Help with Planer infeed roller

[George Flythe]

I am fortunate enough to inherit a great woodworking shop from my grandfather even though many of the machines are outdated and lacking many conveniences of modern tools (like dust collection ports). My grandfather has always been a miser and went with heavy duty machines that were off brands - one of those being a Chang Iron 20" planer. Boards are extremely difficult to send through the machine. I have to push with all my might to get them through. I thought it may have been dull knives, but I just had the knives sharpened and reset, and the boards are still extremely difficult to feed into the machine. Even when only barely contacting the wood (maybe taking off 1/64") the roller burns up the wood whenever I stop pushing for a split second.
I've looked at adjusting the roller tension by what looks to be like a bolt, but am apprehensive to screw something up. Anyone know anything about these machines? It's got to weigh 1,000 lbs.

[Rick Lizek]

I think the pressure bar is set wrong in relation to the cutting circle. You are focusing on the wrong thing. You need to go through all the settings and adjust accordingly. That is a good machine. You just don't understand how the relationship of all the parts work together.
http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/Getting%20Peak%20Planer%20Performance.ashx

[John Lankers]

Have you tried waxing the bed?

[J.R. Rutter]

I'm with Rick. Pressure bar and chipbreaker are first things to check.

[peter gagliardi]

I would add lower bed rolls to the above two suggestions, after checking the other two items, if your machine is so equipped.

[Jeff Duncan]

First thing to check is whether waxing the table helps. I have to do this fairly often to keep my planer feeding well. I wouldn't tinker with anything until you check if that helps.

good luck,
JeffD

[George Flythe]

Thanks everyone. It's good to see the proper terminology; Rick's link is on point! Finding the operator's manual for the machine (so I know what I'm actually adjusting) will be the key - hopefully it's in English. I waxed the table before I sharpened the knives and still had to apply probably 80 lbs of pressure to get the boards through. After explaining the trouble I was having to my grandfather, I got the typical crotchety old-man reply of "Well, it was working find when I last used it. You must have screwed it up!"
It looks like next on the list is getting a set of roller and knife gauges.

[Rick Lizek]

That link I posted is going to be as close to a manual you are going to find. If you look closely you can see how to loosen, tighten and adjust the parts.

I can honestly say I'm an expert. I used to work as a tech for a dealer and go to schools and shops to repair and adjust machines. Plus I'm self taught.

I never had a machine with snipe.

A $10 indicator, button tip and a block of maple will set all rollers, pressure bar etc. Set your bedrolls at no more than .002".

What did you use to set the knives? The quickset gauge that came with many of those machines is more than enough. Anyone that says the knives have to be .001" within each other is making it up.

[George Flythe]

Something kinda like this: https://www.amazon.com/MLCS-9397-Jointer-Planer-Setting/dp/B001NXC6YQ
Do you mind recommending a product for me to build to be able to do this? I'm definitely a novice at calibrating these old school machines.

[Geoff Crimmins]

Here's a link to an overview of how to adjust a planer. Your planer may not have a pressure bar if it's one of the four-post type.
http://wiki.vintagemachinery.org/Getting%20Peak%20Planer%20Performance.ashx

If you don't have a dial indicator, you can usually get close enough with a block of wood cut to clear the bed rollers (if your planer has them) and some feeler gauges.

--Geoff

[Rick Lizek]

If it's like the Chang iron planer that I've worked on it most certainly does have a pressure bar. It's not a four poster. The pressure bar certainly describes the problem he's having with his planer.