Faulty metabo hc260c

[Giles watts]

Hi have just bought the metabo hc260c thicknesser/planer. When running if the bed height handle is in the east or west position the handle will slowly work its way downwards under gravity thus changing the depth of cut as the wood passes through! Anyone else had issues with this? Anyone know how to fix it?
Thanks
Giles

 

[Yojevol]

Having read your post earlier today, I had a look at mine this morning. I have only done one extensive job on it so far, so no great experience. However my thicknesser adjustment system does seem to have sufficient friction in it to avoid lowering under its own steam. A few questions:-
Is it new?
Is the handle retaining screw tight?
Does the table fall continuously.?
Does it stop falling when the handle is hanging down?
Is there any adverse vibration in the machine?

Brian

 

[Stuart Moffat]

are you sure the depth of cut is diminishing as the handle lowers? Every year or so the grub screw for the handle gets a bit loose and the handle doesn’t actually engage properly with the rise and fall mechanism, producing eventually enough looseness to flop to the bottom without changing the depth of cut at all. A bit similar to what Lovejoy is hinting at in his post.

 

[Stuart Moffat]

Sorry, should have said Yogevol, not Lovejoy!

 

[Yojevol]

Sorry, should have said Yogevol, not Lovejoy!

Or Brian. My brother is known universally as lovejoy (small L)

 

[Stuart Moffat]

I don’t know how many times I’ve seen Yojevol and thought what’s that all about. and I like doing cryptic crosswords too. I kicked myself when I clocked it!
Stuart

 

[Giles watts]

Having read your post earlier today, I had a look at mine this morning. I have only done one extensive job on it so far, so no great experience. However my thicknesser adjustment system does seem to have sufficient friction in it to avoid lowering under its own steam. A few questions:-
Is it new?
Is the handle retaining screw tight?
Does the table fall continuously.?
Does it stop falling when the handle is hanging down?
Is there any adverse vibration in the machine?

Brian

Hi Brian and thanks for your reply. The machine is only 6 months old and not used too much yet. Yes i Checked the retaining screw is nice and tight. Yes the table falls as the handle does at a steady rate it stops when the handle is in the south position as gravity no longer effects it. I dont think there is any adverse vibration in the machine. Any ideas????

Giles.

 

[Yojevol]

Hi Brian and thanks for your reply. The machine is only 6 months old and not used too much yet. Yes i Checked the retaining screw is nice and tight. Yes the table falls as the handle does at a steady rate it stops when the handle is in the south position as gravity no longer effects it. I dont think there is any adverse vibration in the machine. Any ideas????

Giles.

It sounds as though it's only the weight of the handle dragging it down but is table actually falling or is it just taking up some backlash? You could remove the handle and just insert it when required.
Brian

 

[Giles watts]

Yes the table actually lowers too as the handle drops. Good idea about taking the handle out though Brian thankyou
Giles

 

[Giles watts]

are you sure the depth of cut is diminishing as the handle lowers? Every year or so the grub screw for the handle gets a bit loose and the handle doesn’t actually engage properly with the rise and fall mechanism, producing eventually enough looseness to flop to the bottom without changing the depth of cut at all. A bit similar to what Lovejoy is hinting at in his post.

Hi Stuart yes the bed definitely lowers as the handle drops

 

[Stuart Moffat]

Wow. Given the gearing that’s involved the drive train must have been made really well with negligible friction. Mine has always required significant input to turn even when new over a decade ago. Presumably the handle doesn’t fall to the bottom from both east and west positions as suggested in your first post? (I can imagine it feasible the weight of the deck could turn the handle one way, but no way can I imagine the weight of the handle could raise the deck, which is what is required for the handle to fall in the other direction). I’ll take a look at the underside of mine later today to remind myself what takes up the chain tension, but I think the chain has a lot of slack in it anyway on mine without issues.

if you set it up to fall, can you put a stick though that you know top and bottom were parallel to start with, and what the difference is per metre after you have fed it through?

