Chip problem with Jet planer -SOLVED- - Woodworking Talk

**Leo G** · 06-24-2009, 08:23 PM

OK, I have moaned and groaned about this problem for 1/2 a decade. When I first bought the machine I didn't have this problem. After I got the knives sharpened for the first time I did. And ever since that I have had a problem with chips coming around with the cutter-head and leaving marks in my wood and also chips getting crushed into my wood by the rollers.

The first recent thing I did was flip over the orange plastic chip guide. Put the bevel down. This allows the chip guide to be pushed forward a little more than before. This eliminated about 10% of my problem.

I was moaning about the problem again. I had some free time to blow while waiting for someone to show up. I was told time and time again it was my vacuum system, I knew better. So I was feeling around with my hand while the vacuum was on (machine off) and noticing how much vacuum was around the cutter-head. I also noticed while I was planing that the problematic chips would come from in front of the last outfeed roller, in between the roller and the casting. Well I felt for vacuum in that area and there was essentially none. I wondered why. So I pulled the guards off and there is no way for any vacuum to get to that area. So I made it so it could. I drilled a series of nine 9/16" holes in the casting, spaced apart 1 1/4". Now I didn't have a lot of vacuum there, but there was some. It seems to be enough to keep the chips from falling down to the board.

I have only run a test board through it. On fast speed taking 1/8" off a 8" wide poplar board I got no chip fall. I still had a little bit of chips being beat by the cutter-head, but very little compared to what I usually get.

So, it may not be a perfect fix, and I might make the holes bigger or even connect them and make it slot. But it is a start and it is something that actually is making a big difference. So calling it solved may not be the perfect term for it, but it is the closest I have been in 5 years. Here are a few pics with the top guard off

woodnthings · 06-24-2009, 08:39 PM

For those of us coming in "cold' to this issue, what machine is this, what size, what dust collector, how many runs, blast gates etc.. How about a picture from 4 ft away so we can understand where all this is going on! Thanks,

bill

**Leo G** · 06-24-2009, 09:00 PM

Jet 15" JWC 15 (?) planer, it has about a million runs on it

, The DC is a 2 1/2 HP Oneida Cyclone. 7" main trunk, down to a 6" line to a 5" wye and a 5" flex hose. Through a 5" to 4" reducer and a 4" gate to the port of the planer.

red · 06-24-2009, 09:08 PM

Great fix and nice shot of the shop.

Red

woodnthings · 06-24-2009, 10:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by red

Great fix and nice shot of the shop.

Red

Yaa, and nice shop too!

How high is the ceiling? What kind of a building is this? How about a shot from 40' away so we can get a better idea of what you got here!

So we can all be envious!

bill

BTW I think I have exactly the same planer, but I haven't used it much. I wonder if if I'll have the same problem. Much = twice. My favorite planer is a 50 year old Foley Belsaw with the rubber drive rollers, because it's very forgiving in planing slight variations in thickness.

**Leo G** · 06-24-2009, 10:30 PM

20+ ft ceilings, 2 1300 sq ft bays seperated by a partition wall.

woodnthings · 06-25-2009, 06:59 AM

Or say "What a great shop!"

I'll bet you have lots of "friends" besides the friends that you have. Are you in the woodworking business, and what sort of work comes out of here, cabinets, built ins, furniture, all of the above? I know we(I) got a little off the topic of the planer fix, so I'll ask " Are you satisfied with the holes or will you make slots?" One trick we used in the wind tunnel testing airflow at GM was kitting yarn attached to the models either with tape on the hard parts or pushed in to the clay. A strip of cardboard with a bunch of short 4" lenghts will show which way the air is moving under the cutterhead, with the DC on. Since I might be having the same issue with my "not used much" Jet 15" planer,
(it's about 8 or 10 years old) very soon, any advice will be much appreciated!

bill
Thanks for all the great pix.

PS, Another Moderator with "street creds" Leo G.!

