Outfeed problem with new G0634XP Combination Jointer/Planer

[Tom Moll]

I am hoping someone out there can assist. After researching and deciding on the G0634XP Combination Jointer/Planer, I placed an order with Grizzly in late August. The machine was back ordered and we had some shipment delays. I finally received it the first week of October and anxiously set it up and started making some sawdust. To my dismay, the outfeed roller on the planer was leaving a pattern of dots in the wood. I’m not sure why, but the outfeed roller is a spring loaded knurled steel roller. I backed off the spring tension to zero and still got some marks. I’ll try to attach photos. I called Grizzly. I’ve never had issues with their product and found them solid and reputable. The first thing they told me was I had the wrong outfeed roller. The one on their show room floor was not knurled. Then a week later, they said it was the right one – they had changed the design. They would check with the engineers at the factory and get back to me. It has been several weeks and they say they are still waiting for the response but no one else has had this problem. So I’m in limbo. I splurged on a machine that is sitting idle because I can’t get a smooth surface from it.
Has anyone experienced this issue? Any suggestions on getting this resolved? As of now, Grizzly hasn’t been responsive. I don’t understand why they would make the outfeed roller with such an aggressive pattern. It defeats the purpose of those nice spiral carbide cutters. Have I missed something in setup? I’m sickened that I’ve spent so much money and this beast is just sitting there.
419070419071

[mreza Salav]

Out feed roller isn't supposed to be like that, it will leave marks on the surface no matter how low the tension. I can see some people would argue the planer is not supposed to produce a finish ready surface but I tend to think its a poor design. I would expect to have an answer from them that will fix the issue (perhaps replacing this with a different roller).

[glenn bradley]

The outfeed roller is functioning as designed. I often chime in on threads where people are upgrading from finish-planers to floor models warning them of this feature. There were a few floor models sporting smooth outfeed rollers in the past and there are even more today. A sign that the industry is noticing the up-tick in home shops and the types of machines we now consider home shop machines maybe. ;-)

No one wants to buy a new machine just to start modifying it so, your choices may be as follows. Tell Grizzly that since you bought this machine based on the floor model, that is what you would like to get. If that is no longer possible they should take the machine back. If you're willing to do the work, you could ask that they swap you the roller out of the "old design" floor model with your "new design" machine.

There are also places that provide replacement rollers that are rubberized but, that is starting down a whole different road. Fundamentally the machine you received is not the one you saw, therefor Grizzly should make it right one way or the other. If you return the machine and start looking elsewhere you will know to assure a smooth roller is present on the current offering. Another option is to keep a lunchbox finish-planer around for softer material.

I have the rollers on my G0453Z backed way off from the factory default which is set for initial milling of rough material. This gives me a smooth finish except for softer woods. This is not an issue for me as I do a lot of surface work on material between the machines and the finish going on. If you are looking for a finish-planer type of surface I do not believe the machine you show is going to make you happy.

[Edward Dyas]

I am hoping someone out there can assist. After researching and deciding on the G0634XP Combination Jointer/Planer, I placed an order with Grizzly in late August. The machine was back ordered and we had some shipment delays. I finally received it the first week of October and anxiously set it up and started making some sawdust. To my dismay, the outfeed roller on the planer was leaving a pattern of dots in the wood. I’m not sure why, but the outfeed roller is a spring loaded knurled steel roller. I backed off the spring tension to zero and still got some marks. I’ll try to attach photos. I called Grizzly. I’ve never had issues with their product and found them solid and reputable. The first thing they told me was I had the wrong outfeed roller. The one on their show room floor was not knurled. Then a week later, they said it was the right one – they had changed the design. They would check with the engineers at the factory and get back to me. It has been several weeks and they say they are still waiting for the response but no one else has had this problem. So I’m in limbo. I splurged on a machine that is sitting idle because I can’t get a smooth surface from it.
Has anyone experienced this issue? Any suggestions on getting this resolved? As of now, Grizzly hasn’t been responsive. I don’t understand why they would make the outfeed roller with such an aggressive pattern. It defeats the purpose of those nice spiral carbide cutters. Have I missed something in setup? I’m sickened that I’ve spent so much money and this beast is just sitting there.
419070419071What does the infeed roller look like. It's the one that should be textured. The outfeed roller should be smooth. I'm wondering if somehow the rollers got reversed.

[Tom Moll]

Glenn - Unfortunately for me, I think you are correct.
I'm going to ask about swapping out rollers. So far, I'm disappointed in their responsiveness.
Thanks for your comments.

[Earl McLain]

That was my thought when i looked at picture #2.
earl

[glenn bradley]

So far, I'm disappointed in their responsiveness.

I find narrowing the focus of the conversation helps to move things along. In your case, my position would be "The machine I received is different than the floor model I based my purchase decision on". I would not let a lot of time go by between conversations. They need to know that you are unhappy and want the issue resolved ASAP. I am not saying you should be a demanding jerk. I am saying that you should state simply and civilly that you did not get what you thought you ordered and you would like to know what the next logical step to resolve the issue is.

