Ridgid Planer Feeding Issues

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  • asott430
    Forum Newbie
    • Apr 2019
    • 5
    • Seattle, WA

    Ridgid Planer Feeding Issues

    Hey All,

    New to the site here and I'm hoping y'all could give me some insight onto a problem with my Ridgid 13" planer. I've read a lot about problems with boards not feeding through these planers. Common fixes include waxing the bed and feed tables, and cleaning the rollers. I've done both of these numerous times to no avail.

    My problem is that my board feeds find until the last few inches when the board is contacting only the outfeed roller. It does not seem to be able to complete the cut and push the board all the way out so I usually have to pull it from the back. It almost seems as though maybe the blades cut deeper than the outfeed roller so that it does not contact the board? Not sure if this is even possible the the rollers are spring loaded.

    Has anyone had this problem before or are there any recommendations out there? My next move is just to try buying a new roller.

    Thanks!
    Alex
  • Carlos
    Veteran Member
    • Jan 2004
    • 1893
    • Phoenix, AZ, USA.

    #2
    I have this planer. I never let the wood just feed. I'm always pushing it in, then guiding it out. I clean the rollers first with mineral spirits, then with denatured alcohol or 91% isopropyl. The bed is coated with Bostik Top-Cote (which is now called GlideCote). Also, dull blades can push the wood back, so make sure you are replacing them properly. Doing these things, I get reliable results on even tough woods.

    Comment

    • asott430
      Forum Newbie
      • Apr 2019
      • 5
      • Seattle, WA

      #3
      Hmm I see. So it seems like my outfeed roller doesnt do the job of pulling the board past the blades.

      Will your board just stop with the last 3 inches or so if you don't pull it through? It just results in some terrible snipe that seems to compound the issue on each subsequent pass.

      Comment

      • LCHIEN
        Internet Fact Checker
        • Dec 2002
        • 20913
        • Katy, TX, USA.
        • BT3000 vintage 1999

        #4
        Perhaps using a scrap piece of wood to push the last piece of wood through will help clear that end as well as the snipe you are likely to be getting.
        Loring in Katy, TX USA
        If your only tool is a hammer, you tend to treat all problems as if they were nails.
        BT3 FAQ - https://www.sawdustzone.org/forum/di...sked-questions

        Comment

        • Carlos
          Veteran Member
          • Jan 2004
          • 1893
          • Phoenix, AZ, USA.

          #5
          I have no idea, I never just let it go. I learned long ago to keep control of the board. Have you checked to see that the roller is actually turning when the machine is on?

          Comment

          • asott430
            Forum Newbie
            • Apr 2019
            • 5
            • Seattle, WA

            #6
            Yeah, the roller is definitely turning. Guess I'll have to look into it a little bit more.

            After watching some videos of people using this planer it looks like the boards should feed all the way through the planer without needing to help it through too much. That's barring super heavy passes.

            Comment

            • Carlos
              Veteran Member
              • Jan 2004
              • 1893
              • Phoenix, AZ, USA.

              #7
              I think they should. I've seen enough board feed issues in how-to videos that I just always lightly push in then pull out of the planer. But with non-heavy cuts and non-oily woods, I'd expect it to auto feed.

              What have you cleaned the rollers with? And stupid question...but did you spin them enough to make sure they are clean all around? Any lube on the table? I've found that the Tool-Cote makes a huge improvement on everything.

              Comment

              • asott430
                Forum Newbie
                • Apr 2019
                • 5
                • Seattle, WA

                #8
                The board just stops with about 3 inches still left to plane. It just seems unsafe to have the board still under the knives without any sort of controlled feed. I'll see if I can get a video of some sort to help explain better.

                I clean the rollers all the way around with mineral spirits and coat the bed with finishing paste wax and buff off.

                Comment

                • capncarl
                  Veteran Member
                  • Jan 2007
                  • 3564
                  • Leesburg Georgia USA
                  • SawStop CTS

                  #9
                  Could you give us some history on this machine. Which model Ridgid is it? New, used etc.
                  Also. Describe the wood you are attempting to plane. My first guess is the wood is tapered a bit at the end and running out of thickness for the roller to push with.

                  Comment

                  • asott430
                    Forum Newbie
                    • Apr 2019
                    • 5
                    • Seattle, WA

                    #10
                    It's a Ridgid R4330 that I got used last year. I remember that this wasn't an issue when I first got it.

                    It has happened on most wood that I've tried. Maple, Walnut, Cedar, etc.

                    In terms of a taper, there is no issue with the infeed roller pushing it through the knives. When the board moves past the infeed roller (no longer in contact with the infeed roller) it stops as though the outfeed roller is not contacting the workpiece at all and helping to pull the remaining few inches past the knives.

                    Comment

                    • Carlos
                      Veteran Member
                      • Jan 2004
                      • 1893
                      • Phoenix, AZ, USA.

                      #11
                      If the outfeed roller is turning, and is clean, my only other thought would be that it's worn/dry.

                      Comment

                      • jabe
                        Senior Member
                        • Apr 2006
                        • 566
                        • Hilo, Hawaii
                        • Ryobi BT3000 & Delta Milwaukee 10" tilting Table circular saw

                        #12
                        I have the same planer R4330, unfortunately this planer doesn't have a lock for the cutter head, the manual say's might be a worn roller or needs adjusting, should be done by their service center. Make sure your in & out feed tables are properly adjusted, You Tube has a lot instructions on this. I use a sacrificial board in the front & end to push my pieces through to avoid snipe. Also on the last 6 - 8 passes, I take lighter cuts like 1/64" or 1/32" and that helps with the snipe.

                        Comment

                        • leehljp
                          Just me
                          • Dec 2002
                          • 8429
                          • Tunica, MS
                          • BT3000/3100

                          #13
                          How far out do you have level support? I don't have this planer but I get terrible snipe and inconsistent feed, especially at the end unless I pull it through. Then I started reading all I could about snipe. The answer to snipe was keep the whole length of the board on level with the planer, especially on the outfeed side. For 10 and 12 ft boards too. It worked for me and the feed worked on the last few inches also. My surmising is that the pressure on the outfeed roller when not quite level prevented it from pushing it out. When there is no pressure to keep it level, it does its job of rolling it out.
                          Hank Lee

                          Experience is what you get when you don't get what you wanted!

                          Comment

                          • capncarl
                            Veteran Member
                            • Jan 2007
                            • 3564
                            • Leesburg Georgia USA
                            • SawStop CTS

                            #14
                            Since the tool is used then I would suspect that the feed roller has hardened up some and probably shrunk a bit. The drive roller is a hard rubber but it still has elasticity to it, once that is gone is wont pull as well. Have you opened the machine up and seen if the drive roller is fixed or if it is spring loaded. It may be possibly to remove a spaced or something to get it tighter on the wood.

                            Comment

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