Setting planer knives/advice needed

[beaver]

Hi Guys
Bear with me as this may need some explaining, i've got an aw106pt2 p/t,but dont have a great deal of experience setting the knives.ive watched a lot of videos on this subject but something bothers me, it comes with the normal setting tool, and all being equal this sets the blades parallel to the cutting block, but this in turn might not be parallel to the table, ok so i can then adjust the table to the blade/block. in a lot of the videos they use a dial gauge to set the blades parallel to the table, now heres my problem will that then mean when i thickness this may have a run out as the knives could be parallel to the planer table but not the thicknesser bed underneath. hope this makes sense, basically can someone explain the best way to set this up.

 

[WellsWood]

You're on the right track so far, the final piece of the puzzle as you've correctly surmised is to check the thicknessing table is true to the cutterblock (and therefore to the knives). Check by placing a block on the table at either edge and insertin feeler guages between the top of this block and the cutterblock. I wouldn't expect this to be out enough to warrant fixing, but if it is the method will depend on the constuction of the machine. Do you have a snap of the fixings between column and table?

 

[Steve Maskery]

You are absolutely right.
If the cutter head is mounted just in pillow blocks (or something similar) with no adjustment, then you have to adjust the thicknessing table and the planing tables to be parallel to it. If you are lucky there will be adjustment, if you are not, it will be a case of filing and shimming to get it fettled.
I had to do this with my Kity, but the results were well worth the effort.
S

 

[OPJ]

I've got the same machine (slightly older, with the aluminium fence) and, like several others on here, I discovered that the thicknessing bed is about 0.5mm out from the cutter block. This may not sound like a great deal but, if you're feeding boards down both sides of the bed (as you should, to even out wear on the knives) and you're looking to edge joint them later, you'll find a significant 'step' between the joints, as you butt the boards together.

TrimTheKing managed to successfully correct his by inserting shims underneath the existing table. I can't find the thread right now as this forum's search engine doesn't appear to be as good as what it once was but, I think he painstakingly filed down some washers on an oilstone...!

There's a flange that fits around the vertical column underneath with hex socket screws going up through that, in to the underside of the thicknessing bed. So, in theory, you should be able to slacken the screws off, insert your shims (one front and back) and retighten. However, I tried this myself with some cut offs from a 0.5mm cabinet scraper but, it only seemed to make things worse, as the discrepancy moved across to the other side of the bed! :roll: I'd guess you might want something closer to 0.25mm in thickness but, I may still have missed the point... Just wish I could find that old thread (in this very forum)...

 

[woodaxed]

Im not familiar with planers etc but ive used feeler gauges as the shims in the past on printing presses and the such
and found that they did the trick and didn't move and as feeler gauges are cheap a simple fix

 

[marcros]

TrimTheKing managed to successfully correct his by inserting shims underneath the existing table. I can't find the thread right now as this forum's search engine doesn't appear to be as good as what it once was but, I think he painstakingly filed down some washers on an oilstone...!

thicknesser-accuracy-now-with-pics-t35991.html?hilit=trimtheking%20shim

 

[Eric The Viking]

I've used feeler gauges as the shims in the past.

=D> =D> =D>

Cor, this forum is a gold mine of good ideas!

Well done, Woodaxed - a stroke of genius!

E.

 

[beaver]

Thank Guys
Collectively you have answered my question, now ive just got to put it right might take a while but im sure it will be worth it.
Regards to all.