Brian Stelly
02-08-2021, 11:29 AM
Recently upgraded from Dewalt 735 to the Grizzly 1033X. It was a big step up but much needed for my home shop.
1033X was unboxed and assembled with little difficulty (other than the heavy weight !).
Thought I would run a couple boards to get an initial impression - was assuming the factory settings would be pretty close.
That’s when the problems started. First board (5/4 rough sewn white pine) stopped dead in its tracks when it hit the infeed roller. No problem - I’ll double check all the settings as recommended in the manual.
4 adjustments later and still not working as well as my previous Dewalt 735. Boards stuck at infeed roller, some twist as they go through, and others won’t exit the machine. I’ve tried 3/4 to 2 inch white pine, yellow pine, and walnut. Various widths.
So I called Grizzly Tech Support and was disappointed in their responses. Basically the guy was reading the manual (and very slowly at that). Really didn’t offer any help. When I asked why the infeed roller and chip breaker were set at same distance from cutters (0.040 BDC) - he said that’s what the factor sets them at. I asked if the chip breaker moves up (on a spring) similar to the infeed roller, and he said no, it was stationary. That doesn’t seem logical and seems the wood would “hit” or “scrape” the chip breaker when the infeed roller moves up on it’s spring. That probably explains the screeching noise I’m hearing and the orange paint on the wood. So - he recommended raising the breaker bar “a little bit” and see if that helps.
So for now, I will adjust as Tech Support suggested - but seems to be a guessing game at this point. I I’ve seen the Powermatic and Jet recommended setup distances, and am tempted to try those, but surely there is some engineering logic in the way the Grizzly machine is designed.
Another alternative - do you of you have previous experience and recommended settings for Grizzly 20” or similar planers ?
One last question - what to the bed rollers do other than help wood slide freely along the bed surface ? I thoroughly cleaned the cast iron sources with WD-40 and denatured alcohol and applied 3 coats of wax.
Thanks for any and all thoughts and recommendations.
1033X was unboxed and assembled with little difficulty (other than the heavy weight !).
Thought I would run a couple boards to get an initial impression - was assuming the factory settings would be pretty close.
That’s when the problems started. First board (5/4 rough sewn white pine) stopped dead in its tracks when it hit the infeed roller. No problem - I’ll double check all the settings as recommended in the manual.
4 adjustments later and still not working as well as my previous Dewalt 735. Boards stuck at infeed roller, some twist as they go through, and others won’t exit the machine. I’ve tried 3/4 to 2 inch white pine, yellow pine, and walnut. Various widths.
So I called Grizzly Tech Support and was disappointed in their responses. Basically the guy was reading the manual (and very slowly at that). Really didn’t offer any help. When I asked why the infeed roller and chip breaker were set at same distance from cutters (0.040 BDC) - he said that’s what the factor sets them at. I asked if the chip breaker moves up (on a spring) similar to the infeed roller, and he said no, it was stationary. That doesn’t seem logical and seems the wood would “hit” or “scrape” the chip breaker when the infeed roller moves up on it’s spring. That probably explains the screeching noise I’m hearing and the orange paint on the wood. So - he recommended raising the breaker bar “a little bit” and see if that helps.
So for now, I will adjust as Tech Support suggested - but seems to be a guessing game at this point. I I’ve seen the Powermatic and Jet recommended setup distances, and am tempted to try those, but surely there is some engineering logic in the way the Grizzly machine is designed.
Another alternative - do you of you have previous experience and recommended settings for Grizzly 20” or similar planers ?
One last question - what to the bed rollers do other than help wood slide freely along the bed surface ? I thoroughly cleaned the cast iron sources with WD-40 and denatured alcohol and applied 3 coats of wax.
Thanks for any and all thoughts and recommendations.