Sometimes I Outsmart Myself

[LCHIEN]

you guys are all missing the obvious. You can plane Australian trees with that thing. I'm sure of it. Cause they grow in the opposite direction. Like pointing down where ours point up.
Maybe we can get Rod to ship us a tree to try and plane.

[JSUPreston]

Loring, I've got nothing. That was too good!!!!

[crokett]

you guys are all missing the obvious. You can plane Australian trees with that thing. I'm sure of it. Cause they grow in the opposite direction. Like pointing down where ours point up.
Maybe we can get Rod to ship us a tree to try and plane.

That was a good one! I called the company to confirm the motor is not reversible. I think I will just hang it upside down to get it to spin the correct way.

[cgallery]

I think I will just hang it upside down to get it to spin the correct way.

I can't tell if you are serious or just kidding around. But hanging a motor upside down won't help, will it? You have to reverse the orientation. But then the sheave is on the wrong side, right?

[LarryG]

I think I will just hang it upside down to get it to spin the correct way.

Maybe I don't understand what you mean, but simply hanging the motor upside down won't change the rotation. Effectively all you are doing is rotating the housing and mounts around the armature, which will still be turning the same way.

[crokett]

Maybe I don't understand what you mean, but simply hanging the motor upside down won't change the rotation. Effectively all you are doing is rotating the housing and mounts around the armature, which will still be turning the same way.

Hmm... I see your point. I was thinking about it more in terms of flipping a bolt upside down. I'm glad you caught that before I mounted it that way. Oh well. I guess I am back to either twisting a belt or turning the planer around.

[LarryG]

By "turning the planer around," do you mean driving it backwards, so that the original infeed and outfeed sides are reversed? So you'd be feeding material INTO the machine from the side it would normally come OUT?

If that's what you mean, you'd better investigate carefully whether that's possible. I've never taken a planer apart so I don't know whether the mechanism can run backwards and still work (and even if some can, your particular planer might not). The blades would have to be installed facing the opposite way in the cutter head; and with it spinning backwards, the chips may not be able to get to the dust collection port. The machine may end up making a huge mess. It may even choke on its own chips and jam.

[pelligrini]

I believe he's talking about turning it around 180 degrees on the stand and possibly adjusting the motor placement. The cutters should be turning in the correct direction.