1/64th inch -does it matter

[Dave Malen]

Does your portable planer have any variation in stock thickness from side to side. My Makita 2012 (old model) will plane an eight inch wide board 1/64th thicker on one side than the other.
Dave

[Larry Wyble]

I just bought a delta prtable and it was off 1/16". I adjusted it to the proper
thickness by adjusting the blade carrier. There should be adjustments on each side of the unit. Remove the cover and take a look. Althoough 1/64th inch is pretty small difference. Depends on how criticle you want to get. ;)

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

0.064" is a lot a IMNSHO

[glenn bradley]

I'd have to adjust it. With my luck I'd have that 1/64th off on four different joints and end up off 1/4"

[Dave Malen]

Cliff,
What does that stand for?
Dave

[Larry Wyble]

In My Not So Humble Oppinion :D

[Bill Wyko]

I concur. 1/64th is still not dead knutz! I do segmented turning and that would be a disaster.:cool:

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

In My Not So Humble Oppinion :D

What he said.

[Dave Hale]

0.064" is a lot a IMNSHO


Isn't 1/64" = .015625"?

And isn't 1/64 pretty easily scraped after joining?

I say, if it's easy to adjust, do it. But if the adjustment is taking 2 or 3 knives and 'offsetting' them by 1/64", I'd plan on scraping a little bit after glueup.

[Jim Becker]

IMHO, yes, it matters in this example. Your boards should be exactly the same thickness across the board after you plane them...if both sides are not parallel...joinery will not be fun.

[David Weaver]

1/64th becomes 1/32nd, 1/16th, etc.

It always ends up being on something that supports trim that has a miter on it.

Read the manual and make it as good as it can possibly be. If that's 1/64th, then that's what it is. If it's less, then that's better and you won't get burned sanding and planing stuff, or having to force things together to glue.

[Ralph Barhorst]

If you can't adjust the head you can flip the board over and run it through one more time. The edges should then be the same thickness and the center of the board would be 1/128" thicker.

[John Piwaron]

1/64" is too much. BTW, that's 0.015625"

While not so easily seen in terms of looking at a board's thickness, imagine if you will a mitered corner. You would most definitely see a 1/64" (0.015625") gap. Or a gap in any other joint.

BTW, I once had a planer that did that. I adjusted until I got it to plane to an even thickness all the way across.

[Dave Malen]

I called Makita tech today and was told there are no adjustments possible with this planer except adjusting the extension tables. Which I had already done. I guess its time to buy a new one. or do as Ralph says Just flip the board and put it through twice. Actually I've been doing this. I just am a little anal about my machinery working up to spec. So maybe it's the new makita or a dewalt 735 ( although I'm concerned about the blade issue and noise issue)
Thanks,
Dave

[John Piwaron]

I recall that my Ryobi AP-10 also did not have adjustments for that, though I didn't let that stop me.

I felt that when Ryobi designed the planer, they would have set the cutter unit parallel to the bed and made the rods raise and lower it evenly. They would NOT have set out to make something that couldn't do what was expected of it.

On that planer, I saw that the handle turned a rod with a bevel gear at each end that engaged a bevel gear attached to a threaded rod on either side of the actual cutter unit.

After looking at the number of threads on the rod and the number of teeth on the bevel gears, I determined that if I disengaged the gear pair on one side and rotated the bevel gear on the threaded rod by one tooth to raise (or lower) I got the planer to plane evenly thick across it's width.

This was definitely not a user friendly adjustment.

Maybe after carefully checking your planer over you could do something similar.

This wasn't a change outlined in the units instruction manual, but it certainly worked for me, and might work for you.

[Larry Wyble]

The delta I just bought is adjustable by the very method you said. At the bottom of the unit is the cross shaft that connects the 2 verticle adjusting screws together. Delta said to take the cross shaft loose and turn the adjusting handle at the top to get the cutter even at both ends, then reattach the cross shaft

[Dave Malen]

Larry and john,
The Makita doesn't have a cross shaft. It connects the two threaded rods that raise and lower the table with a chain attached to sprockets at the bottom of the rod. Doesn't look like its adjustable. Putting the stock in twice does get it even.
Dave

[Mike Langford]

Hey Dave,

I'd say go ahead and buy yourself a new planer :) and if you're going to throw that old, non-adjustable,out by 1/64" Makita planer away...Throw it down my way!! (I'll pay shipping :D)

[Dave Malen]

Never said I'd throw it away. But it might end up in the classified section.
Dave

[Mike Langford]

Who's this Mark feller? :confused: :D (I've been called worst!!)

[Dave Malen]

a senior moment!
Dave

[Joe Jensen]

Isn't 1/64" = .015625"?

And isn't 1/64 pretty easily scraped after joining?

I say, if it's easy to adjust, do it. But if the adjustment is taking 2 or 3 knives and 'offsetting' them by 1/64", I'd plan on scraping a little bit after glueup.

You're kidding right? Scrape everything you do, or spend an hour or so to adjust it right? I use my planer to make boards perfectly flat. Having one side thicker than the other almost negates the value of having a planer. Heck, why not just scrape everything ???

[Joe Jensen]

Larry and john,
The Makita doesn't have a cross shaft. It connects the two threaded rods that raise and lower the table with a chain attached to sprockets at the bottom of the rod. Doesn't look like its adjustable. Putting the stock in twice does get it even.
Dave

Can you losen the sprockets? I have a Powermatic, and it uses gears on shaft. To level the bed to the cutterhead, you losen one gear, and spin the shaft a little. Maybe this would work for yours too?

[David Weaver]

I called Makita tech today and was told there are no adjustments possible with this planer except adjusting the extension tables. Which I had already done. I guess its time to buy a new one. or do as Ralph says Just flip the board and put it through twice. Actually I've been doing this. I just am a little anal about my machinery working up to spec. So maybe it's the new makita or a dewalt 735 ( although I'm concerned about the blade issue and noise issue)
Thanks,
Dave

Don't rule out a delta 22-580. You can often find them for sale if you have a little patience, and mine does a great job for what it is. I think I got it refurb from toolking for $299 plus $7 shipping. I've probably only run 100 bf through it (of oak), but it does a really nice job, and it has two speeds (which to my best guess does nothing but put machine chatter marks closer together) and a cutterhead lock. Everything is adjustable on it, and the manual is pretty good. Blades are reversible - not sure yet if they're resharpenable, haven't had to go there yet. You can find blades for it pretty cheap (~$25) if you're willing to look around and not buy them at the last minute.

[John Piwaron]

Larry and john,
The Makita doesn't have a cross shaft. It connects the two threaded rods that raise and lower the table with a chain attached to sprockets at the bottom of the rod. Doesn't look like its adjustable. Putting the stock in twice does get it even.
Dave


Almost the same thing. Why not take the chain off one or the other sprocket and move it one tooth. That might be enough to get rid of the uneveness.

[Dave Malen]

to sell it on the classified section. John thanks for your encouragement but I'd rather buy a new one.
Dave

[Richard Daly]

Why don't you just make a sled with the 1/64 adjustment in it...all you would be losing would be 3/4....it's worth a try..STUBBY.. keep fingers out of joiners