Planer height for dc 380 ?

[Gordon Davis]

Starting on another tool project this being a Delta DC 380 15" planer. I have to replace or have the outfeed roll recovered also plan to build a base for it. What would be a good and safe height to work with and would wheels be ok to use.

[Michael Mayo]

I just picked up a used DC 380 and completely disassembled it and cleaned it completely as well as lubing etc. I it came on a Delta open base that the previous owner had attached some wood to the legs and installed some casters. I don't know the exact height off the floor but it is very comfortable to work with at the height it currently sits at. It is a beast of a planer and after i sharpened the knives on my Tormek it cuts beautifully. I am going to get a Wixey DRO for it as trying to figure out the proper planing height is a real PIA. I did all of the alignments step by step via the manual and they are all spot on but the height rule on the right column seems to be pretty inaccurate. I want to have better accuracy when attempting to plane to exact thickness. I also had to order a few missing broken parts that are amazingly still available direct from Delta. It is a nice machine enjoy it as i sure am.

[Bruce Wrenn]

The older DC 380's use the same stand as the contractor saws. Mine has the fold down laminate covered wings, which wouldn't be too difficult to duplicate. Nice thing is bed always stays the same height.

[Michael Mayo]

The older DC 380's use the same stand as the contractor saws. Mine has the fold down laminate covered wings, which wouldn't be too difficult to duplicate. Nice thing is bed always stays the same height.

Bruce would you mind sending me some pics of your 380 tables as mine did not come with any infeed/outfeed support tables and i would like to fabricate some. A couple of pics of how they are attached/supported would be extremely helpful. The only pics i have are from the factory manual that only shows an optional roller table setup that folds down and out of the way when not in use.

[Tom Rausenberg]

Gordon,

I have a DC-33 on a stand I made with casters. I think your 380 is a little bigger, but close. The bed is 29 1/4" from the floor. It's comfortable for me, and not at all tipsy. I used fixed castors on the left side and swivel castors on the right side. I think they were from harbor freight. They're 3" dia. and have sticker on them that says 275 lb. Rolls pretty easily but stays put when I'm planing.

Tom

[Gordon Davis]

Thanks for replies,level of difficulty to tear down this unit? Tom, I like your stand may go the same way.
Gordon

[Gordon Davis]

I made the base for the 380 and noticed when placing the unit on top, one of the screw nuts was cracked. I have one on order, looks like a complete rebuild at this point. Anyone here rebuilt one and how difficult?

[Michael Mayo]

I made the base for the 380 and noticed when placing the unit on top, one of the screw nuts was cracked. I have one on order, looks like a complete rebuild at this point. Anyone here rebuilt one and how difficult?

I just had mine completely torn apart as i received it in pretty dirty shape. It wasn't too difficult to disassemble but the thing is one heavy mutha so be prepared for that. I am not exactly Arnie Schwarznegger but also i am not a weakling and this thing was a handful to deal with. I setup a come along attached to the ceiling joists in my garage shop when it was back together so that i could lift it and lower it back onto the mobile base.

I would recommend not taking the corner post assemblies completely apart unless you really have to due to dirt and grime. I took them all apart to clean them really good and getting everything re-aligned is giving me fits now. I still have to do some more measuring and testing to find out where the mis-alignment is on it as it seems to plane the wood I put through it at an angle and not flat across the face of the wood. I used a dial indicator to check the drum on the far right and left of the carriage and found that one side of the carriage was slightly lower than the other. To get it lined up with the other side isn't exactly easy as you have to disconnect the chain drive underneath the planer so that you can individually move the corner posts one way or the other to get it lined up. Then you ave to reattach the chain drive. None of that is rocket science but with the machine mounted to the mobile base it isn't really pleasant due to lack of access to the bottom of the planer through the base. So I have the 4 posts pretty much lined up and square but it still wants to cut at an angle so now i have to check the knives to see if they are casing that problem. When I use the shop made tool Delta said to make for setting up the feed roller heights it is telling me that the knives are not exactly square so maybe i sharpened them improperly on the Tormek?? Will find out this weekend. It is really driving me nuts trying to get the Wixey planer height gauge to work correctly.

[Gordon Davis]

Thanks for info, you are right it is one heavy beast.I started the tear down from the top removing the motor then housing and all the rolls including the anti kick back knives.My outfeed roll is in rough shape,plan on recoat or pick up new? I want to remove the cutter head to refurbish,how hard and any input would help.I received the replacement screw nut for 1 column ,so with most of the weight off I should be able to tilt on side. Also what wgt oil is used in the gear box and can that be picked up local? I am taking pictures as I remove each item for ref later. What is a Wixey gauge?

[Michael Mayo]

The Wixey is a digital DRO display that attaches to the planer to tell you how much material you want to take off it also will measure the thickness of your stock. I never was able to get my cutter head out of the machine. I used to be a dealership technician and I have had to remove a lot of stubborn things but this thing was just not complying with my efforts to remove it. The machine is all cast iron and as such it is very brittle so i did not want to hammer on it very hard. In order to really get it out I would have had to setup some type of elaborate jig to support the carriage frame while I hammered on the end of the cutterhead to get it to come out of the bore it is pressed into. There are some small screws on the gearbox side of the cutterhead between the cutterhead and the gearbox that you will need to remove to get the gearbox housing off then the only thing holding it in is the opposite side bearing in the carriage frame. That was the one i could not get to come out. If I broke that casting I am not sure I could get it replaced and so i didn't bother trying any further to get it out. I was able to completely clean the cutterhead with it still in the machine using emory cloth and scotchbrite pads and it looks like new now. You can try to get it out but if it is stubborn like mine I would recommend not trying to get it out as if you break the casting you will be in deep doodoo. With everything else removed it is manageable on the bench and I used some wood blocking to prop it up in different positions to work on it.

I used really heavy gear oil from the differential oil from my truck that I had left over. The oil that came out of the gearbox was thick like molasses so i used oil I had that was the same consistency. I think you could easily get away with using 90 wt. gear oil. Just don't overfill the gearbox like i did it will leak out from the cutterhead bore. The level should be even with the fill hole and no more. I made the mistake of filling it while it was laying on it's side because it was easier but ended up overfilling it. Not a big deal i just drained some out and left it for a day to leak a little more until the level stabilized and it has not leaked again.

[Gordon Davis]

Thanks Michael,I started last night cleaning by hand as I don't want to disturb what is woking.I have to replace 1 screw nut,how difficult is this? Its the one located on the drive side infeed.

[Gordon Davis]

update, made repair to screw nut only to discover broken sprocket and I thought I was going to be bored.

[Michael Mayo]

I too had a broken sprocket that i broke when I picked up the machine and foolishly tried to slide it in the back of the truck not knowing at the time there were sprockets underneath it. Didn't find out until I got home. Don't despair they are still available direct through Delta as well as the knife setting jig, carriage lock handle, and dst chute to attach your monster dust hose if you have one. I had to order all of these parts for mine. If you do order from them be very patient as it takes about 2-3 weeks to get the stuff because Delta is moving their warehousing so the orders are a bit slow to ship.

[Gordon Davis]

Thanks Michael, going to place in an order and started sanding the bed.I have a few score marks that looks like someone draged a few nails/screws across it metal must be soft.