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Model G0505 (Mfg. since 4/04)
Cutting Problems
Below is a list of problematic workpiece character-
istics you may encounter when planing with some
possible reasons and solutions.
•
Chipped Grain
Reason:
Usually a result of cutting against
the grain, planing lumber with knots or exces-
sive amount of cross-grain, or using dull or
damaged knives.
Solution:
Decrease depth of cut. Inspect your
lumber and determine if the grain pattern is
causing the problem. If the lumber does not
show substantial cross-grain, inspect the
knives for dullness or damage.
•
Fuzzy Grain
Reason:
Usually caused by planing lum-
ber with too high of a moisture content.
Sometimes fuzzy grain is an unavoidable
characteristic of the wood species, such as
basswood. Fuzzy grain can also be caused
by dull knives.
Solution:
Check the lumber with a mois-
ture meter. If the moisture is greater than
20%, sticker the lumber and allow it to dry.
Otherwise, inspect the knives.
•
Glossy Surface
Reason:
Usually caused by dull knives.
Surface gloss will usually be accompanied by
overheating, resulting in workpiece scorching
and knife damage.
Solution:
Use sharp knives.
• Snipe
Reason:
Occurs when the board ends have
more material removed than the rest of the
board. Snipe is usually caused when the
workpiece is not properly supported as it
goes through the planer. However, a small
amount of snipe is typically unavoidable.
Solution:
The best way to deal with snipe is
by planing lumber longer than your finished
workpiece length, then cutting off the excess
after the planing is done.
•
Wavy Surface
Reason:
Caused by poor knife height adjust-
ment. The wavy surface appears when one
knife is taking deeper cuts than the rest of the
knives.
Solution:
Correctly adjust the height of the
knives.
•
Pitch & Glue Build-up
Reason:
Pitch and glue build-up on the roll-
ers and cutterhead will cause overheating
by decreasing the knife sharpness while
increasing drag in the feed mechanism. The
result can include scorched lumber, as well
as uneven knife marks and chatter patterns
in the workpiece.
Solution:
Thoroughly clean the rollers and
cutterhead. Scrape off pitch and glue marks
from the workpiece before planing it.
•
Chip Marks or Indentations
Reason:
Chip indentation or chip bruising is
the result of wood chips not being removed
from around the cutterhead. Instead, they are
deposited on the planed surface and crushed
into the workpiece by the outfeed roller. This
condition can be caused by a number of rea-
sons, some of which are:
a. The type of lumber being planed. Certain
species have a tendency to chip bruise.
b. A high moisture content (20% or higher)
and/or surface moisture. Typically found
in air-dried lumber where the surface is
dry but the interior of the stock needs
more time to season.
c. Dull knives.
d. Depth of cut too much.
Solution:
a. Lumber must be completely dry, prefer-
ably kiln-dried (KD). Air-dried (AD) lumber
must be seasoned properly and have no
surface moisture. DO NOT plane partial-
ly-air-dried (PAD) lumber.
b. Make sure the planer knives are sharp.
c. Reduce the depth of cut and make more
passes.
Summary of Contents for G0505
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