All
I bought the 13″ 2 speed Delta planer (22-580) last winter with my Christmas money.
We do mostly remodeling and I have always gotten by without a planer. So with my Christmas money, and some of my own I decided to get something fun. I’ve always wanted a planer.
I read some reports here about problems with the DeWalt and most guys said they had run thousands of ft thru their Deltas. Our local tool store carried DeWalt and Delta.
About 10 years ago a friend let me babysit his single speed Delta for a year and I had no problems with it.
Well I choose the Delta and from the beginning it has been a disappointment.
We have used it very lightly, mostly just cleaning up the saw marks on the edge of stiles and rails.
Any time I have tried to run wide stock thru it I have problems with it feeding.
Paying work was always more pressing than finding the solution, but now I am ready to find the problem.
I did some searching on this site and Knots and it seems to be fairly common. The solutions are to clean the rollers, (did that many times), warm up the rollers with a heat gun, sharpen the blades and wax the bed.
Before I start trying to adjust the outfeed roller, has anyone else had this problem? How have you solved it?
If I wax the bed what do I use that won’t afffect the finish of the wood. Nothng worse that a bit of silicone or wax to screw up a finishing job.
Thank You for your help.
Rich
Replies
I have the Dewalt and I use mine about as much as it sounds like you do.
When the wood wont feed its usually either dirty rollers, or dirty table.I cant remember what you're supposed to use on the table but I think I just wiped the rollers with a damp cloth.
Family.....They're always there when they need you.
MSA
Thank you for the reply.
I have cleaned the rollers many times.
Old wood with a finish, (old church pews) seem to gum it up quickly.
We stopped doing that quickly too.
Rich
Try baby powder on the bed. Change the knives. I doubt its a roller issue.
Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
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Sphere
I just haven't used the blades that much.
Maybe they are as bad a sawsall blades. Good for the 1st couple of minutes and then dull forever. LOL
I'll try the baby powder
Rich
I've got one and it's been a sweetheart -
only time it won't feed is if I try to take too deep a cut - generally when I get to a thick spot/end of rough lumber - dull cutters and hard wood will cause it to slip a bit -
have you referred to the manual? - I looked at mine when I first flipped the blades, don't know that I've ever referred to it again - probably ought to and see what it has to say about maintainance - does it give instructions for adjusting the feed rollers?
do remember it is a 'finishing' planer - hogging wide rough stuff needs to be approached with several light cuts -
David
have you referred to the manual?
I have it in front of me. You can adjust the outfeed rollers. they are supposed to be .0020" lower thatn the blade and they give you a procedure for checking it. I bought a feeler gauge tonight to do just that.
I haven't yet tried to change the blades. Like I said real light use. It will put a real nice finish on the 3/4" edge of rails.
hogging wide rough stuff needs to be approached with several light cuts
LOL this planer won't hog anything. I haven't even tried rough lumber. Just cleaned up stuff from the lumber yard that has a blemish, that sort of thing.
Rich
ya - there's something out of wack then - I can feed 12" rough oak and clean it up/dress it down - again, not 'hogging', but by adjusting the depth to knock off the high spots until it's flat - the knives never last as long as you would wish them to, of course - and they are not to be sharpened - since I'm usually not planing full width stuff, I generally do rough planing on the right half of the machine and then finish on the left - the infeed roller grabs pretty definitely - only time I have trouble is when there's a fat section to the workpiece and it clogs - it might be worth checking and making sure the knives are installed correctly - it would be hard to mess it up, since they set on index pins, but gawd knows the factory help could have had a bad day - "there's enough for everyone"
David
Thanks
Rich
David,I sharpen those knives all the time. Duck bill vise grips and some worn 80 and 120 grit on the belt sander. Finish off with a few licks on a diamond stone and you can shave with them. Takes maybe 2 minutes a side.I learned this when we planed a few thousand feet of heart pine. Went through a dozen sets of knives a day.KK
agreed - it can be done - and the situation you describe is just the time to do it - the greatest value the machine has for me is leaving the 'no sanding' finish - I can't consistently return an edge to the knives that allows that - usually, I'll do the pile, then flip the knives for the last pass with a fresh edge - very sweet - if I've got a big enough ugly pile to start, the redressed knives are indeed a money saver - I do a lot of poplar - run all day on an edge - I remember doing a white oak job once - knives dulled almost immediately, even being careful with very conservative cuts - ended up finishing them with a hand plane to get the surface I needed - "there's enough for everyone"
I had some problems with my Delta 2 speed. The drive belt cover would not allow the belt to flex at full speed. I removed the plastic cover and it works like a charm.
