Powermatic 15HH: Sometimes wood gets stuck

[Roger Feeley]

The bride bought me a 15HH for Christmas and I've had an intermittent problem with wood getting stuck. I finally had enough and decided to investigate. I waited till it happened, shut down the machine and clamped the wood to the lower bed to see exactly where it hung.

So there are two non-driven rollers in the lower bed just below the two drive rollers on the top. I have the lower rollers set fairly low, just a few thousandths above the bed. The bed is very nicely machined cast iron and the edge of the iron just after the first lower roller is razor sharp. The leading edge of the wood stopped right where the casting began again after the infeed roller.

I simply took a file and broke that sharp edge. I made a chamfer of maybe 1/64" and that seems to have solved the problem.

Comments? I can't see how I caused any problems. I know keeping the snipe away is a game of making those rollers as low as you can while still letting them help the wood move smoothly through the machine. So I really don't want to raise the rollers. It seems to be working ok now. I have no visible snipe and I can't feel anything. I'm thinking of getting back in there with a Foredom and making that chamfer a little bigger just to be thorough. I'm also thinking of doing the same thing to the out-feed roller.

I was getting kind of frustrated with the machine but it's pretty sweet now.

I love my wife. I don't drink, smoke, gamble or fool around. But I likes my tools. She willingly indulges my one vice (vise?).

[Bill Orbine]

Wax the tables. It is usually a sure fire cure. The tables needs to be waxed periodically depending on how much you use the machine.

[Matt Day]

I suggest lowering the rollers all the way below the table. It could be that the first roller pushes back of the wood up slightly which in turn noses down the leading edge down and gets stuck where you filed down.

So, lower the rollers, lube the bed.

[J.R. Rutter]

I did the same thing, for the same reasons, on a different planer. I don't see any downside to the tiny chamfer. Mine feeds best and has minimal snipe with the table rollers adjusted the way you described - so that they are right at or just a few thou proud of the table. And yeah, keep the tables waxed.

[Mike Kees]

J.R. what kind of wax do you use ?

[J.R. Rutter]

J.R. what kind of wax do you use ?

I just keep a block of paraffin sitting on the planer and rub it on the bed as needed. It doesn't last as long as a harder wax, but is quick and easy.

[Neil Gaskin]

I’ll second the paraffin wax. I use it on cast iron. It makes a big difference for little money and time.

[Rod Sheridan]

I use paste wax for floors, either Johnson's or Minwax........Rod.

[Mike Kees]

Thanks. I used paraffin on my portable planer but have never needed or tried it on my Delta.Funny I have put a lot of effort into tuning and adjusting all my major tools except my planer. Started on that this summer, thing just worked out of the box ,and I just used it.Mike.