Ok machinery guys I need education ASAP.

[Kevin Jenness]

Timothy,

The settings in your manual seem a bit unusual. Typically, the chipbreaker is set below the cutting circle so that there is always some down pressure on the stock, and the pressure bar is set at the cutting circle, or slightly below in case of a spring-loaded bar. If the pressure bar is higher than the cutting circle it cannot hold down the stock as it exits the machine.

On my old Powermatic 160 the pressure bar is fixed with no spring and the height adjustment is a bit finicky. I actually fine-tune it while feeding stock through- too low and the feed stalls, too high and chatter ensues, just right and Papa Bear is happy. With a spring-loaded bar as on your machine it would seem that the bar should be a bit lower. It may be that you need to increase the spring pressure.

Have you looked at the manual I linked to above? content.powermatic.com › manuals › 1791267_man Is that the same as your machine?

[Mark Hennebury]

Forget the feed rollers and bed rollers for a minute, and think about it this way:

If you set the machine to cut a .750" and run a piece of lumber that is already .750" through the planer.

If you have the chipbreaker and pressure bar set higher say .752" they will not touch the wood at all and will allow the wood to lift into the cutterhead.
If you set them even with the cuttehead at .750" they will prevent the wood from lifting up, but will not be pressing down on the wood at all. And could allow the wood to lift into the cutterhead if the board is not fully supported.
If you set the chipbreaker and pressure bar at 0.748" they will apply down pressure to the wood, pressing it tight to the table.
Of course you can only set them correctly if your table is flat and your chipbreaker and presssure bar contact edges are flat,

So you need to set the chipbreaker and pressure bar below the cutting circle for them to work, how much below; you tinker around and find out what works best.

[Timothy McMahon]

Kevin, it is the same machine. I will definitely double check that was I reading the correct section of the manual and remembering the values it was providing. Maybe different version? The pressure bar is spring-loaded and did not make sense that it would be above the cutter.

[Timothy McMahon]

The latest version of the manual seems to be incorrect. https://content.powermatic.com/asset...261_man_EN.pdf

[David Kumm]

I don't know about this machine or manual but some literature references some measurement from the head and some from the knives. Chipbreakers might be set slightly above the knives but below the head. Depending on the springs, they might even be set below the knives. Dave

[Patrick Walsh]

Been busy with the new job and life in general.

An update to those curious and whom offered a helping hand.

I have the machine operating cutting absolutely zero snipe at this point. I will admit that once the workpiece travels past the infeed roll and cutterhead I do have to slightly persuade it out of the machine. Clearly more adjusting and a better understanding of adjusting a planer is needed but I’m kinda tickled pink I got the machine cutting literally no snipe.

When I say none I mean none.

How did I do it. More pressure on the outfeed roll and I raised the outfeed pressure bar slightly. I don’t know if that’s how it is supposed to work but it worked for me.

So thanks for the help guys as the added and various input, perspective and Knowledge allowed me to find my way through this. Well that and just refusing to accept a crap cut and continually screwing with the adjustments.

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[Mark Hennebury]

There are two kinds of people..... You are are the type that is driven to fix a problem. Congratulations Patrick.

[Darcy Warner]

Adjustments are a base/guideline I start there and tweak adjustments to suit the machine.

[Patrick Walsh]

Adjustments are a base/guideline I start there and tweak adjustments to suit the machine.

Darcy I tried a calling this last Friday.

You have any shapers around I’d be interested in availible ASAP.

You know t110.120-130

[Patrick Walsh]

Mark,

You always have a way of saying things to me that make me feel good about myself.

I like that about you

Honestly sometimes I think my instance to fix things and not settle is viewed more as a fault by the general population than asset. It works for me other than it doesn’t work for most lol..

There are two kinds of people..... You are are the type that is driven to fix a problem. Congratulations Patrick.