A well-adjusted Planer is a beautiful thing...BUT

[llucas]

So I have a Grizzly 1033x 20" planer that when it works, it works well. But after this last tune-up and adjustment of those adjustable parts it is back to making a worrisome noise. At the far end of the cut, just before the wood clears the cutting head I hear a bang/slap/knock....as if something has been displaced during the passage of the wood and is returning forcefully to its non-use position. It is louder with a deeper cut and almost non-existent with a feather wipe.
I have set the bed-rollers, infeed and outfeed rollers, the chip breaker, and the pressure bar according to an article by one of our own (Bob Vaughan). The beds are coplanar, and smooth. I have set the tension on the infeed and outfeed rollers according to the Grizzly manual.
If I had to guess listening to the timing of the noise that it is something before the cutting head, like the chip breaker...is it too low? It is set at the same height as the infeed and outfeed rollers...all at 0.032 below the datum of the cutting head.
Any ideas...is the noise a bad thing? (it sure sounds like of bad thing!)
Is the chip breaker set too low?
The quality of the cut is superb, just unnerving.
Anyone?
Bob?

 

[bob vaughan]

Check the pivot rod on the chipbreaker or the chipbreaker rod end connections. I've seen situations where it came out on one side and let the chipbreaker fall down. In one case the rod drifted so far out that the chipbreaker got into the spinning knives. Not pretty.

 

[llucas]

Bob. Thanks for the input. I’ll look today

 

[Wilsoncb]

I think I’ve had the same problem, but it doesn’t seem to happen every time. It seems like happens more frequently on short boards. Does it sounds like maybe the outfeed roller is pushed up as the end of the board hits the open spot below the cutter…then the board is splapped back down?

Do you also have a problem with some boards getting stuck and you have to pull them through? I’m thinking it’s a combination of spring tension and chip breaker pressure/location. I have mine set the same way as you, so it would seem like something will need to be moved outside of the factory specs.

 

[llucas]

Williemakeit I did have trouble getting the boards to feed throughk, but since i adjusted the spring tension in the rollers, it doesnt seem to be a problem now.

Bob Vaughan Thanks for teaching me the names of some of the parts that might be a problem. I have isolated the problem to the chip breaker. When I look at the feed path while the planer is running, I can see the chip breaker jump up when the trailing end of the board clears it. That is when I hear the noise.
I believe I have isolated the noise to the chip breaker adjustment screws banging against the pivot rod at that point. The machine works fine, but it just seems that the displacement of the chip breaker during the cycle might be excessive....even though it is set even with the infeed and outfeed rollers....
Can there be too much displacement? Maybe the spring tension in the infeed roller is also excessive?
I am comforted by having located the source of the noise, but it does seem to be more that prudence would allow.

 

[bob vaughan]

 

[llucas]

Bob, I just checked that set screw...it was tight. I only found a screw on one side...I'm guessing that is to keep the pivot rod from sliding left and right? the other end of the pivot rod (without a set screw) was flush with the outside of the casting...I am guessing it is in the correct position.
I went back and checked the performance specs for this machine and found the listed max. cutting depth to be just 5/64" for a full width board and 1/8" for a 6" wide board..less that I imagined it would be. It may be that I am just trying to take too deep of a cut and "overworking" the chip breaker (pushing it up more than it is designed for).
Imma just back off and take much shallower cuts.
Thanks again for helping me get back and running.

 

[bob vaughan]

Some other 20" models have two setscrews, but only one is necessary. I'm glad it was tight.
Taking off an 1/8" at a time can get chippy sometimes. Their advice is good. 5/64 is a heavy 1/16" to me. I can't deal in 64th.
Not all planers have the same limits.