gordsco
OK.
I am going to the shop tonight to do some serious investigation and I will give that a look see.
Thank you.
I friend of mine gave me some 50 year old cross arms from power lines. Originally they were 2 1/4" x 10" x 24' long Doug fir.
I just have some 4' and 8' pieces.
My son wants to do a project for is girlfriend, so I said lets mill some of that up and see what it lookes like. So we cut it into 1" x 4" a nd 2" x 2" on the table saw.
Now we would like to plane it smooth.
It's real pretty stuff.
Rich
I have that planer and it works fine for me. I did have a problem with feeding briefly until I discovered that it has a tendency to drop out of gear on finishing cuts. I readjusted the shift lever and now keep an eye on it. It still moves occasionally on it's own and needs to be pushed home again.
observer
We worked on it tonight.
Finishing gear takes an extra nudge to get it over.
We set the outfeed roller a little lower.
We thu the Doug Fir OK, a few hang ups. Not a real stong feed.
Setting the outfeed roller even lower still did not help and make it worse.
Finally found what we thought would work.
Then we trieda 1x8 x 3' pc of oak finished.
It did not want to feed thru at all. Even after we pulled it thru, tried to run it again with the blade barely touching and it did not want to feed. Rollers were clean. didn't try the baby powder yet. i just pulled it out and set on the dresser.
I'm going to bed.
Rich
One more suggestion. Try waxing the bed.I do it as regular maintenance and have found that it causes no problems with finishing later. It does really make a difference.
Wax, talc, Top Coat and soap all help a lot..my latest find is Powdered Mica, used for lubing bullets when reloading..man it's a cool slippery product.
Most stearated sandpaper is a soap product, and some waterbased finishes don't play well with that sandpaper..but the small amt transfered to the stock when planing ( of wax or soap) is negligable. Never, ever, use Armor All or Pledge with Silicone, don't ask. LOLSpheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
Where would a guy find some of that stuff? Does the effect from application last very long?
I'll get it outta the van in a little while..I got it from the guy that loads for me, and I know the name and 3 is on the jar.
Gimme a an hour or so..
Oh, it lasts about as long as wax, but no wait to buff or finish reactions. Feels like the stuff from a moth wing..that slick.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
Thanks. No rush.
Ok, I braved the mud and went out..LOL
Its Pure Ground Mica. From Frankford Arsenal Reloading Products.
5885 W.Van Horn Tavern Rd. Columbia, Mo. 65203
1-877-509-9160
I have a 4 Oz. jar and it goes pretty far..no ideer on cost, my buddy gives it to me.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
Thanks. I'll see if I can track it or an equivalent down in one of the three gun stores we have in Canada.
observer
What kind of wax?
Rich
I use this stuff: http://www.rockler.com/product.cfm?page=17370&cookietest=1 but any kind of paste wax should do it. I use it on tablesaw, jointer and planer. The difference is really apparent on the jointer where the wood surface is rough and uneven and I'm the feed motor. I use a rubber cleaner that I got from a tire repair shop to clean the oils and resins from the feed roll about once a year.Because there aren't bed rollers on this Delta, it does seem that friction from the bed is more of a factor than other planers I've used although snipe is much less an issue as a consequence of their absence. Lowering the feed roll for increased drive pressure will increase the pressure of the stock on the bed and makes the friction situation worse.
observer
Thanks
Rich
That was just one of the issues I had with mine and I eventually got rid of my 2 Delta's and bought a Grizzly.
