My first post on this forum. I’ll get straight to the question…what is an acceptable level of snipe?
I have an early 80’s model Rockwell 13″ planer that I got from my dad when he upgraded to a 15″ Powermatic spiral head. The Rockwell has given years of reliable service and I have been proud to have it for the last few years. I have struggled with snipe over the last few years and I am wondering if it is something that can be adjusted out or do I just accept it? I hate wasting 8″s of a board to snipe, and I hate all the work arounds if its something that can be adjusted. I’ve adjusted both the infeed and outfeed tables and it made no appreciable difference.
I never hear anything about adjusting the feed rollers and I’m wondering if that would help. OR is this something everyone just lives with. So, in summary, what is considered and acceptable amount of snipe? I may be well within that tolerance and I am just expecting too much of these machines.
Replies
Did you watch the video series on machine set up on finewoodworking.com? The planer video shows how to set the feed rollers.
I agree all rollers as well as the chip breaker must be adjusted properly. The pressure bar is also important and requires careful adjustment- more so than the rollers. The piece, if long must also be supported straight in and out so as not to act as a lever which will cause snipe. You must also joint one the face of the board flat and feed down or you will probably get snipe. With a properly adjusted machine and prepared workpiece there should be no snipe at all.
thanks for the replies gentleman. I had forgotten about those videos and went back and watched them. Now I just need to get out there and make those adjustments
"what is considered and acceptable amount of snipe?
The correct answer is zero. The real problem is that getting there is a combination of optimal adjustment of any particular machine and eliminating "operator error" within the design parameters of the equipment. Operator error is defined as ignoring the needs of the operation.
It's not hyperbole to say that any thickness planer should be able to be adjusted so that snipe is unmeasurable (and not visually apparent either) at the leading edge of the board or the trailing edge. However, bigger, heavier machines have an advantage in the geometry and configuration of the infeed and outfeed tables compared to small machines. The "lunchbox" variety suffer most due to very short tables. It's possible that a very large machine can be adjusted so well that the operator need do nothing more than place the stock on the infeed side and let the machine take it through the cut and push it out onto the outfeed table with no operator intervention whatever and the board will show absolutely no snipe.
But the reality is that the design of a thickness planer is such that the operator *must* give the machine and the stock some "assistance" or the last little bit of snipe will always result, especially with long boards, no matter how well the machine is tuned.
Snipe on the leading edge is caused by the knives rotating opposite to and upwards of the board's travel and catching the board's front edge and lifting it slightly off the feed table.
It's the job of the infeed roller to hold the board down and push it forward into the knife head. But it can't always defeat the uplift from the cutter. Infeed snipe will be exactly as long as the distance between the centers of the infeed roller and the cutting head. As soon as the board is under the center of the cutting head, the upward pull is no longer able to be exerted.
Adding to the problem is an unsupported back end of a board hanging down below the the level of the infeed table. If the back end hangs down, the front end flexes upward, adding to the problem as the board meets the upward moving knives. With a short infeed table this effect is greatly magnified. A long infeed table may eliminate this part of the problem.
Pushing the work *very* firmly down on the infeed table while starting to feed it and actually pulling upward slightly on the trailing end and holding the trailing end upwards until the board is well beyond the outfeed roller(s) can remove infeed snipe even when a machine is poorly adjusted. On a well adjusted machine, it can be the difference between "very good" and perfect. The technique becomes easy second nature after a few repetitions.
Outfeed snipe is caused by an unsupported leading edge of a board drooping down beyond the the outfeed table, flexing the board and the trailing end up into the knives as the trailing edge leaves the infeed roller. The snipe length is exactly the distance between the infeed roller and the knife head.
Supporting the board beyond the end of the outfeed table and actually flexing it slightly upward can eliminate such snipe in a well-adjusted machine and either eliminate it or reduce it greatly in a machine that still needs better adjustment.
Rich
I agree with rich4242. Well said. I would add that there are methods to avoid snipe 100%. The first and the one I use the most is to hot melt glue some sacrificial pieces of about 1/2" wide and the same thickness as the workpiece onto each side of both ends of the workpiece. These should extend beyond the ends about 4"-6" and however far down the side sufficient to hold them on. The sacrificial pieces will then be the first and last to go through the cutter and will prevent any snipe on the workpiece itself.
