New planer questions

[danst96]

So I got myself a new planer (jointer as they call it here) as my old Kity 637 is proving to be a bit dinky for the 12 foot 6/4 oak I'm working with.

Picked up a Busybee CX08 8 inch machine which is a generic Chinese model which on first impressions seems good for the money, definitely not European made or anything to the build standard of my 50 year old Kity.

Main question lies with the fence, it seems to be almost hollow ground by a considerable amount (you can see in the pictures attached however the top and bottom of the fence before the cutter head I can get consistently square to the bed. After the cutter head it seems as if the fence is twisted a bit as the fence comes out of square beyond the cutter.

My question is, is the fence being hollow before the cutter and out of square after the cutter a big deal or will this make no impact on my planing?

 

[danst96]

Ps yes I know the fence isn't 100% square there but you can still see the hollow I mean, I only received today so haven't finished fettling with it yet, just noticed the hollow on the fence and deviation over the length of it and wasn't sure it was cause for concern or not

 

[sawtooth-9]

You get what you pay for.
Some Chinese machines are ok, others are carp !
Simple rule - if you want quality, don't buy Chinese !

 

[clogs]

prob a machined "GREEN" casting.....
castings need to be allowed to settle, bit like drying green wood, for a good while..... relieve's internal stresses.....
but who has time for that.....?
leave it for a while, say a couple of months, indoors or out and then get it skimmed again...it'll be OK forever then....

In the days of old, Chevy n Ford used to leave their cast iron V8 engine blocks for 2 years before machineing.....

Bit like cheap car disc brake rotors....after short use they warp.....thumping pedal for those interested.....
ernt good money skiming them back to true.....
heres what I use.....this machine is imported from the US, it cant be bought in the UK dont know about the EU.....
This was bought to machine antique cars n tractor brake drums....
u cant see it on this photo but there's another machine that radius the new brake shoes to the correct dia......to match the drum....

 

[danst96]

You get what you pay for.
Some Chinese machines are ok, others are carp !
Simple rule - if you want quality, don't buy Chinese !

Its not as straightforward as that. Getting decent older second hand machinery here in Saskatchewan Canada is almost nigh on impossible, we have a population of 1 million people in an area 2 and half times the size of the UK so its incredibly scarce, usually anything that does come up is a good 24 hours drive away in Ontario or even further in Quebec and usually is overpriced. This machine was in my budget, i wanted something from Hammer/Felder but cant reach that level at the moment.

Busybee the company i bought from has been in business for a reasonably long time so I have a decent level of trust in them and kind of expected Laguna level of product but in hindsight its definitely a price bracket below Laguna which is clear in just the finish of the product.

That said, i am still wondering if it is a big deal the issue i have highlighted with the fence or if it is unlikely i will see any impact on my finished projects.

 

[SLM]

If the fence can be squared to the table edge to edge, then any material that spans the hollow can be accurately machined. However, anything smaller will not have a square or straight reference, so you will struggle.

I think the above advice, to get it ground, is the way ahead. If that’s not possible, send it back and save for a Laguna or similar.

 

[Inspector]

Call Busy Bee and talk to them. They may tell you it is within tolerance or might whistle a replacement to you right away.

How is the straitness/twist along the length? Pull it off and lay it on the table to see how out of flat it is. Add that info into the conversation when you call them.

If they do send you a replacement and is no better you have one to fix up.

For the most part you won't have too much trouble as is or you learn to work around the problem and if you never checked it you likely never would have had an issue.

Having a Hitachi planer jointer with the 6" jointer, 5' long on the side of the 12" planer I have a little width and length envy.

Pete

 

[danst96]

Thanks SLM and Inspector. I will reach out to Busybee and get their take, I would be a little surprised if they consider it within tolerance as its a pushing 1mm of hollow on the fence. I will push for a new fence or at least a bit of a discount because there was also a bit of a chunk out the edge of the outfeed table, nothing that will affect performance, just a frustration.

However as above its likely not going to be a huge constraint, i very rarely work with smaller pieces and if its that small ill just do it by hand.

 

[clogs]

or if they wont help u it's poss to flatten it urself by carefull sanding......
use a fat tipped felt tipped marker to mark the high spots....
then gradually reducing the prob.....
a machine shop once set up will take just a few mins to machine the problem away....

In the old days it was done by hand scraping as in doing bedways in lathes and mills.....
The other thing is to get it near enough and then mount a known accurate length of man made laminate...
Shimmed to fit the hollows.....
I have an old saw bench, around 50 years old, where the fence is quite bad.....
it took a while to get it right but for the last 10 years it's remained accurate....
on the plus side wood slips along this fence now like it's lubed.....

 

[baldkev]

As clogs said, skimming the fence is a great option. Inspectors pointbabout contacting the seller is spot on, they'll probably help.
If you get sent a replacement, have a go at skimming it yourself. You'll want a long straight edge the length of the fence and something like a steel rule for across the width..... and a good torch to hold behind the rule!
Basically ( using the torch to shine through the gaps ) take out the high spots using a good flat block and wet n dry, periodically checking length and width for hollow points.
An engineer showed me when i was early 20s so i could flatten a head on my Peugeot 309 worked a treat.

 

[HOJ]

Quick observation, not saying the fence is flat & true, but your Marple's square is probably only square on it's inside face, & you could always fit a false fence to overcome the hollow.

 

[sawtooth-9]

Its not as straightforward as that. Getting decent older second hand machinery here in Saskatchewan Canada is almost nigh on impossible, we have a population of 1 million people in an area 2 and half times the size of the UK so its incredibly scarce, usually anything that does come up is a good 24 hours drive away in Ontario or even further in Quebec and usually is overpriced. This machine was in my budget, i wanted something from Hammer/Felder but cant reach that level at the moment.

Busybee the company i bought from has been in business for a reasonably long time so I have a decent level of trust in them and kind of expected Laguna level of product but in hindsight its definitely a price bracket below Laguna which is clear in just the finish of the product.

That said, i am still wondering if it is a big deal the issue i have highlighted with the fence or if it is unlikely i will see any impact on my finished projects.

Yes, I guess good older equipment is getting hard to find - even in Aus.
It's a real pity that so much rubbish is produced in China- and that damages the reputation of some good gear being made by some Chinese manufacturers.
If you can set the fence square with the table it may not be a problem - but this may need checking for each different size timber. If possible get it ground flat.

 

[Dave Moore]

prob a machined "GREEN" casting.....
castings need to be allowed to settle, bit like drying green wood, for a good while..... relieve's internal stresses.....
but who has time for that.....?
leave it for a while, say a couple of months, indoors or out and then get it skimmed again...it'll be OK forever then....

In the days of old, Chevy n Ford used to leave their cast iron V8 engine blocks for 2 years before machineing.....

Bit like cheap car disc brake rotors....after short use they warp.....thumping pedal for those interested.....
ernt good money skiming them back to true.....
heres what I use.....this machine is imported from the US, it cant be bought in the UK dont know about the EU.....
This was bought to machine antique cars n tractor brake drums....
u cant see it on this photo but there's another machine that radius the new brake shoes to the correct dia......to match the drum....
View attachment 150432

Did some work at a forging factory in Lincoln a few years ago. They used to leave engine crankshafts outside to destress before machining.