16/32 platen not flat. Lower in the middle

[Mitchell Ristine]

I bought an older Performax 16/32. As you can see in the photos, the platen dips in middle (front to back). This causes my work to be thinner in the middle.

Are there any known fixes for this?
20211009_153209.jpg20211009_153215.jpg20211009_153223.jpg

[John TenEyck]

I had an old Foley Belsaw molder/planer where the cast iron bed dipped in the middle from side to side. Not exactly the same as yours but the same fix should work. I covered the bed with Bondo, scraped and sanded it flat, and skinned it with a sheet of SS. I used it for 4 years like that with no issues before I sold it. Other than replace the bed entirely I can't think of another solution.

John