Planer Help

[459fitter]

Does anyone out there have any experience in repairing a Ryobi AP-10. Looking for advice or thoughts.
Thanks
Andy

[JimD]

I have an AP-10 but I bought it used and the only thing it has needed is the blades sharpened. So I haven't repaired it but do own one.

What's wrong with yours?

Jim

[459fitter]

I don't know if anything is wrong, but it does not feed very evenly. It is getting better with some cleaning. Can you look at the left hand side of the feed rollers from the infeed side and see if the drive chains have any slack on them? Mine are pretty loose. I am trying to determine if I need to tear the machine down and replace those chains. It kinda looks like a major task. I got the machine for $30, with hopes of having a decent planer for pretty cheap.
Thanks
Andy

[JimD]

Andy,

I am not at home as I read this and I won't be until Thursday but I will try and take a look at it then. Mine feeds pretty well.

Have you checked the blades? Mine came with the sharpening and setting jigs. My blades were very dull and that caused the planer to not feed well. When I sharpened the blades, the planner started feeding fine. Another thing to try is a coat of paste wax (I use Johnson's, you want the stuff for floors, not the stuff for cars) on the metal bed the wood slides on as it goes through the planner.

I was able to find some parts, like blades, by a google search. It seems like at least some of the jigs that the planner originally came with were still available too. Did your's come with the plastic jig for sharpening the blades? They are not intended to be disposable, like some of the later planners. I used a wet grinder to sharpen mine but you could do it with sandpaper if you don't have other tools for sharpening or you like the sandpaper method.

Jim

[Black wallnut]

I agree with Jim to check the blades for sharpness and adjustment. If you do not have the plastic blade setting jig you will not have much luck. I have an AP-10 and mine works great! Like Jim I am away from my shop too but as I recall the drive chains would not need to be tight to work.

[master53yoda]

I don't know if anything is wrong, but it does not feed very evenly.
Thanks
Andy

OK, chain tension is not an issue with feed control unless they are loose enough to jump a tooth which is very unlikely.

What do you mean by "does not feed very evenly." do you mean that it feeds fast and then slow, or that it doesn't feed evenly from side to side and pulls the boards off center, On my planer(a Foley Belsaw) there is an adjustment that changess the feed roller pressure. when I first got the planer it wood not pull the boards through at an even feed rate if I was trying to plane any more then a 1/16 inch. after adjustment it will now pull evenly when cutting 3/16" on anything wider then a 4' board.on narrower boards I have to reduce the cut rate as the contact area between the feed rollers and the wood is reduced.

hope this helps

[459fitter]

Thanks for the advice everyone! I think I found some of the feed issue problems. The chain that is connected to both roller had two bad links, and I think when the stiff links went over the sprocket it made the infeed roller change it's speed, just breifly but a change anyway. I found new chains today at a local repair shop. The DeWalt uses the same chains. The repair tech said usually the chains last forever unless they get rusted. He did say to check the bushing on the rollers. I am going to take the bushings and belt in to him tomorrow, hopefully the DeWalt uses these parts too! I will update you all when I get it back together. Thanks Again.
Andy

[AlanWS]

I think you want to be very careful as you replace the chains to keep both sides even. Otherwise you might wind up with one side of the cutterhead lower than the other side, leading to tapered stock. I'm not an expert, but I read an article about fixing that problem (on a different planer) by adjusting the chains.

It may be possible to unstick the problem links without removing the chain by using penetrating oil and elbow grease. Once it can move at all, working it back and forth should eventually allow you to wash the rust out with oil.

[459fitter]

I found the new belt and bushings are also used by DeWalt. Replace all of the parts and reassembled the machine. It works much better. I cleaned and lubricated the height screws and gears. Ran a piece of scrap throught and it came out pretty good. Just ordered new blades and setup guide. I think I will have a decent machine when the new blades show up. All in all I will be into the planer for $120 or so, with new belt, chains blades, setup jig, and sharpening jig. I am pretty happy with the machine. Thanks for the info.
Andy

[JimD]

I paid $100 for mine but all it needed was the blades sharpened. I bought another set of blades anyway, however. Seems like we've spent about the same. I've used mine to plane mostly softwood so far but also some cherry. The blades are a bit dull again now (but nothing like they were when I bought it) so sharpening them is on my "to do" list.

I also need to check my brushes and you may need to do the same. It seems like your height mechanism showed either a lot of use or maybe some bad storage conditions. If it is use, your brushes may be pretty far gone.

Jim

[459fitter]

Jim,
Have you found a source for the carbon brushes? Everywhere I have looked indicates that they are now longer available. I don't know the condition of mine, I don't want to take them out until I have a new set ready to go in. Let me know if you have any luck finding them.
Thanks
Andy

[DustyandLefty]

Fun with the AP 10

I don't know of a source for the brushes, but I can say that you should still have a lot of life left on your. I've got a hard-working 20 year-plus AP 10 that I've used on miles of pine (both new and heart pine from demolished homes) plus oak and cherry, without replacing the brushes. I just inherited my father-in-law's AP10, which still works and is a year or two older than mine. I think Ryobi was the first company to produce a portable table top planer.

Enjoy the planer! You can find links online for building extension wings for the AP10 to help somewhat reduce snipe.

If you can still find a dust-shield adaptor for your shop vac for the planer, BUY IT. Other than spare blades, that was probably the most useful thing for that little planer. I hook up a 16 gallon wet dry vac to the planer, and can plane down about 5 or 6 boards before it is full. We use the shavings for garden mulch. Using the vac allows me to plane boards inside; before that I had to carry the planer outside and spray shavings all over me and the yard.

(Somewhat) Dusty and Lefty