Since then I've planned more than 40,000 bd.ft. of hardwood with mine and in 7 years only bought one belt (locally at NAPA, cost about $5.00 and took about 5 minutes to install)
I can run 20 inch wide boards thru mine with no problem. Big heavy timbers don't bother it and other than blowing the chips off it I've done zero maintinace. (except replacing blades as they get dull).
frenchy
Now I really feel good. LOL
I am beginning to feel like the guy at Knots was right, these are great door stops.
Rich
I speak from planing literally miles of wood and even composites.
NEVER plane a painted or finished hunk of anything. Period. Most finishes will soften with heat, build up at the knife, cause slipping and MORE heat ( the discharging chips dissapate heat) and more headaches.
Besides, church pews? Think of all the farts you unleashed!Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
I've got a few of the Delta small industrial type machines. Its not in front of me so I don't know if your planer is the same as mine......... 220 volt, I think it is 2-3 H.P. , 13 ". Anyway, I had a lot of trouble in the beginning with it. Finally, after noticing rubber coming out of the belt housing , realized that the belts ( 3 of them) need real adjusting, and replacing them helped even more. I've had belt issues on my Delta shaper as well. After replacing and tightening, I've had no trouble since. Me thinks its a factory/assembly issue. Hope this helps....
midlebury
After gordo's reply I thought we should check out the belt housing.
Well mine is a chain drive. I cannot see that they should "slip".
I am ready to take it to a factory service center and complain.
Rich
After gordo's reply I thought we should check out the belt housing. Well mine is a chain drive. I cannot see that they should "slip".
I'm not familiar with your planer, but it's unlikely that the main drive is a chain. You may be looking at the roller drive??
Do you see a belt drive from the motor? Dull knives and loose belt drives are the most common cause of your problem in my experience.
BoJangles
Maybe that wasn't the main drive.
But the rollers were chain driven. (on the left hand side)
My son knicked his knuclle on the blades and they sliced a real thin bit of skin off.
I think Delta has a problem with the rubber composition of the rollers.
Thanks for the help.
Rich
sphere
I did that once, and I realized that it gummed up the rollers.
Rich
Ok , one other idea. BTW, I have the DeWalt 3 knife , 2 speed.
I also have an OLD AH-113 Ryobi, 12.5" Planer and 6.5" long bed jointer combo machine. I use that one for 90% of my work, I save the DW for final finish.
Anyway, the AH-113 has bed rollers, they are handy for rough stock, but with finer work they'd often induce snipe..lowering them all the way is the answer, but when ya need them, resetting is a chore. So, I took a hunk of Lumber Core Birch Ply wood and made a bed board, it has a cleat to keep it from riding thru along with the stock. I sealed and waxed the snot out of it.
When dry.and buffed, wax wont affect anything. This does the job intended and extends the bed length a tad more..makes for more accuracy somehow. try making a nice flat sub-bed and wax it up real good, I think your problems will go away. Steel beds don't hold the waxyness as well as smooth wood does.
The ONLY draw back is your read out gage will be off 3/4", oh, and it is possible to run off the edge of the knives, due to it not having a limit fence on the extremes..I most often feed at a diagonal, use the whole width of the knives, it helps them wear more evenly and keeps the load even and accuracy from side to side the same.
Try it, its fast and easy.Spheramid Enterprises Architectural Woodworks
Repairs, Remodeling, Restorations
They kill Prophets, for Profits.
Sphere
I am ready to take it to a factory service center and complain. cargin
But if that doesn't pan out then I will probably have to use the sled idea.
Sounds like a good one.
Rich
I have the same problem with my Delta when it is cold. I bring it into the house to warm up the night before I need it. It it is above 50 then it is okay. I have a no-name Chinese made one too that has knurled steel feed rollers that always feeds good. It doesn't leave as nice of a finish though.
Lee
My planer is in the shop.
When I am not using it I let it cool off to 45 -50 degrees.
