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Originally Posted by tjclem I have a 2 year old Sears 13" planer and it is going into the shop tomorrow. It has gotten tougher and tougher to raise the cutting head anybody else have this problem with these? What planer do you all have and like? Thanks ........Tom |
Dollars to donuts the elevator mechanism has gotten totally fowled by fine sawdust. Maybe even the stop system is being blocked. That would be the good news.
Bad news would be a broken component. It could have happened if the planer hit something violently or simply fatique brought on by vibration.
Keep us informed.
I don't use a planer. I built an 18" drum sander that essentially does the same thing and I can eliminate the extra sanding step. Depending on how hard the wood is, I've removed as much as 3/32" with a single pass (clear red cedar) but usually I'm just under 1/16" on most hardwoods like maple or walnut. The coolest thing is that I can level and/or sand at any stage - even after the body has been contoured. I usually plan better than that but having that flexibility is great. Another great thing is that I never have to worry about blade sharpness or alignment. I can change the grit if needed to further smooth my subject. And finally, it's a whole lot safer (while still being dangerous) than a 5000 rpm cutter head holding 3 razor knives. This isn't a bash of planers - but they do need their maintenance. I own an 8" planer with power feed but I don't use it. In fact, it's probably going to be turned into some other piece of equipment when I find a buyer.
