Woodstock W1683 - Manual (Page 31)

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Troubleshooting
Planing Results
Planing results are affected by the species and
condition of the wood, how the planer is setup,
and the condition of the knives. The following
characteristics are common problems
woodworkers might have while planing.
Snipe — Where more material is removed from
board ends than the middle of the board. This
condition occurs with all planers to some
degree. Usually exaggerated when one or both
bed rollers are set too high, this condition can
also be caused by the chipbreaker or the
pressure bar being set too high. Adjustment of
the above components should reduce snipe
beyond notice.
Chatter Marks — Usually caused by incorrect
chipbreaker and pressure bar settings. Can also
be caused by running a narrow workpiece
through the planer on the far left or right side of
the cutterhead. Shows up in the form of a
“washboard” look across the face of the freshly
planed workpiece. Likely to be inconsistent in
appearance.
Chip Marks — Occur when chips are not properly
expelled from the cutterhead. The chips get
caught between the knives and the workpiece,
hindering the ability of the knife to take an even
cut. Chip marks usually appear as random and
uneven. They can also be caused by exhaust
blockage or too large of a gap between the chip
deflector and the cutterhead. Using a dust
collector with the planer will help this situation.
Wavy Surface — Usually caused by poor knife
height adjustment. Appears when one knife is
taking deeper cuts than the others. Can be fixed
by resetting the knives to a tolerance within
.001" from one end to the other.
Note that one knife being slightly higher than
the others will also result in that knife dulling at
a faster rate, because it is doing more work.
Chipped Grain — Frequently a result of planing
against the grain. May also be caused by wood
with knots or cross grain, dull knives or a
misaligned chipbreaker. Chipped Grain can
usually be avoided by slowing down the feed
rate and by taking more shallow cuts. Inspect
your lumber and determine if grain is causing
the problem.
Fuzzy Grain — Commonly caused by surfacing
lumber with too high of a moisture content.
Fuzzy grain can also be caused by dull knives or
an incorrect grinding bevel on the knives. Check
stock with a moisture meter. Anything over 20%
should be stickered and allowed to dry.
Glossy Surface — Most often caused by dull
knives taking shallow cuts at a slow feed speed.
The lumber usually gets scorched and blackens
the surface of the stock; eventually damage to
the knives will occur. If knives are sharp and a
glossy surface still results, increase the feed
speed or cutting depth.
Pitch & Glue Build-Up — Resin or glue build-up
on the rollers and the cutterhead will cause
over-heating by decreasing the cutting
sharpness while increasing drag in the feed
mechanism. Scorched lumber, as well as uneven
knife marks and chatter, can result.