Planer snipe

boomdocker

Howdy folks
I have a 20" planer, has been sitting in my Dad;s workshop unused for the last few years. Revved it up the other day to plane down some timber and I notice I'm getting snipe on each end of planed length

It's a fairly old yoke - has table adjsutment and I just noticed this evening that it also has a big screw for roller adjustment

is it the roller I need to adjust to get rid of the snipe?

Any suggestions?

tabby aspreme

What exactly is snipe, I have never heard that description used on timber

magicbastarder

I think it's when the planer digs deeper at the start of the feed in and just as the wood feeds out because of a slight 'bounce' in the wood as the rollers press down on it.

tabby aspreme

Are you planing or thicknessing, if it's thicknessing, lower the rollers that they are just above the level of the bed, less than 1/2 a mill should do.

Calahonda52

plenty on the web about how to adjust, some depends on the quality of the machine
eg
https://woodgears.ca/jointer/planer_snipe.html

boomdocker

Thanks everyone
I'll adjust the rollers and see if that makes a difference
If not it looks like feeding a sacrificial board and then feeding continuously might avoid the snipe

kadman

Before you adjust anything, make sure you are feeding it correctly from the outset.

You cant just feed a long piece of timber into a thicknesser unsupported at the start,
and unsupported at the end. If you do you will get some degree of snipe at the start and end.

First off you need to make sure your blades are sharp and correctly set .
Then if you are happy that they are, then feed the timber into the machine, and keep a slight upward lift
against the upper feed roller, this forces down the start of the plank feed.
Then at the out feed end, lift up the plank to force the end of the plank down against the table. Job done, no snipe.

If you are still getting snipe then the table rollers are too high, lower them. If the thicknesser wont feed after these are lowered, then they are too low, raise them slightly until the timeber feeds through.
What make machine is it??

recipio

You get snipe when the blades are set too high. Put a small batton on the outfeed table, manually rotate the cutter block clockwise and adjust the blades until they just 'kiss' or touch the batton. Ideally use a sharpened set of blades and of course do all this with the machine plugged out.

boomdocker

Thanks very much

It's a Wilson of Leeds - big cast iron machine
I've checked the blades and they are good - also I've have just been running short boards <18" through so feeding is ok I think

here are a few pics of the machine and one of a piece fed through with the snipe


https://www.dropbox.com/sh/oun55kv7cauoplv/AABrD-hzPAe9j0tkUy_HajtMa?dl=0

chillyspoon

That's an impressive machine!

Snipe is the bane of my life with mine. I generally try to go for the wastage approach, where you avoid cutting your timber to length during the thicknessing process but obviously that's not always possible. I switch over to either the scrap timber approach (sending through scrap to balance the rollers immediately before and after each actual workpiece or the multiple boards approach if I'm doing multiples when I can't go with wastage.

kadman

boomdocker wrote: »

Thanks very much

It's a Wilson of Leeds - big cast iron machine
I've checked the blades and they are good - also I've have just been running short boards <18" through so feeding is ok I think

here are a few pics of the machine and one of a piece fed through with the snipe


https://www.dropbox.com/sh/oun55kv7cauoplv/AABrD-hzPAe9j0tkUy_HajtMa?dl=0

Your snipe problem is not at the board ends, its in the middle of the length.
That points to 2 possible problems. It would suggests that its not the bottom rollers on the feed table.

It points to the over head downward pressure not set correctly to keep the timber pressed to the table.

Are you straightening the flat face first on the overhand part of the planer.?
If you are not, and you are trying to plane bowed boards, with a loose overhead pressure adjustment,
then you can get the same issue.

kadman

Loooks like the overhead feed rollers are not providing enough downward pressure.

I will try and find a manual for you.

kadman

This is a typical arrangement for these types of machines. It might help to explain to you
the various elements in obtaining a perfect set up.

https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/3c/3c9ef198-e8d7-4c9f-afb2-2c2840267eec.pdf

boomdocker

kadman wrote: »

This is a typical arrangement for these types of machines. It might help to explain to you
the various elements in obtaining a perfect set up.

https://images.homedepot-static.com/catalog/pdfImages/3c/3c9ef198-e8d7-4c9f-afb2-2c2840267eec.pdf

Thanks again
Seem to be a lot of variables!