Last night i fired up the furnace to 70 degrees and put small space heater on the be for about an hour.
Mixed results.
setting the outfeed roller a little lower then the factory setting helped.
But at the end of the night I tried that 3' piece of 1x8 oak and it wouldn't even pull it thru when the blade wasn't cutting. I felt resistance on the front roller and I knew that it engaged, when it stopped I raised the blade until it wouldn't cut, and the board just laid there with the rollers running. I still had to push it to get it to go thru.
Rich
Mine has to be inside overnight. I tried placing it in front of the shop heater and part of it got hot and some of it never warmed up. I use a kerosene salamander heater.
leeLamb
And I think that is a poor excuse for a planer. If I have to put a heat gun on the rollers before they will work in a 50-60 degree shop then I think I need to get a different one. Can you tell that I am frustrated with this machine.
I have seen a Grizzly work just fine in unheated buildings. 0-20 degrees.
Rich
it should work just fine - I use mine is a cool-cold shop any time - have you checked/flipped the knives?"there's enough for everyone"
David
have you checked/flipped the knives?
No
I will try that next.
Thank you
Rich
Edited 12/6/2008 2:15 pm ET by cargin
David and All
Planer is working well now.
I set the back roller slightly lower.
I waxed the table. That made a huge difference. I didn't want to believe that waxing the table would make a difference. I'm thick headed a guess.
The other thing I didn't want to believe was that my knifes were dull.
I changed them out tonight. I think they were beyond dull. Double thick headed.
The planer works great on that piece of 1x8x3' oak that I have been planing down to nothing.
I don't have any rough lumber, so I can't try it out on"hogging out" rough stock.
I tried sharpening the blade and I don't know how successful I was. I ended up just flipped them. (I did not come back into the house and read the earlier post on sharpening, which I will do shortly.) At $50 a pair it would be worth my time to find a way to sharpen them.
Thank you to all for helping with my planer learning curve. I have been in the trade for 25+ years but I have not worked around a planer very often. Most of my education has come the hard way. Thanks again.
Rich
David
I meant to post #46 to you and ended up sending it to myself.
Rich
dat's fine - Amazon has the knives for $39 to $44 (free shipping) depending on the day - always a good idea to have a spare set -good for ya - "there's enough for everyone"
Yep, I agree. I sold my old stationary planer because of space constraints. After I built a big garage/shop I decided to try a portable planer to conserve space and to be able to take it to job sites.
Lee
Thanks for the input.
Rich
For wax use a paste wax (even grocery stores seem to carry it). I keep a small rag in the can and keep the can nearby whenever using the table saw or planer.
Parafin can also be used but it goes on thicker and is wiped off onto the wood. Not really a problem as any sanding takes it off, but too much wax on the wood will get on the rollers and reduce their effectiveness.
I have a Delta single speed that's on it's last legs, but keeps on going with good quality cuts. The rollers are well worn and wax is the difference between the planer working or not.
Many planer feed and wide cutting problems seem to be the result of worn blades time and time again. With use you'll learn when it's time to change and keeping the blades sharp will take much of the load off the machine. It can take one piece of dirty wood to quickly dull a new set of blades. I used to go crazy in windy Wyoming planing oak that was stored outside where the dust/dirt would settle into the pores of the wood.
Beer was created so carpenters wouldn't rule the world.
Don
I waxed it tonight. Old can of wax with a rag still in it. LOL
It worked alot better.
I'll try changing the knifes tomorrow.
It planed D Fir tonight by had trouble with oak. Sounds like dull knifes.
Finish could have been better.
Rich
Make sure the two speed lever is engaged. Also my chain that turns the back roller was way too long so it was skipping on the gear until the cogs on said gear broke off. I found a new gear at Fix it.com and installed a half link for the
#410 chain.
I think he figured it out by now, the post and all the other comments were made 14 years ago. :-)
OTOH, even after 14 years, a lot of good advice.
Exactly.
I realize it was 14 years ago. I put in what worked for me. I am quite sure there are still planers like mine out there.