Woodstock W1217, W1216, W1214, W1215 User Manual

W1214, W1215, W1216, W1217

PLANER PAL

KNIFE SETTING JIG

INSTRUCTIONS FOR USE

Planer Preparation

1. Disconnect the planer from its power source.

2. Remove the planer’s dust cover.

3. Remove the chip deflector and loosen the springs holding the chipbreaker down, if necessary. Loosening the springs will allow the chipbreaker to be raised to expose a larger portion of the cutterhead, where space is a limiting factor.

IMPORTANT: Do not loosen or remove the dull knives before reading instructions for jig preparation.

If your planer has: You should use:

Knives up to 20" Two PLANER PAL

Knives 21" or more Three PLANER PAL

Jigs

Jig Preparation

The middle bar of each Planer Pal® Jig is adjustable to match the height of the knives currently in your planer. By preadjusting each jig to match the height of your knives, you can be assured of consistent results every time you reset your planer’s knives. To pre-adjust your Planer Pal

1. Loosen the setscrews that allow the middle bar to slide up and down.

2. Position the first jig over a blade, right in the middle of the cutterhead. Make sure the middle bar contacts the knife

edge and that the end bars contact the cutterhead securely. (Make a habit of wiping the magnets before using to ensure that no metal filings get between the magnets and the cutterhead.)

3. With the jig properly positioned, carefully tighten the setscrews that lock the

middle bar in place.

4. Remove the first jig and follow the same process for the remainder

of your jigs, making sure that you place additional jigs in the exact same spot where you adjusted the first. This will result in excellent standardization between all of your jigs as you reset your knives.

Jigs:

Setscrew

Mid point of

Center Bar

REMEMBER: To get absolute consistency, it’s essential you place each jig in the same position on each knife. Otherwise, your knife heights could vary slightly from end to end.

Setting The Knives

Now that the Planer Pal® Jigs are properly adjusted for your planer, the knives can be replaced. You’ll achieve the best results by removing and replacing knives one at a time, leaving the rest tightened in place.

TO SET YOUR KNIVES

1. Remove the first knife and replace with a newly sharpened knife. Let the knife protrude above the cutterhead more than the others, so the jigs can push the knife in place. Tighten the gib bolts enough to still allow free movement of the knife and gently push down on the jigs until the magnets contact the knife and the cutterhead. If you are using two jigs, place one at each end of the cutterhead. A third, if necessary, should be placed in the center, equal distance between the other jigs.

2. When all of the jigs are in place, the gib bolts may be tightened. Do this gradually, by turning each bolt once and moving on to the next. If some bolts are inaccessible due to jig placement, return and tighten them after the others have been fully secured.

3. Repeat the first two steps on the remaining knives.

NOTE: Look from the side of the jig to make sure the knife is contacting the middle of the center bar as shown in the illustration. This will assure consistent knife height.

Additional Tips

It’s not always necessary to replace knives that have been nicked. You can often reset the nicked blades by slightly offsetting the knives from side to side so the nicks are no longer aligned with each other. This can be done after you have prepared the jigs as shown on the back of this page (Steps 1 - 4). Set the jigs on the cutterhead, loosen the knives (one at a time), slide them slightly to the left or right and retighten. Proceed to the next knife and offset to the opposite direction as the first. This method is an ideal way to deal with small nicks. Knives with larger nicks should be removed from the machine and taken to a qualified saw and knife sharpener. However, be sure to prepare your jigs prior to removal of the knives so that you may easily reset them to the exact height when you replace them.

REMEMBER: Always alternate the surfaces of your wood when taking multiple passes with your planer. Your workpieces will be more likely to retain dimensional stability if you remove material from both sides.

If the knives have been removed before you are able to adjust your jigs, you can use an alternative method to set them. Place the Planer Pal® jig on your cutterhead and lower the center bar until it comes in contact with the cutterhead. Insert feeler gauges (equal to the knife protrusions recommended in your planer’s manual) between the center bar and the cutterhead and tighten the jig’s setscrews. Repeat the process on the remaining jigs.

Once the knives have all been reset, return the chipbreaker and chip deflector to their original locations.

Injury May Occur. If, for any reason, you believe that the knives have been reset higher than previous levels, it’s essential that you re-adjust your chipbreaker and feed rollers so they’re below the level of your blades at bottom dead center. Refer to your owner’s manual for specific instructions.

1-360-734-3482 P.O. Box 2309

Bellingham, Wa. 98227

Protected by U.S. Patent #5,020,228