Help setting up a spiral head in planer?

[Stwood_]

Always measure off the head

I'm not sure what that means.

Cutter *head*, not the knives nor the inserts, like Joe has been saying

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

Again, I'm not sure how that will help, as the chip breaker, pressure bar, and infeed and outfeed rollers are *all* set based on the cutting diameter of the blades, not the head, but, okay.

[JGrout]

Again, I'm not sure how that will help, as the chip breaker, pressure bar, and infeed and outfeed rollers are *all* set based on the cutting diameter of the blades, not the head, but, okay.

once again, you are overlooking a very fundamental point: The head without a knife in is not adjustable, it is captured in two bearings that prevent it from moving except in a circular motion.

Knives OTOH are wear items and while I agree that you set all the other parts to match the cutterhead with the knives in place, the initial setup of the cutterhead and the moveable table are the two most consistent pieces to measure from.  Not the knife and the table, the head and the table.

This makes the concept of trying to figure out where bottom dead center on the planer knife in two positions on a spiral head unnecessary and it takes the entire knife out of the picture even on a spiral head

Then once you have to table and the head in plane you can find the distance of one single knife to bottom dead center and then set all the other adjustable items in the correct relationship to the planer knife.

What we have been trying to say is if the planer head (static) and the table under it are out of parallel in relation to each other  just skip the knife distance and set the head and the table parallel first _then_ use one chip to make the rest of the adjustments

now on to the rollers in the table: Look at this pic



Adjusting those rollers in the table will assist you in removing the snipe you are dealing with: if they are too high they will cause the stock to bump up then down causing the snipe issue. If they are too low the stock will not feed easily, it is a balancing act and finding that sweet spot should give you the best cut

Joe

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

No, I gotcha, Joe. I set up the table to the head. The rest of the measurements, though, are based on the cutting diameter.

"Always measure off the head"

I took that to mean all the adjustments were made against the head, which can't be done.

Either way, I got most of it figured out and set, and hopefully, with your advice on the bed rollers, will be able to adjust out that last little bit of sniping I have.

[JGrout]

No, I gotcha, Joe.  I set up the table to the head.  The rest of the measurements, though, are based on the cutting diameter.

"Always measure off the head"

I took that to mean all the adjustments were made against the head, which can't be done.

Either way, I got most of it figured out and set, and hopefully, with your advice on the bed rollers, will be able to adjust out that last little bit of sniping I have.

[®smpr_fi_mac®]

Update:

Between the advice here and some that I got on the OWWM forum, I performed the following this morning:

Tightened the bed; it was loose and adding to the snipe at the end.

Waxed the bed's ways.  Now, even tightened, it slides up and down smoothly and with little effort.

Waxed the bed, chip breaker, and pressure bar.

Then I spent an hour sacrificing pine and cherry boards to the gods as I slowly brought it into nearly perfect alignment.  I still get the very *slightest* snipe on the leading edge, but cannot find that sweet spot on the chip breaker where this disappears and it doesn't snag.  I'll mess with it later, but for now, it's good enough--I can't see the snipe but I can *just* feel it.

I have two snipe actions on the trailing edge, though.  A *very* shallow divot ~3/8" wide at 2 7/8" from the end.  It's barely visible.

Then an actual snipe ledge at 1 3/8" from the trailing edge.  Again, it's *just* barely visible.

I'll try to figure out what's causing these and work them out, but if I can't, then it's close enough to make me happy.

[handi]

Spiral heads don't really have a "high point" to align to. They are carefully machined so that all the inserts set to exactly the right spot. One of the reasons they cost so much.

Chose any point and rotate to set on each end.