What to look for when tuning up a planer?

[Marshall Harrison]

I just purchased a 13" Delta planer from a friend today. I would love to do a little cleanup, maintenance and tuneup on it before putting it to use.

The question is what should I do to clean it up and then tune it up so that I can get the best use out of it? I know the rollers on planers can get gummed up with chips but how do I clean them and with what?

Thanks.

[Matthew Hills]

Is this the lunchbox planer or a heavy planer?

Have you done any test cuts? what did things look like?

All: you'll want sharp knives

lunchbox: clean and wax the tables that the wood runs on, and adjust the tables (should be level side-to-side, and a slight elevation at the ends if often recommended -- just enough to minimize snipe)

heavy planer: look for article and video by Bob Vaughan, as there are a lot more potential adjustments with manually-aligned knives and rollers.

Matt

[glenn bradley]

I will assume this is the Delta ShopMaster lunchbox (notoriously known as the SnipeMaster). To start, you'll want:


Rubber (or the chemically tolerant material of your choice) gloves.
non-woven (scotch brite) pads
Mineral Spirits
Alcohol (Isopropyl or DNA will do)
Paste Wax
Nylon brush (toothbrush-like)
Paper towels or shop rags


I put the mineral spirits in a spray bottle. As a matter of fact I have a spray bottle of this handy near the sink pretty much all the time. Put on the gloves, spray some mineral spirits on a rag and wipe down the four vertical posts. If they are rusty or gunky, use the scotch-brite to scrub them down. You want them nice and smooth and clean.

I pull the knives when I am cleaning things but, that's up to you. Raise the head all the way and clean the cutterhead and surrounding area. I used to set mine on its side for this. It was easier to get the mineral spirits sprayed in and access with the brush. If you have compressed air, blow everything out and repeat if necessary.

Set the unit on its feet and wax the table/platen. Wax or otherwise lube the vertical posts. Now clean the rubber rollers with alcohol and paper towels or shop rags. Replace or re-install the knives if removed.

Give it a test run. Don't kill yourself trying to get rid of snipe on that model. It has no carriage lock and you can drive yourself crazy trying to over come that. There may be user adjustable settings for parallelism but, I will refer you to the manual for that.

[Marshall Harrison]

Its the lunch box planer Delta TP305 and I paid $85 for it so even with snipe its still a good deal.

Thanks, this is the kind of info I was looking for. I assume I should use Johnsons Paste Wax and like on a table saw that silicon could taint the wood.

Had lunch with a friend today and he will letting me "borrow" his jointer for my shop and giving me some oak, walnut and pine.

[Marshall Harrison]

Picked up the necessary cleaning and polishing supply today. Will start the rehab tomorrow. Hot to stay around the house tomorrow as I plan to smoke a Boston butt on the BGE.

Thanks for the suggestions on what to do. I also looked at some videos on Youtube and read the manual to know how to align the tables etc.

[Matthew Hills]

Sounds like you’ll have some fun—having a planer really opens up your design options.

Snipe is a bit annoying. If you have plenty of material, cut it long, mill to thickness, and then cut to final length. I’ve had some success reducing snipe by feeding boards sequentially, so the head doesn’t rock, but it is a bit of a hassle.

Either way, sounds like you got it for a good price. Have fun