General 130 Planner Adjustment

[Larry in Coquitlam]

I recently purchased a used General 130 planner at an auction. The planner had a 3 phase motor so this week-end I replaced the motor with a Leeson single phase motor and also installed a new motor starter. Today I ran the first piece of wood(cedar) through the planner for a test cut. The infeed roller seems to really grap the wood and tends to want to make the trailing end of the board jump up.

I assume the in-feed roller needs adjusting but I also noticed that the roller is locked solid, when I pull up on it, even with the spring tension screws backed off all the way. Is this normal? I assumed that when I pull up on the roller I should be able to over come the spring tension and move the roller upward a small amount.

All advise will be appreciated.

Here is a pic of the planner.

PlanerSmall0001.jpg

[Bryan @ Woodstock]

sounds like the bed rollers are set too high.

[big mac]

Maybe the original springs were replaced for more pressure---there should be some give in the roller--otherwise too much downpressure on the material.

[Joseph]

You suck Larry!

Proper set-up is essential to get good performance. You can adjust your planner specifically for hardwood or softwood use, but most settle for middle ground.

Here is a great article to help you understand and set up your "new" planner:

http://wiki.owwm.com/Getting%20Peak%...rformance.ashx

Hope this helps,
Joseph

[Garth in St. Lazare]

I bought a General 130 planer in 1981. Adjusting it was always a pain, until I used Robert Vaughan's technique after I read it in Fine Woodworking Magazine. (SEE: Joseph's post ) I made the dial indicator devices he described and followed his instructions. It made a big difference. The manual that General provided was never much help in adjusting this planer.

I have run thousands of board feet of lumber through it over the years without it requiring any maintenance besides lubricating and adjusting. This machine is a testament to the high regard that General machines have.

Garth

[Larry in Coquitlam]

Thanks for the help. I downloaded that article and will use it to adjust the planer this week-end. In regards to the in-feed roller spring pressure, even though the rollers are difficult to move upward by hand pressure, they move easily with the roller height adjustment screws so I think all they require is proper height adjustment.