Another Delta 380 Planer question

[Vince Shriver]

I am eventually going to install the Byrd cutterhead on this machine. My immediate concern is that the planner leaves a snipe at the end of the stock. It seems silly (wasteful) to plan for the snipe so I can cut it off after I plane a board. What can I do, if anything, to eliminate that? I was thinking of maybe building a better infeed/outfeed table for it. Anybody?

[Fred Hargis]

On mine, if I lock the cutterhead it doesn't snipe. that's not all that convenient to do when you your planing down the stock, so I sometimes just lift the end as the board comes out of the planer. You could also adjust the far end end of the outfeed table up slightly to do the same thing.

[Jake Helmboldt]

Vince, did you set the in/outfeed tables properly? They should be just slightly higher than the actual planer bed. I had to adjust one of mine, and with the cutterhead lock I very rarely experience any snipe.

[Ron Bontz]

Hi Vince. I have the DC380 as well. I still run the HSS blades as I rarely plane figured wood and can not justify the cost. My blades do a very nice job. I also leave mine on the slower setting. The locks help but don't prevent all snipe. I too adjust my out feed and extra supports in a slightly up hill fashion. I replaced my in feed and out feed tables with as long as would allow and still hinge. I also applied aluminum outside corner edging slightly higher to act as a guide. Otherwise I either use a sacrificial scrap board to pass through the planer along side the good piece or as mentioned before simply raise up on the board slightly as it gets close to the end. When gluing up panels I often leave the center piece longer to support the rollers as the wood enters and exits the planer. Still a little bit of waste but not as dominate. I won't get in to the mechanics as to why snipe occurs. Hope this helps.:)