The boards I was putting through (the one in the photo) are floorboards, so definitely not bowed and are as flat as can be as far as I can see

tabby aspreme

Can you move the feed rollers by putting a piece of wood under them, and prising it upwards, the overhead
planer table has been removed from that machine, would any other parts be missing, if the feed rollers are not working correctly, DONT stand behind the wood as you feed it into it, as there's a risk of it coming back out at speed, if you give the bed of that machine a rub of sandpaper and then put candlewax on it, the wood will go through easier.

Calahonda52

< 18" long pieces in that beast is pretty dangerous in my opinion, rollers working or not.

It it 3 phase?

kadman

When you prise up the rollers with the machine turned off, they need to move freely
and return to their resting position on metal, it often gets plugged up with shavings here
stopping them from doing their job.

Blow them out with an airline if you have one.

Have you got the top tables for this machine??

boomdocker

tabby aspreme wrote: »

Can you move the feed rollers by putting a piece of wood under them, and prising it upwards, the overhead
planer table has been removed from that machine, would any other parts be missing, if the feed rollers are not working correctly, DONT stand behind the wood as you feed it into it, as there's a risk of it coming back out at speed, if you give the bed of that machine a rub of sandpaper and then put candlewax on it, the wood will go through easier.

Thanks - the rollers are moving ok and yes something was removed from the top - unfortunately my Dad passed away a few years ago so I don't know the details

@kadman I don;t have anything else for the machine - it is as per the photos
@calahonda , yes 3 phase

boomdocker

Ok a little update

A few observations -

it is the 'corrugated' roller on the infeed side of the blade that's making the snipe - I can see that now - I uploaded an extra photo to the link showing it

https://www.dropbox.com/s/uuyajtmdunbgjf8/IMG_20201210_153549.jpg?dl=0

Also it seems that when I put through timber that's roughly 1 1/2" thick or more it's hardly noticeable
Also I put through a length of teak 3 x 1/2 - very slight snipe
Put through same size white deal - no snipe

Much more pronounced on the thinner hardwood flooring I was putting through

So I think I need to revisit the rollers - maybe they are not moving as freely as I thought - at least that's what the above info points too, I think!

Odelay

boomdocker wrote: »

Ok a little update

A few observations -

it is the 'corrugated' roller on the infeed side of the blade that's making the snipe - I can see that now - I uploaded an extra photo to the link showing it

https://www.dropbox.com/s/uuyajtmdunbgjf8/IMG_20201210_153549.jpg?dl=0

Also it seems that when I put through timber that's roughly 1 1/2" thick or more it's hardly noticeable
Also I put through a length of teak 3 x 1/2 - very slight snipe
Put through same size white deal - no snipe

Much more pronounced on the thinner hardwood flooring I was putting through

So I think I need to revisit the rollers - maybe they are not moving as freely as I thought - at least that's what the above info points too, I think!

The bottom roller looks lower at the right side, could there be a bearing gone there?

boomdocker

Odelay wrote: »

The bottom roller looks lower at the right side, could there be a bearing gone there?

Think it's just the angle of the photo - pretty level when i checked

kadman

If its the drive roller doing the snipe, then this can only happen when the material stops feeding.

It only stops if the table rollers are too low.

Basically table rollers are up when the material you are planing is rough on the bottom.

If you have already planed a nice evn flat face, then the rollers can be lowered to allow a smoother feed.

If while planing rough material and it stops, then raise the lower table rollers.

You are missing 2 top tables and a fence for overhand work. I suspect your father just used this machine for thicknessing.

kadman

I suspect your planer is the heavy duty version of this model type.

boomdocker

kadman wrote: »

If its the drive roller doing the snipe, then this can only happen when the material stops feeding.

It only stops if the table rollers are too low.

Basically table rollers are up when the material you are planing is rough on the bottom.

If you have already planed a nice evn flat face, then the rollers can be lowered to allow a smoother feed.

If while planing rough material and it stops, then raise the lower table rollers.

You are missing 2 top tables and a fence for overhand work. I suspect your father just used this machine for thicknessing.

Thanks very much, great info

I think you are right about how my Dad used it, I only remember him feeding it with large stuff and I don't ever remember seeing the top assembly or it being used as a planer
Im guessing he bought it as seen in my photos