[Bill Dufour]

My Parks planer designed built around 1930 -1980 has. a solid smooth outfeed roller. That looks like my infeed roller to me. A better machine would have a segmented infeed roller with those serations.
Bil lD.

[Rod Sheridan]

I agree with Glenn, indicate you want the machine you ordered, not the one you received.

It's odd, many planers have rubber outfeed rollers as options, or more than one outfeed roller, not sure why they would put a knurled outfeed roller on a planer like that........Rod.

[Curt Harms]

Agree with the others, Grizzly needs to step up. I have a Jet JJP-12, the infeed is serrated, the outfeed is a hard rubber sleeve on a steel shaft. The only marks I get are from the infeed roller if I remove less than the depth of the infeed roller marks. If Grizzly can't or won't fix it to your satisfaction, maybe get a price for a replacement smooth outfeed roller and ask for a partial refund including something for your labor and aggravation. I'm not sure where to look for replacement rollers.

[Tom Moll]

For those who can’t see the photos, the infeed roller is a serrated spiral and the outfeed is a kurled roller with pretty sharp points.

I have asked for a smooth roller replacement but they no longer make that part. The support people in the USA seem to understand the problem. But say they have sold a ton of these machines and never had complaints. I think because it is a basic design issue, they are trying to get feedback from the factory engineers overseas and for some reason they aren’t responding or getting an answer. I call them twice a day and am losing patience.

Thanks for the support. I’ll let you know how it gets resolved but in the meantime, I cannot recommend this machine, or its variants.

[mreza Salav]

For those who can’t see the photos, the infeed roller is a serrated spiral and the outfeed is a kurled roller with pretty sharp points.

I have asked for a smooth roller replacement but they no longer make that part. The support people in the USA seem to understand the problem. But say they have sold a ton of these machines and never had complaints. I think because it is a basic design issue, they are trying to get feedback from the factory engineers overseas and for some reason they aren’t responding or getting an answer. I call them twice a day and am losing patience.

Thanks for the support. I’ll let you know how it gets resolved but in the meantime, I cannot recommend this machine, or its variants.

Try to escalate it higher in the CS department and talk to a manager. The simple fact that what you got is not what was in the show room is grounds to get the issue solved to your satisfaction. I can't understand arguments that "others have not complained". I have a Minimax J/P and the outfeed rollers are smooth. The only time I see those marks is from the infeed rollers if I don't take a deep enough pass.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

The only time I see those marks is from the infeed rollers if I don't take a deep enough pass.

Bingo!!!

Same experience I had when I moved from a lunchbox planer.
I can no longer make a kiss pass with soft lumber.

[Derek Arita]

Sounds crazy to me. No matter how deep your cut is, if the outfeed roller is making contact and pulling the workpiece thru, it's likely going to leave marks. Question is, is that outfeed roller there to pull the work piece or to simply hold the workpiece down to the table. If the latter is the case, it can be adjusted to make light contact with the workpiece, not actually pressing into it.
In fact, the more I look at that roller, the more I think that's the case. Adjust that outfeed roller to make lighter contact.

[Tom Moll]

After lots of back and forth with Grizzly, they took a knurled outfeed roller part and machined off the knurling. It was a pretty crude job with the diameter variance along the length of up to 0.012" (the original part was nearly zero). I took the machine apart and swapped rollers. With the modified roller, the pock marks from the knurling are gone and the wood surface is very smooth. I've had to crank down the out feed roller tension to prevent slippage which results in a bit of snipe but I think it will be OK. They told me that all their machines now have knurled outfeed rollers and they are not meant to be finish planers. I did a lot of research before ordering and never saw mention of this "design feature". I don't know when they made the change from the smooth to knurled but they told me they have had no complaints.

Grizzly admitted the marks I was getting were excessive and they speculate the knurling on my original roller was too sharp. I'm not so sure. I sent the part back as requested for their review. I doubt I'll get any feedback. I have ordered a new spare knurled roller just for curiosity and maybe a modification down the road.

So for anyone thinking about Grizzly planers, beware of this change. Overall, I believe this machine is a good value, just not what I expected. Their customer/tech support stuck with me to resolve my concerns. They were not prompt and I had to keep after them.

Thanks for the forum feedback and support. Now, back to woodworking.

[Curt Harms]

If it really bugs you, I wonder if you could have the spare roller turned down enough that you could put some sort of polyurethane or rubber coating on it? A company called Western Roller refurbishes stock feeder rollers and such. I wonder if they'd have any thoughts? Of course if things are working to your satisfaction why mess with it?

[Tom Moll]

Curt - Yes, that’s an option I had in mind. The part is backorder and it will probably be months before I see it. In the meantime, it seems to be working well.

[Ben Grefe]

It’s interesting that Grizzly has moved to all ‘rough finish’ out feed rollers as your post says. I have a 454Z that I bought a couple years ago and it came with a rubber coated outfeed roller. It also came with a sheet of paper indicating that this is a change. I really didn’t know one from the other when I bought it, but the rubber coated outfeed roller works great. I get a crystal clear finish off of it.

