Replies

1. 
   SCFrankland | Nov 26, 2003 05:14am | #1

   If the knives are set correctly than the next step should be to check your feed rollers. They maybe allowing the wood to jump inside the planer as the knives are cutting. I had this problem when I bought my planer. Plan to spend the better part of a afternoon working on it if this is the problem. Your manual should have the specks on how high the feed rollers should be in regards to the cutter.

   Scott C. Frankland

   "This all could have been prevented if their parents had just used birth control"

2. 
   BOBABEUI | Nov 26, 2003 05:22am | #2

   Hum, I am certainly no expert at setting up a surface planer... I cannot answer the question about the wavy material for certain.. Might be that you are attempting to take way too much material in one pass, I don't take much more than a 1/16 at time with my Delta.. The marks on the material are more than likely from the steel serrated infeed rollers.. From my experience the marks are normally removed if the knifes take some material on a pass through the machine.. You can adjust the pressure on the infeed roller to lessen the marks, but if you lessen the pressure too much the material will more than likely not feed through the machine correctly..

   Hope this helps

1. 
   jazzdogg | Nov 26, 2003 06:22am | #3

   "Might be that you are attempting to take way too much material in one pass, I don't take much more than a 1/16 at time with my Delta.. The marks on the material are more than likely from the steel serrated infeed rollers.. From my experience the marks are normally removed if the knifes take some material on a pass through the machine"

   Bobabeui,

   In my experience, "tractor marks" from the infeed rollers generally occur when too light a pass is taken and the serrations penetrate the wood more deeply than the knives are set to cut. That being said, however, I've only experienced tractor marks when taking very light passes of, say, 1/64". I generally adjust my thickness planer to remove 1/32" ,or less, per pass - unless I'm planing softwood. I don't experience tractor marks when planing at least 1/32" per pass.

   If the knives have been checked with a dial indicator and found properly adjusted, I'd check the rollers and table alignment next.

   PaulWhether you think you can, or you think you can't, you're right.

1. 
   numbfinger | Nov 26, 2003 11:27pm | #4

   Hey, thanks guys...

   The serrations were definitely from the infeed. I adjusted and readjusted to the point where that problem is taken care of. Even taking of a 64th or less there are no "tractor marks" anymore.

   I'm still having the wavy surface problem... seems worse the more material I try to remove. (I never take off more than an 1/8th or so)

   I'll try the roller adjustment as suggested.

   Thanks for all the help. You guys were definitely more helpful than the Powermatic folks themselves!

1. 
   Mackwood | Nov 26, 2003 11:53pm | #5

   PM,

   Are your knives still keen? Dulled knives will "hammer" away the wood instead of shearing cleanly; quite possibly giving you the "wave". 

    I don't know if anyone has addressed bed rollers.  I am not familiar with your model planer so I don't know if they are easily adjustable.  If the bed rollers are flush with the bed you will have a terrible amount of friction as the upper or "head" rollers try to shove the wood through the planer.  Your bed rollers should be set just slightly above the "table" or bed.  The amount depends on the roughness of the wood.  I have an old  Grizzly 15" and I have the bed rollers set .004 above the bed.  I general plane fairly smooth stock but this setting gives me passable results with rough stock as well (sometimes I have to "help").  I have seen planers with bed rollers that are adjustable with a lever on the front of the planer.  A very cool feature in MHO!  To change mine I have to fool around with four set screws, four cams and a dial indicator.  That's why I have a "middle of the road" setting.  Any way, this is something else you might check before you sell you planer on E-bay! LOL

   Enjoy!

   Mack