Uneven cut on junior whitehead planner thicknesser

[Paddy Roxburgh]

The cutterblock on my junior whithead planer thicknesser is not in true with the thicknesser bed. Over a ten inch board I get about 0.5mm difference from side to side. I can not work out how to adjust the bed or cutter block. Do any forum members have any experience with these machines?
Thanks, Paddy

 

[blackrodd]

Set the cutters to the out feed table, and try again with the thicknesser.
If this is still 1/2 a mm out then you need to check the thicknesser bed drive chain, which may be slack and out of sync.
Rodders

 

[Berncarpenter]

Could you adjust the knives to suite the bed ?

Cheers Bern

 

[blackrodd]

Could you adjust the knives to suite the bed ?

Cheers Bern

I should have asked that but the cutters can only be set to the outfeed table.
If the thicknessing table is out, it must be the bed set/adjustment
Rodders

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

Thanks for your responses. It's an under over machine so I can't set the knives to the thicknesser bed or they will be out of wack with the planer outfeed table. The thicknesser bed is raised on a central column which is connected to the handle with cogs not a chain (at least I think so). There is another bar that locks the column in the bush that it goes up and down through and eliminates play. I'm not at work tomorrow but will go in Saturday and take some pictures. The only way I can see to adjust the bed is with some shims but I am hoping that I have just missed something. Paddy

 

[Paddy Roxburgh]

Just to add, I have lowered raised the bed and placed a slip gauge between the bed and the cutter block. When it will just slip in one side it will not go in the other. I haven;t measured this but the 0.5mm discrepancy in the work piece seems about the same as the difference in height. In other words it is not knife setting that is the issue here
Thanks, Paddy

 

[Peter Sefton]

As said before the cutters should be set and referenced of the outffed table, if the surfacer works well and produces flat and not tapering cuts the this setup is fine.

The adjustment has to be on the thicknesser, is the column stable in it's mountings or has some lower fixing point come loose or moved. If this is solid then shims between the top of the column mounting and the underside of the thicknesser bed is the way to go. Some thicknessers do have adjustments in the way of grub screws or locking adjustment bolts.

One more thing is there excessive wear in the cutter block bearings?

Hope it works our for you

Cheers Peter

 

[blackrodd]

I have found a 12" x 4" junior whitehead PJT on Google, you don't say how long you have owned this machine.
If This is the model this is a really substantial machine.
I am not familiar with the single post bed, not having worked on any, but have maintained the usual 4 corner type as a wadkin etc type, much on a monthly basis.
As you're probably aware, as both beds rise and fall, you can re sharpen the blades, in the block, 2, or 3 times between cutter changing, and setting the outfeed table, or bed to the new cutter height
With this thickness problem, Easiest is to look for the obvious and simplest reasons for this happening.
As I can't see any rise and fall wheel, I presume the thicknesser bed does not have rollers fitted, to worry about.
As I, and others, have said, First thing I would check would be the beds, Are they co planer with each other.
where they slide in and out, are there any shims, and is there any dirt lifting the table one sided, that the cutters are set to, as 0.5mm could easily be lost, or gained.
I would hope the bed workings are all within the guard at the rear, but with a single post I find it difficult to attribute the problem to cogs and backlash giving on to one side misalignment, that you are experiencing.
Cutter block bearings Peter mentioned, is a possibility.
Regards Rodders