G0453PX Planer - Cleaning & Setup

[Marty Tippin]

I just bought a used G0453PX via Craigslist. Seller had a small home shop and said he only used the planer a few times since purchasing it new about 2 years ago. We ran a few pieces through it and all looked well save for a little bit of snipe, so I bought it (along with a G0490X jointer and G1028Z2 dust collector, all the same age - $2k for the lot so think I got a fair price...)

After getting the planer home, removing the top cover and taking a closer look, I can only assume that the original owner didn't clean *any* of the cosmoline off the machine except from the table. The feed rollers are completely gunked up with sawdust and oil, as is much of the cutter head and the legs that the table rides up and down on.

So I set about to clean as much as I could with a rag, wire brush and a lot of mineral spirits, but I'm not really sure whether there's still an oily film on the rollers or not.

Any suggestions on the best way to clean the rollers and cutter head thoroughly? And should I expect the feed roller to stay clean and shiny after I get done, or does it tend to collect a lot of sawdust?

After I get it cleaned up, I'll run some more test stock through and see about adjusting the snipe out of it. I've also ordered a Wixey digital readout and will be installing it according to Mike Goetzke's thread here http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?162264-Wixey-Remote-Planer-DRO-on-a-Grizzly-G0453PX-15-quot-Planer&highlight=wixey

Any other tips for either setup or maintenance on the G0453PX would be appreciated!

[Erik Loza]

You are probably fine if you got most of it off to the eye but if you REALLY want to get something clean, I use aerosol brake cleaner with the straw nozzle. Gnarly stuff but will dissolve any oil known to man. Obviously, be careful around bearings, even sealed ones. Best of luck with it.

Erik Loza
Minimax USA

[Jim Andrew]

What a deal! And it should clean up fine.

[Justin Ludwig]

My snipe became null and void when I adjusted my bottom rollers to .002" above the table. The booklet gives a great variance for set up, .002-.02 or something like that. It depends more on how you intend to use it though. I take 1/32" passes because I order my material +1/16 in thickness.

I cleaned my cutter head by using the machine. After I wiped the majority of the gunk off, I just ran material through it (I have 10000+ bd ft of rough saw pine at my disposal). It was much easier to clean up dust-gunk build up than the gunk itself.

You got a great deal.