PM 20" Planer issue , need help

[Craig D Peltier]

Hi , I own the PM 208 20" planer.
Today it started to have an issue. On the right side of planer for the first 5 inches when feeding. It will make a sound like the blades are going deeper every 5 inches or so, I assume thats the rate of the feed roller.Indeed when board comes out it has some deeper pockets every 5 inches for only 5 inch in width, say 1/16th.The blade spins far too fast for it to be the blade every 5 inches.
When it makes this noise at it feeds/cuts it also twitches the board about 1/4" every 5 inches or so.

I just took off the covers and greased everything an changed the gear oil.So I have a few other questions. On page 14 of book it shows where the drain plug is and thats good, it also shows where the fill is and it shows just behind the chain , its a allen key.I tried to fill that area but the hole is so small. So on the front of that case that holds the oil theres a plug there that looks just like the drain plug but much higher , this is where I decided to fill it. Anyone else fill theres before? Also book doesnt state how much. I drained 12 ounces, I put about 12 back.

Another question , on the top on eacd side , theres 4 large hex key bolts that when u unscrew them theres springs underside. On the top in between these bolts theres a sticker showing to lubricate these nuts that have a hole right through them into spring compartment. Any idea what these springs do? Is it for lowering the table?

Also is there fluid on the belt side as well to drain?

The book leaves alot to the imagination.

[Kirk Poore]

The every-5-inches part does sound like a roll problem. More likely than the infeed roll is something stuck to the infeed bed roll. That would lift the wood up going into the cutterhead. The pressure bar should keep the outfeed bed roll from lifting like that, but if the infeed roll is clear you should check that too.

If the bed rolls are OK, I'd look for damage on the infeed roll.

Kirk

[Jay Stellers]

I'm just going to run through some logical thought processes.

Since this happens every 5 inches or so, it's a recurring issue. Recurring issues would most likely be associated with round components. Since the evidence of the problem are deeper channels in the wood, but just on one side, you know that something is causing either a) the wood to rise up on one side and contact the blade more deeply, or b) the cutterhead is dropping on that side every 5 inches of board. I think the most likely event would be 'A' --the board is being raised up into the cutterhead just on one side.

If you have bed rollers and something is stuck to the bed roller, it could definately do this. If this offending item is heavy enough, that side of the roller will always spin to the bottom (out of sight) so it may not be readily apparent. Try manually spinning the bed rollers and see if something is stuck to them.

[Panos Galikas]

I have a similar 20" planer. The four hex bolts with the springs underneath are for your in feed and out feed rollers. The adjust the pressure at which the rollers push down on the wood. The must be set to equal pressures (number of turns).

[Craig D Peltier]

I will crank the bed down to 8 inches and take a look at all rollers. It started while I was planing. I have been planing 500bd feet of ash. 250 before an 250 today. It happened halfway in today. Thats when I decidede to look at everything and grease it an change oil. I didnt have a clue on the problem so i will take a better look an report back.

[Chip Lindley]

Craig, you are a bit overly *Lubricant-Oriented*! Your planer was lubricated at the factory to serve you for years to come! Now that you have *un-adjusted* every allen screw on the machine looking for *grease and oil access*, go by the book and re-adjust everything back to factory specs! Too much lube is as bad as too little! Attracts dust and makes gunk that can cause operational problems.

Pay close attention to the settings of the bed rolls, in- and outfeed rollers, and the pressure bar. These govern how stock moves through the machine, and how accurately your planer thicknesses. Like I always say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" And, I will now add, "Sometimes less is more!"

[Craig D Peltier]

Craig, you are a bit overly *Lubricant-Oriented*! Your planer was lubricated at the factory to serve you for years to come! Now that you have *un-adjusted* every allen screw on the machine looking for *grease and oil access*, go by the book and re-adjust everything back to factory specs! Too much lube is as bad as too little! Attracts dust and makes gunk that can cause operational problems.

Pay close attention to the settings of the bed rolls, in- and outfeed rollers, and the pressure bar. These govern how stock moves through the machine, and how accurately your planer thicknesses. Like I always say, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it!" And, I will now add, "Sometimes less is more!"

I went by book. It says grease frequently , none of which included unbolting. One allen key was a face plate on the cover that held the chains covered. This issue happened before it was greased.Thats why I opened it up.
I bought the unit used , I had no idead what the previous owner did an didnt do. On a sticker on the top of machine it says change oil after first 30 hours of use , previous owner said he barley used it ever. Like 2 times. So I assumed it needed changing. Then when your in the book it says every 2500 hours. So the machine leaves alot to te imagination.
I never touched any bolts for the rollers or head.
I still have been too busy to dig into it but will make time today and report back , saying I found out or what next?

Thanks