A second way to accomplish the same is to feed a small sacrificial piece of the same thickness in ahead of the workpiece and again, another one following the workpiece. This works the same way but, you have to be quick so that there is no appreciable space between the sacrificial pieces and the workpiece.
I have one of those "lunchbox" DeWalt planers, I think it's the 734, and I've never had snipe trouble with it since new. The tables were adjusted perfectly and I've never touched the rollers. So it's possible to get excellent results with the less expensive planers. This planer came with the disposable knives and I haven't even swapped them around after planing a lot of hardwood through it for the past 5 years.
The only time I got snipe was when I tried to wrestle the board vertically while feeding it. You want to feed it through as horizontal, throughout the run, as possible. Obviously, proper table height will assist with that. When I am planing a long board, say 4 feet or more, I support the end while infeeding, then around the middle of it I walk around and support the outfeeding end. Not a lot, just enough so there's no sag in the operation.
Excellent results for five years and still going.
This is so refreshing. Too often I see responses of "snipe is unavoidable" and "lop a few inches of your material off of each end when you're done planing". Reading replies like that makes my hair hurt. Thanks to all of you who responded constructively.
I do not accept snipe from my machines (I also have banished all 'bandsaw drift' gremlins). The time required to properly adjust your machines will pay dividends every time you get to use them with confidence in the outcome.
Lots of good info here already on how to increase your chances of success. My favorite; material support. Good support can help with long OR with heavy material. Too often we are tempted to not take a few moments and set up some roller stands or other support helpers. Please let us know how things turn out once you have dialed things in a bit.
I have had 3 planers over the years; my current one is a 26" Buss industrial model that I reconditioned many years ago. I almost never get any noticeable snipe. Here are the factors:
1) The bed rollers need to be adjusted to be about 0.004" above the level of the bed (which, by the way, should not be appreciably worn in the middle.) 0.004" is about the thickness of a piece of normal paper.
2) The pressure bar needs to be adjusted to EXACTLY the height of the cutting circle of the cutter head. It also needs to not be appreciably worn in the middle. Mine has adjustable spring loading; I set mine pretty high.
3) The upper feed rollers need to be set to factory specs, typically 1/16" lower than the cutting circle, but it varies.
The first two are the most important settings for avoiding snipe. On the trailing end of a board, if the lower outfeed roller is set high, the board can pivot over it after the trailing end leaves the upper infeed roller. At 0.004", there is no appreciable pivoting. And the pressure bar also prevents the end pivoting upwards.
There is a cost to adjustments this close; you must keep your planer bed and pressure bar waxed to help the wood move thru. It is also harder for the feed to push thru boards that have not been jointed flat and smooth on a jointer before thickness planing.
Good luck and happy planing!
JHarveyB
I honestly had not looked at this post in awhile and came across it again this morning. I have made a few changes in the last year to the planer and I am real happy with the results that I am getting. I changed to a Byrd segmented head and the results are amazing. I like working with figured woods and the old head would really tear out certain sections and require a lot of work to fix it. Now that's not a problem. I also spent a lot of time dialing in the settings and rarely do I see snipe now.
Its most noticeable when I am switching between hard wood and soft woods. I have it set so there is a certain amount of pressure that fits hard woods better but is almost too hard if I run pine or cedar through. If I take some of the pressure off I can run soft woods fine but now there is not enough pressure and it leaves snipe on the hardwood. Im still trying to figure that out. All of these suggestions have been helpful. But the most helpful is the idea that the machines can be set up to virtually eliminate snipe.
Snipe is usually caused by the board tilting upward into the knives as the end passes by the infeed roller.
If you're planer has bed rollers, adjust them down below the level of the table.
Infeed/outfeed support. This can be in the form of an extended table, a roller stand, or simply upward force by hand as the board enters or exits.
One or both of these should solve the issue.
I have the same planer. It is Rockwell RC-33 and came in a few models: 22650, 22651, 22655. I think the DC-33 is essentially the same (Delta version).
First step is to make sure the machine is set up correct.
Here is a link to RC-33 documents and video: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1_Qm84_ZeMmsxgP-hHsI-Ppf39kiUOEU3?usp=sharing
Assuming machine is properly adjusted, and stock is being supported on the way in and way, and you still get snipe, try placing the stock on a piece of MDF that is at least 2 feet longer than the stock. This will allow the MDF to register on the bed before the stock engages. I have found this makes a big difference on thin stock.
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