Planer Feed Roller problems

[Kent Chasson]

I have a Jet Jointer/Planer JJP-12 that won't feed consistently. It'll be working fine one minute then will be sticky the next. Sometimes it stalls with the rollers still spinning, sometimes the spring loaded clutch jumps but it keeps feeding. (There is a clutch to engage the feed because it's a jointer/planer)

I've cleaned and lubed the table, adjusted the roller tension, cleaned the infeed roller. Seems like every time I do something, it works for a few minutes then gets sticky again.

As for the machine, no table rollers, serrated infeed roller, rubber outfeed. Best adjustment seems to be moderate to light spring pressure on the infeed, very light on outfeed.

The outfeed roller is a bit worn (or compressed) as it is smaller in diameter at the middle. I'm wondering if that's causing the rollers to be out of sync and fight each other. Outfeed feeding fewer fpm due to reduced diameter.

Any better ideas?

Thanks.

[Bill Dufour]

lower the outfeed roller, increase the tension on the input roller. Adjust and lube bed rollers, wax table. All the regular stuff

[Bradley Gray]

If the planer has a pressure bar between the cutter head and out feed rollers I suspect it is a little low.

[Kent Chasson]

Thanks, Bill and Bradley. I did try all the regular stuff several times but it's eluding me. No pressure roller or bed rollers to mess with. Bed rollers would probably solve it but it's worked fine for almost 10 years. New outfeed roller is on the way. Hope that fixes it.

[joe maday]

How about dull blades? Did you change them lately? I know they would cause similar problems on a "lunch-box" planer.

[Michelle Rich]

clean the bed and wax it.

[Lee Schierer]

clean the bed and wax it.

I do this each time I use my planer. It saves a lot of time and you don't have to pull lumber through the cut.

[Bill Adamsen]

Like Lee, I clean and wax frequently and that seems to keep things operating consistently. Different woods (and surfaces) seem to exhibit different amounts of friction and the wax seems to minimize that variable.

[Jacob Reverb]

clean the bed and wax it.

On my Foley/Belsaw planer/molder, I also clean the rubber drive roller by scrubbing with a rag and mineral spirits. This seems to give a little more grip.

When I first got the machine, I thought it needed new rubber roller(s) but when I called Foley/Belsaw, this was what the guy recommended.

[Kent Chasson]

Replaced the outfeed roller and it's back to normal again. Was dreading taking the whole machine apart but it only took 30 minutes. Helped that the cutterhead bearing came out pretty easily.

I'm sticking with my original theory that wear made it just enough smaller to be out of sync with the infeed roller so it wouldn't feed unless everything else was perfect.