. NOT a good idea :) It was taking a fairly heavy cut at the time, so the cutter head jambed and it basically melted the belt.

Not really a big deal. I still had the spare belt it came with and it only took me 15 minutes to change it over. I'll know better next time :)

[colbra]

On the 16 of May I told you of the Problems I was having with my Dewalt thicknesser since then I have returned it to the service centre in Sydney tomorow I will pick it up, it seems that after 7 months the roller was worn It was replaced under waranty this seems a bit strange to me. Has anyone had this problem at the end of things even with sharp blades and dust extracter wax on table, the roller would not pull the material through even taking off .5mm at a time I am quite apprehensive about the whole thing will keep you informed
Regards Colbra :(