Back in the day when I used to work on daisy wheel printers we used MEK to clean the platens. It would clean very well without dissolving the platen material and without drying it out. Alcohol would eventually destroy the platen.
MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) is not always easy to find. I think I got an ACE hardware store to order some for me that last time I had to buy some.
I would suggest using MEK and clean the rollers.
There are 10 kinds of people in the world, those who know binary and those who do not.
(03-22-2018, 08:32 PM)giradman Wrote: Hi Admiral - in the previously posted LINK above, several quotes below suggest that the rollers can 'age' and will not grip the wood as well - believe that I will wax the planer bed and see what happens on my next project - if still a problem, then the rollers will be my next aim - might send Makita an email - will they respond since I've owned this planer for 14 years? Don't know? Thanks for all of the responses. Dave
Oh, yes, I missed the link. I'd clean 'em, wax the table and see. Rollers can get pricey, did a quick web search and best price I saw was $70 each and both rollers are the same part number. Other vendors are closer to $100 each.
This happens occasionally on the DW735. It can be any number of things - junk on the table (glue, sap, pitch, whatever), dirty rollers, or dull blades. Sometimes all three.
I use mineral spirits to clean the rollers (the rags will be filthy and black, so use paper towels). I also use MS to clean the table with a light sponge. If there is dried glue or something, I'll scrape it off before scrubbing. It should be slick.
The blades were hit or miss with regards to feeding issues. Usually it would get LOUD (way louder than normal) and I'd get roller marks or burnishing on the wood before I noticed feeding issues.
Thanks All for the additional comments! As stated before, I'll clean and wax the planer bed and see what happens on my next project - if still a problem, then cleaning the rollers would be my next step - now, if 'new' rollers were needed, $70 to $100 each would hurt - could use the $150+ and just buy a new planer?
Also, I went on the Makita website to leave them an email but could not find a 'Contact Us' email address just a phone call - will take a another look - if anyone reading this thread knows their email contact, please let me know. Thanks again. Dave
(03-23-2018, 07:45 AM)s9plus20 Wrote: MEK (methyl ethyl ketone) is not always easy to find. I think I got an ACE hardware store to order some for me that last time I had to buy some.
I would suggest using MEK and clean the rollers.
My Dad always had some MEK around. Nasty stuff, but great for certain things. Last time I tried to buy it, all the BORG had was "MEK Substitute".
Tom
“This place smells like that odd combination of flop sweat, hopelessness, aaaand feet"
03-23-2018, 06:13 PM (This post was last modified: 03-23-2018, 06:18 PM by Lynden.)
(03-23-2018, 10:26 AM)giradman Wrote: ....if anyone reading this thread knows their email contact, please let me know. Dave
I've aways had good luck talking with Makita customer service and tech support. Tech support is located on the east coast so you have to call during their business hours (EDT).
(03-23-2018, 06:13 PM)Lynden Wrote: I've aways had good luck talking with Makita customer service and tech support. Tech support is located on the east coast so you have to call during their business hours (EDT).
If you prefer to send tech support an email, use this address:
bstarr@makitausa.com
Thanks Lynden for the information above - Makita has a FB page, so left a comment there - the company representative replied quickly and suggested a phone call - their support is located in Georgia (so just 2 states below me in Piedmont, NC).
I raised the planer motor to near the top and cleaned/waxed the planer bed - could see the yellow rollers which looked pretty good to me (of course cannot be turned w/ the machine unplugged) - about half the circumference of the rollers is showing - can these be cleaned in that position? Could turn on the machine, pull the plug, and clean some more - suspect several rounds of this procedure would get most of the rollers?
The pricing on these rollers is ridiculous - went to eReplacement Parts (pic below) - $220+ for 2 rollers (not sure what shipping would be?) - unless I could talk Makita into sending me 2 for 'free' not sure that I would want to purchase these for a 14+ y/o planer? Thanks - Dave
(03-23-2018, 06:44 PM)giradman Wrote: Thanks Lynden for the information above - Makita has a FB page, so left a comment there - the company representative replied quickly and suggested a phone call - their support is located in Georgia (so just 2 states below me in Piedmont, NC).
I raised the planer motor to near the top and cleaned/waxed the planer bed - could see the yellow rollers which looked pretty good to me (of course cannot be turned w/ the machine unplugged) - about half the circumference of the rollers is showing - can these be cleaned in that position? Could turn on the machine, pull the plug, and clean some more - suspect several rounds of this procedure would get most of the rollers?
The pricing on these rollers is ridiculous - went to eReplacement Parts (pic below) - $220+ for 2 rollers (not sure what shipping would be?) - unless I could talk Makita into sending me 2 for 'free' not sure that I would want to purchase these for a 14+ y/o planer? Thanks - Dave
see my link for $70....above.....
Credo Elvem ipsum etiam vivere Non impediti ratione cogitationis
(03-23-2018, 07:11 PM)Admiral Wrote: see my link for $70....above.....
Thanks Admiral - I did look @ that link, i.e. $69 per roller - why the $42 dollar difference in price between these offerings - descriptions sound like the same product? Still not sure regardless of these price variations that I would want to replace these rollers vs. just buying a new planer? Will try out my cleaned & waxed planer surface on my next project (may be a few weeks) - will contact Makita about 'cleaning' the current rollers and decide on that step - if still unsuccessful, I'll change the knives - have a new set - if still an issue, will probably get a new machine. Dave
There is a lot of information on the web about recovering rubber rollers. Here's an example....
"I highly recommend Western Roller. Had two done for my Makita 2030 and they came back better than new and should last much, much longer than the OEM rollers. They already know the specs for the machine, so you just send them in and they take care of the rest. Not sure of the current prices, but having two recovered most likely will be less than half of what a single new roller would cost you."
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