[Reginald Durant]

I also have the G0634XP. I had read about issues with their outfeed roller in this forum and other forums, so in April I spent over for hours on the phone with a sales rep and tech to be sure that the description online and in the manual was correct. Both the online description and the manual description with parts breakdown, lists a rubber outfeed roller, not the serrated steel roller. However when it arrived, not only were the hike down bolts missing or rolling around in the crate, but there were dents,a scrape and a possible bent leg. And worst of all, a steel serrated outfeed roller. I immediately for on the line with them, and the tech said no they don't come with rubber rollers. Even though the online description I read to him from the website said it did. And the manual which I read to him from the website said it did. And the parts list on the website says it does! And then continued to tell me he would send a jar of paint for the dents and bends and that everything, including the inability to make the tables in line and parallel with each other and that the teeth on the outfeed table were bent, were all within specs. So live with it. I immediately blanket emailed everyone at grizzly I could find the emails for, complaining about this situation that I thought I heard of by spending so much time in the phone before paying $3500 plus shipping. I received a reply withing the hour from corporate telling me they would be sending it the correct rubber outfeed roller. This was back in July. I just received the roller yesterday street having a 755 lb anchor in my workshop for 4 ½ months. It came tossed in a box without even parchment or oiled paper wrapping it to protect against corrosion... Which is already affecting one end. No protection for it at all. The rubber looks horrible and may be uneven.I will be checking out for consistency this weekend. But they also gave me no directions or instructions whatsoever on how to replace it. The manual only had instructions for increasing and decreasing the depth tension. So yes, definitely do not buy a grizzly anything if this is the level of customer support for a brand new customer that bought a 17" bandsaw, multiple blades, figure sets of board buddies, a bunch of other items and then this jointer planer. Just under $10,000 and hours of the phone making them laugh. Even when calling back in to report the issues I was sure to make them laugh. And still they really don't care about the customer that just spent half their savings on their products in order to start a new segment of their business to try to make some kind of income during 2020. I thought I found a new brand to be loyal to, after the interactions online before that last tech. But now, never grizzly ever again.

[Mike Kees]

It is stories like this that make me remember another reason I like to buy machinery used. I like to put my hands on equipment before I buy, at least if there are any issues I should see them before cash changes hands. I go in fully expecting to clean ,adjust and inspect everything before I use it. When you purchase new and still have to go through this kind of work that would be a downer. That said once the kinks are worked out most machines should work well for a long time. Hope that those machines work well for you guys once they are dialed in.

[Daniel O'Neill]

Thanks for the thread. I looked at this machine online this morning. I've been texting a guy on craigslist about an old Buss jointer. Looks like it needs a solid tune up which has me on the fence but what Mike Kees mentioned makes sense.

Perhaps they should have the delivery drivers trained in tune up and installation.

[Tom Moll]

It has been 1 year since my outfeed issues. Grizzly’s solution was to cut off the sharp points. It is still knurled but with blunt ends. It is working OK but if I take too big of bite, it slips and if I take a shallow cut, I get knurl marks. I’m sorry to hear they haven’t addressed the issue. I was a loyal customer but no more.

[Rob Judd]

Just reached out to Grizzly and received the following reply:


Dear Rob,

Thank you for your email dated April 9, 2021.

We appreciate your question about your Grizzly Order #XXXXXXfor a G0634XP - 12" 5 HP Planer/Jointer with Helical Cutterhead-Polar Bear Series (https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-12-5-hp-planer-jointer-with-helical-cutterhead-polar-bear-series/g0634xp), click the link to view. Click on the following link to view the G0634XP manual (https://cdn0.grizzly.com/manuals/g0634xp_m.pdf). The Reference #206 – Outfeed Roller is currently P0634Z206V2- Outfeed Roller V2.01.20 (https://www.grizzly.com/parts/grizzly-outfeed-roller-v2-01-20/p0634z206v2). This is version 2 of the roller and was implemented in January 2020. The version 1 part is steel, while the version 2 part is rubber-coated. All the current machines are shipping with rubber-coated outfeed rollers.

Please do not hesitate to contact us for further assistance. You are a valued customer and we look forward to serving your future woodworking and metalworking needs.
Sincerely,
Danny B.

[Tom Moll]

Interesting. I wish they would have notified previous owners of the knurled version. I will be replacing my ground down knurled roller with the new rubber coated version. Thanks

[Robert London]

Griz has a new version of that machine coming any day.

https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-12-5-hp-planer-jointer-with-v-helical-cutterhead/g0634x

[Rob Judd]

Griz has a new version of that machine coming any day.

https://www.grizzly.com/products/grizzly-12-5-hp-planer-jointer-with-v-helical-cutterhead/g0634x

I had no idea. You know, I like the green more than the white. Looks like the only difference between this and the XP is the v-shaped cutter head with 50% more cutters (attractive feature) and comes with a plug. Is it worth the almost $400 premium? Not sure.