Minimax FS 30 planer/jointer

[jack dempsey]

Hello,
Does anyone have an idea on this situation with the FS 30. When in jointing mode everything works as it should. However, when trying to use the tool as a thickness planer then the machine will not turn on. I have looked all over for a safety switch or something that keeps the motor from turning on. But to no avail. I purchased this machine used a few years ago. It has worked fine in both modes until yesterday. I have a feeling that it is something obvious staring me in the face, but for the life of me I cannot seem to figure the problem. The manual leaves a lot to be desired. There basically is not trouble shooting section in the manual. I attempted to speak with a tech representative at SCM and was told I would need to register the machine at a cost of $850.00 to speak with a representative. Yes, $850. Thank You.

[Steve Jenkins]

Sounds like one of the stop switches has been pushed in. A slight twist and it will pop back out.

[Christopher Charles]

I think there is also a microswitch on the dust hood that flips over between changes, but I'm not positive. If so, try blowing it out with compressed air.

[roger wiegand]

I believe there are at least two safety switches, one that senses whether the dust hood has been flipped into place and another that senses whether the top is up or down. I suspect one of them will be your problem. Check the continuity of each with the machine in each position. (I'm not sure whether they should be open or closed, but it should change when you change modes.)

[Jim Becker]

Yes, whenever a Euro design machine fails to start up, especially after some kind of configuration adjustment, always suspect a microswitch somewhere first after you've confirmed the machine is "plugged in" and has power, of course. ;)

[Erik Loza]

OP, there’s a little metal floating bracket inside a cavity in the rear pillar casting that acts on pushrod, when the tables are lifted, to actuate a safety microswitch that is buried deeper inside the cabinet. Not uncommon for that to get gunked-up with sawdust, etc. You should be able to download a schematic for your machine from parts-pronto-dot-com, to locate it. This usually fixes it. Good luck,

Erik