Planer snipe

[scott vroom]

Here's a link to an excellent discussion on snipe, why it occurs and how to minimize it. I was considering a Grizzly 15" planer thinking that it would have less snipe than the Makita 12" benchtop. Not so. Looks like the Griz has a worse snipe problem than the Makita 12". I guess the best way to completely avoid snipe is to cutoff the leading and trailing 2" of stock. If I'm making kitchen cabinet face frames then I guess it would make sense to run the longest stock possible through the planer so that I could get several snipe free pieces out of the middle, then only have to deal with 2 bad ends. Are there any reasonably priced floor planers out there that don't have a snipe problem?


http://www.woodweb.com/knowledge_base/Troubleshooting_Planer_Tearout_and_Snipe.html

[Rich Neighbarger]

It's all in the setup. I have a 15" grizzly with a Byrd cutterhead and do not have any measurable snipe or tearout. I find that some "experts" do not spend the time setting up their equipment then blame the tool for poor results. I've ran everything from pine to purpleheart and haven't had any issues.

When setting up a planer, the dial indicator is your friend.

[Rod Sheridan]

It's all in the setup.

When setting up a planer, the dial indicator is your friend.

That's for sure, most planers aren't properly setup.......Rod.

[glenn bradley]

Snipe is not an accepted part of a planer's operation. Set the machine up correctly. Snipe will occur any time the material is allowed to move into the cutter outside the normal feed path. Support your work and assure a proper feed path 'outside' the planer as well as within the relatively short controlled area between the feed rollers. :)

[harry strasil]

Column Locks and not trying to Hog off material are the solutions.

[Brad Westcott]

Nine times out of ten, the outfeed table is not level or long enough.

[Mike Cruz]

What I usually do is feed boards end to end or side by side thus making any snipe only on the first and last pieces through.

Of course, proper alignment of the planer to avoid snipe is always preferable. :rolleyes:

[Kent A Bathurst]

"It's all in the setup............When setting up a planer, the dial indicator is your friend."

Exactly correct. I found that my 48" Starrett straightedge is also my friend. I have a 15" Delta - straight cutter blades, and after I took the time to get the blades aligned w/ dial indicator and the bed rollers plumb and at the correct height with the straightedge, I didn't even need the infeed/outfeed tables - took them off. On longer boards, I just press down on the board at the exit side right at the edge of the bed, and lift up slightly with the other hand - this isn't really an anti-snipe move, so much as an "I don't wanna find and reinstall the outfeed table" move.

No snipe. Period.

[Dave Wagner]

we just discussed this a little bit ago....

http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=120310&highlight=acceptable+snipe

[Chip Lindley]

A Planer which is set up *perfectly* may still have snipe!! It seems too many expect the machine to do IT ALL for them! A heavy board hanging off the infeed or outfeed is a *simple machine* and may have enough leverage to push up and move the in-out-rollers, thus giving snipe. In my experience, IT's ALL IN THE FEEDING. Especially with long heavier boards. Supporting the board, and even raising up on it toward the end as the near end is pressed down against the table while it enters and leaves the feed rollers will give almost no snipe!

If infeed and outfeed tables or rollers were set *up-hill* from the planer bed, the same good results would probably re realized.

[Philip Rodriquez]

I think a lot of people have problems with 15" planers, when comparing them to the lunchbox versions.

Here is the deal, you have to be mechanically inclined to get great results out of a 15" planer. Beyond the blade settings, adjustments such as: bed roller height; table settings; column locks; chip breakers; infeed and out feed rollers; tension settings, etc, all impact the surface quality. Proper tuning extends beyond reading the instruction manual - a person must be able to understand what each adjustment does.

Whereas, you barely have to know how do do anything with a lunchbox.

IMHO, a person should be able to eliminate snipe - completely. The only thing I ever get is a little bump (not dent) as the board enters and exits the feed rollers. One quick pass with a hand plane takes it off. My rollers are set precisely above the table at .002".

[Gregory Stahl]

Rather than spend alot of time trying to dial in a 15" or 20" 4-post planer, buy a used industrial planer with a pressure bar. I bought a Powermatic 180 for $1200. This was the best upgrade to my shop ever--no more snipe frustrations. I spent no time dialing it in. The bed rollers are adjustable via a lever on the side of the infeed bed. In addition, it also has variable speed.

There are plenty of these around, always a few on ebay.

Finally, I found the magnetic switch on mine can be rewired for single phase, so I may rewire mine and replace the motor at some point--but I'll still have less than $2k in it after the addition of a new Baldor motor. I have other 3-phase equipment so I am in no hurry of doing this.

Just though I would throw out this alternative.

[David Freed]

A Planer which is set up *perfectly* may still have snipe!! It seems too many expect the machine to do IT ALL for them! A heavy board hanging off the infeed or outfeed is a *simple machine* and may have enough leverage to push up and move the in-out-rollers, thus giving snipe. In my experience, IT's ALL IN THE FEEDING. Especially with long heavier boards. Supporting the board, and even raising up on it toward the end as the near end is pressed down against the table while it enters and leaves the feed rollers will give almost no snipe!

If infeed and outfeed tables or rollers were set *up-hill* from the planer bed, the same good results would probably re realized.

That is exactly what I was going to say.

[Howard Acheson]

The way to minimize or eliminate snipe in planers is to "railroad" boards through the machine. Start with a 6" scrap piece and butt the next piece directly against the first piece. Keep feeding boards in the same way until you get to the last piece. At the end on the last piece feed another 6" piece through butted against the preceding piece. This way, all the snipe occurs on the first and last scrap pieces.

With planers that have a movable cutter head assembly, snipe is caused by the cutter head slightly rocking as pressure is exerted by the pressure rollers. As the board encounters the infeed roller, upward pressure rocks the cutter head up slightly. When the board encounters the outfeed roller, the cutter head rocks up slightly more. The opposite occurs as the board exits the the cutter head.

If your planer has a cutter head lock, this minimizes the slight up and down motion and snipe is lessened.

[Fred Voorhees]

Although snipe is a bit of reality, I find that it is more myth than anything else. I have a DeWalt 735 and I rarely experience snipe. Not saying the fact that it's a DeWalt has anything to do with that, but I am saying that a properly set up machine will seriously eliminate snipe problems to a major degree.

[Mike Cruz]

Isn't that what I said? :rolleyes: :D

[Peter Bell]

As normal I have not read all the post thoroughly so my apologies if the following has already been written.

While set up is important and the in table and out feed table need to be right, what I have found to be the most important thing for what I do is what Harry has said but I go one step further.

Harry said do not hog off too quickly. What I do depending on the hardness of the timber gradually reduce the amount of cut when I get close to my required finished size. Then when I am almost there I only move the blades down a quarter of a turn, even less if necessary to take the slightest amount off which seems to bring everything level with any snipe that may be there.

Peter

[Mike Cruz]

I have to agree. Both are important. I was planing some Cherry yesterday and was a little impatient...1/2 turns between runs. I was getting snipe on the trailing end. When I started on some Hickory, I was doing 1/4 turns (or less) with no snipe at all.