Stuart

 

[Giles watts]

Wow. Given the gearing that’s involved the drive train must have been made really well with negligible friction. Mine has always required significant input to turn even when new over a decade ago. Presumably the handle doesn’t fall to the bottom from both east and west positions as suggested in your first post? (I can imagine it feasible the weight of the deck could turn the handle one way, but no way can I imagine the weight of the handle could raise the deck, which is what is required for the handle to fall in the other direction). I’ll take a look at the underside of mine later today to remind myself what takes up the chain tension, but I think the chain has a lot of slack in it anyway on mine without issues.

if you set it up to fall, can you put a stick though that you know top and bottom were parallel to start with, and what the difference is per metre after you have fed it through?

Stuart

Hi Stuart yes sorry just one of the horizontal positions can't remember which of the top of my . I havnt measured the difference but i estimate about at least half a mm which is not acceptable. Let me know what u think cheers
Giles

 

[Mikebart]

Hi Stuart yes sorry just one of the horizontal positions can't remember which of the top of my . I havnt measured the difference but i estimate about at least half a mm which is not acceptable. Let me know what u think cheers
Giles

Just a thought I don’t know the machine but could it that there is a spring loaded/adjustable tensioner that is jammed or requires adjusting to put more load on the chain drive to reduce the ease of movement of the bed.
Scroll to bottom of page have a look at pictures on thread with bed not moving
Having trouble with cut and paste .

 

[Stuart Moffat]

Hi Giles, if you get your head underneath and look up (easiest to lie on your back and have a torch!) you will be able to seem much of the chain which turns the threaded rods on each corner to raise and lower the bed. The chain does pass through a chain tensioner which is not easy to see as it’s above the drive from the motor. There should be a bit of play in the chain, but not excessive. I can deflect mine by more than a centimetre but I have no issues with unwanted lowering.
Stuart

 

[SkyBlue63]

I've got the same issue with my HC260c but just learnt to ignore it, suppose I should fix it, but don't use it that much. Did try contacting Metabo but didn't get a reply.
Geoff

 

[Yojevol]

Hi Giles, if you get your head underneath and look up (easiest to lie on your back and have a torch!) you will be able to seem much of the chain which turns the threaded rods on each corner to raise and lower the bed. The chain does pass through a chain tensioner which is not easy to see as it’s above the drive from the motor. There should be a bit of play in the chain, but not excessive. I can deflect mine by more than a centimetre but I have no issues with unwanted lowering.
Stuart

I did exactly the same today. As you say the chain passes over a jockey wheel above the motor. However I can't see any method adjusting it to alter the chain tension Here is the relevant bit of the parts drawing:-

The parts 151-155 are the jockey system but there is no sign of a tensioning device. I can't see what the jockey is supposed to do .
@MikeK I have a complete parts list but I can't see how to attach it to this post
Brian

 

[Giles watts]

Hi Giles, if you get your head underneath and look up (easiest to lie on your back and have a torch!) you will be able to seem much of the chain which turns the threaded rods on each corner to raise and lower the bed. The chain does pass through a chain tensioner which is not easy to see as it’s above the drive from the motor. There should be a bit of play in the chain, but not excessive. I can deflect mine by more than a centimetre but I have no issues with unwanted lowering.
Stuart

OK Stuart will check that out thankyou

 

[Giles watts]

are you sure the depth of cut is diminishing as the handle lowers? Every year or so the grub screw for the handle gets a bit loose and the handle doesn’t actually engage properly with the rise and fall mechanism, producing eventually enough looseness to flop to the bottom without changing the depth of cut at all. A bit similar to what Lovejoy is hinting at in his post.

Hi Stuart it's not just a loose handle dropping as I can see the threaded rods either side of the bed turning at the same time the handle is dropping
Thanks
Giles

 

[Giles watts]

I've got the same issue with my HC260c but just learnt to ignore it, suppose I should fix it, but don't use it that much. Did try contacting Metabo but didn't get a reply.
Geoff

Hi Geoff, i was interested to see u have the same problem how can u ignore it if the wood you are machining comes out bigger one end than the other!?

 

[Giles watts]

Just a thought I don’t know the machine but could it that there is a spring loaded/adjustable tensioner that is jammed or requires adjusting to put more load on the chain drive to reduce the ease of movement of the bed.
Scroll to bottom of page have a look at pictures on thread with bed not moving
Having trouble with cut and paste .

Will have a look