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ST1007/12/14 15" & 20" Planers (Mfd. Since 3/16)
Pitch & Glue Build-up
Problem: Glue and resin buildup on the rollers and
cutterhead will cause overheating by decreasing
cutting sharpness while increasing drag in the feed
mechanism. The result can include scorched lumber,
uneven knife/insert marks, and chatter.
Solution: Clean the rollers and cutterhead.
Chip Marks or Indentations
Problem: Chip indentation or chip bruising is the
result of wood chips not being thrown away from
the cutterhead and out of the machine. Instead they
are carried around the cutterhead, deposited on the
planed surface and crushed by the outfeed roller.
Some of the causes of chip indentation are:
• Wood chips/sawdust not being properly
expelled from the cutterhead.
•
The type of lumber being planed. Certain spe-
cies have a tendency to chip bruise.
•
A high moisture content (over 20%) or surface
moisture (refer to Page 25).
•
Dull knives.
•
Excessive depth of cut.
Solution:
•
Use a proper dust collection system; adjust chip
deflector in or out as necessary.
•
Lumber must be completely dry, preferably kiln-
dried (KD). Air-dried (AD) lumber must be sea-
soned properly and have no surface moisture.
DO NOT surface partially-air-dried (PAD) lumber.
•
Make sure planer knives/inserts are sharp.
•
Reduce depth of cut.
Rippled Cut
Problem: Regularly spaced indentations across face
of workpiece are caused by excessive outfeed roller
pressure or excessive feed rate.
Solution: Reduce outfeed roller pressure; reduce
feed rate.
Depth of Cut
Table Movement per Handwheel Revolution
One Full Revolution .........................................................
1
⁄
16
"
The depth of cut on a planer means the amount
of material that is removed from the top of the
workpiece as it passes underneath the cutterhead.
The depth of cut is set by adjusting the distance
of the table below the cutterhead. This distance is
the thickness of the workpiece minus the depth of
cut. The planing depth of cut is controlled by using
the table height handwheel on the right side of the
machine. Rotating the handwheel clockwise raises
the table.
Although the correct depth of cut varies according
to wood hardness and workpiece width, we recom-
mend the maximum depth of cut (per pass) be no
more than
1
⁄
16
". A series of light cuts will give better
end results and put less stress on the planer than
trying to take off too much material in a single pass.
The depth of cut can be referenced directly from the
inch/millimeter scale on the front of the planer, as
shown in Figure 23. The range of material thickness
that can be planed is
3
⁄
16
"–8".
Note:
The scale functions as a general guide only, and is
not intended for low-tolerance, precision results.
Figure 23. Depth of cut indicator and scale.
Table
Height
Handwheel
Depth of Cut
Indicator &
Scale