**Leo G** · 06-25-2009, 07:56 AM

I am in business for myself. I call it a custom woodshop. I will do almost anything. Cabinets architectual, moldings entryways. Google my company LRG WoodCrafting and check out my site. You can see for yourself what I make. Or just click my link below.

**Leo G** · 06-26-2009, 08:12 PM

I modified the planer even more. I drilled 8 more holes in between the 9 I already drilled. Gives more vacuum at the trouble area and reduces the chip fallout better when planing wide (13"+) boards on fast speed.

woodnthings · 06-26-2009, 08:28 PM

I'll look a mine and see if I can do the same. You used 9/16th holes, would 5/8 ths work better? This planer is being set up in a different shop, not on the second floor! I'll use this shop for milling and surfacing and use the upstairs more for light duty and assembly. Just gota new 19" Grizzly GO514X2B today, 14 phone calls and 2 delivery attempts later. UPS Freight has no clue. It rained for 4 hrs yesterday and quarter size hail...I was supposed to meet the semi at the main road with the tractor with forks to unload. They brought a straight truck with a lift gate instead and knocked on the neighbor's door, no one home, left with the saw. UPS came back today. straight truck and lift gate, not needed however, tractor worked fine. Too tall to pass under 6'8" door, tipped it onto the hand truck, got it inside..finally. Nice quality, lousy instructions, don't read them unless I'm "stumped" No parts left over. Will do electrical this weekend 16amps @ 220v single phase. Off topic sorry,

bill

**Leo G** · 06-26-2009, 08:33 PM

I did 9/16" holes because it looked big enough for most chips to go through. And since I spaced the holes at 1 1/4" I knew if I did 9/16" holes I could put the same in between without connecting holes. I could have gone all the way to 3/4" But using my Makita 18v drill I was having a problem twisting my arm off going through the 1/4" thick casting.

Pirate · 08-09-2009, 09:09 AM

Would you assume that if new knives were installed at the same height as the orig. ones, that there would be no problem?
It doesn't make a lot of sense to me, that the problem would start with sharpened knives, unless they were installed at a different height than the orig. ones.
I would sure like to know what the cause was.
I don't own that same planer, but many problems with machines apply to different brands.
Glad to hear the modification worked for you.
It reminds me of a guy who had an old outboard that would run fine as long as the motor cover was off. So he drilled a bunch of holes in the cover!
Redneck engineering at it's best!

**Leo G** · 08-09-2009, 11:23 AM

I always use the OEM factory gauge that came with the machine to adjust the knives. The technician asked if I had used some other gauge to set the knives also.

I put sharpened knives back in the planer recently that only have a single bevel on them and the problem returned until the knives lost their razor edge. I just forgot to tell them that the knives get a double bevel. I have another set of newly sharpened knives that have the double bevel on them. When these knives get nicked up enough I will switch them out and see how they react.

But the holes I put in the planer seem to do their job. It keeps the chips that would otherwise fall over the outfeed roller and get crushed into the board. That doesn't happen very much at all now.

woodnthings · 08-09-2009, 05:01 PM

Leo you are the only person I've encountered here that has mentioned double bevels. I routinely take a diamond stone to the jointer blades while still in the jointer and run a few passes over the blades at a less acute angle giving the blade a little more beef. If I'm explaining this so you understand what I mean. I can't recall where I picked up that idea, but it works for me. Do you have it done at the sharpening service or do you do it yourself?

bill

**Leo G** · 08-09-2009, 05:09 PM

The original grind on the knives that came with the planer had a 40º grind and a 42º 1mm bevel. When I replaced the knives the 1st time and almost every time after it was just the single 40º grind. After I talked with the Jet tech he told me about the OEM grinding that I should have done on my knives.

I have my sharpening company do this, it is an extra charge.

Pirate · 08-14-2009, 09:38 AM

Is that what's called a back bevel?
I think I heard David Marks make some comment about a back bevel on either jointer or planer knives.