# stuck planer screws!!!



## happy_budah (Jan 1, 2008)

i went to replace the blades in my dewalt 13 inch planer and found that 2 screws we sufficiently tight as to strip out the hex head!! I will be droping it off for screw removal latter this week so my question is….."do in lubricate the screws? i havent for the sheer fact that it sounds uhh how to put it…. asking for trouble and dangerous. I'm not looking for a dawrin award just not sure to prevent this from happening in the future. this was the first blade change FYI. thanks
budah


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## A10GAC (Dec 21, 2009)

Perhaps a bit of antiseize compound (Link to Amazon ) applied to the screws would help. I use the stuff on nearly everything and after the pain of the initial disassembly, I've never worried about stuck screws. The bigger bottles come with a brush on the cap, but it's so loaded with antiseize compund it just makes a mess. I usually pick up a bag of small disposable brushes from the dollar store or Harbor Freight.


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## dustbunny (May 18, 2009)

Wow budah,
what a coincidence !
The same thing happened to me two weeks ago on my Dewalt 13" planer!
I ground a slot in the screw head with my Dremel grinding disc thinking I could use a common screwdriver.
The slot stripped out too.
I drilled the head off the screw, and the blade came off allowing me to unthread the rest of the screw by hand.
I left the same screw off each blade for balance purposes until I can pick up screw replacements.
It runs fine with one screw missing from each blade for now.
Thanks for posting this I didn't think about preventing it from happening again….

Lisa


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## happy_budah (Jan 1, 2008)

thanks for the input, i now have anti-siezed screws and new blades in my planner! the guy at the repair shop told me that when you put oil onto the screws it actualy makes them tighter?


> is it me or does that sound fundementaly wrong


??


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## AaronK (Nov 30, 2008)

yeah that sounds really weird. grease I could potentially see, since it has solid fillers added to increase the viscosity. but oil?


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## tierraverde (Dec 1, 2009)

For what it's worth, you need to have good quality allen wrenches that are a slip fit into the hex head. They put the pressure on the flats as opposed to the points of the wrench digging into the flats. Generally, the wrenches supplied with the machines are about as cheap as they come. A good set of Swiss/German or high-end U.S. made inch and metric wrenches will avoid a lot of grief when doing maintenance. Also be aware of trying to use metric wrenches in inch sizes and visa-versa.
Most screws in applications like planer blade holding are torqued, rather than seized and require a tight socket/wrench combination to break them loose.


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## darrenjttu (Dec 7, 2009)

THe same thing happened to me on my 735. The little alan wrench is a piece of crap. I took it in and they replaced the screws with Torqe ?? head screws. It works much better. I dont have to use that ittle alan wrench any more. Plus they charged me 45 bucks for labor, cleaning, and parts. I emaled dewalt customer service about 45 dollars to remove one stripped screw and they told me to try to work it out with the manager of the store. What a rip off.


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## cranbrook2 (May 28, 2006)

It seems to happen to all planers , it,s a plane in the ass


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## happy_budah (Jan 1, 2008)

yea now its as plane as day HA HA HA. they charged me just under 30 for 2 screws and finished it in about 2 hours!!!! i like the idea of the torque screws… ill have to look into that thanks


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## cFurnitureGuy (Sep 14, 2009)

funny! i just changed my blades last night… which was the first time i have done it on my 735!
I made sure i took my time removing the bolts and also made sure the wrench was completely in the bolt before i torqued on it. there were a few that were really stuck in there good but i didnt have any issues with stripped bolts. but i can see how it could be a problem in the future. i think next time i change mine i am going to switch them to torque screws as well!! good idea !


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## NBeener (Sep 16, 2009)

In the bicycle world, I use a pretty fair amount of anti-seize. Good stuff !!

Some helpful info about threads and lubrication here.

*happy_budah*: lubricating threads allows you to achieve higher torque values. It's the higher torque values that allow better holding power.

Another excellent product line to familiarize yourself with is the various threadlockers from Loctite.


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## cbsativa (Apr 9, 2013)

I am having this very same problem as we speak on my Ridgid 13" planer, the only difference is they are hex bolts and is no room between the bolts and the slot in the cutter head for the knives. I am at a loss, guess I am going to have to take it to the shop and have it done.


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## rickf16 (Aug 5, 2008)

This may sound strange, but I have had this work for me. If you have a screw or nut that won't break free, try tapping on the end of the screw driver as you turn. It's worked about 85% of the time. Learned this from an old foreman of mine. Just my two.


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## shawnmasterson (Jan 24, 2013)

also if you have a striped alien head quite often I take a torx bit that's just bigger and tap in. works every time


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## cbsativa (Apr 9, 2013)

I wish I could try those suggestions fellas but its and 8mm bolt and its recessed in the cutter head.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

I find that oil that dries in place and will eventually act as a glue or Loktite type of thread lock. Sure, it takes a long time for oil to actually dry, however it does dry up. Just visualize those oily areas under the hood of your car/truck that turned to tar, or worse. Clean threads are the best, followed by an 'official' anti-seize product.

Most importantly DO NOT over-torque these screws when installing them. I have the Ridgid R4330 and had a couple of very tight screws as well. Had to use PB-Blaster and a long wait period (24-48hr, or more) to finally get them removed WITHOUT stripping the head of the screw. I have found that tapping the screw head helps on occasion, though not all the time. I do not know about the other brands, but Ridgid does not give torque values, though I surely wish they would.

Just remember that beating on the cutting head can harm your bearings as well. Pure muscle rarely fixes seized screws and bolts, so try to find better ways that are less destructive and use them first.


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## moonie (Jun 18, 2010)

Thats what WD-40 is for 5 years and 6 blade change's.


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## tierraverde (Dec 1, 2009)

I'll try and explain this process that works for loosening torqued in bolts.
On top of the head, take a center punch and hammer an indentation as far out as you can. (At the edge of it's diameter.
Now hold the center punch in the indentation on a 45º angle and rap it with a hammer tryng to move the bolt counterclockwise.
A few good raps ought to do it.
It's worked for me 99% of all instances.


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## redSLED (Mar 21, 2013)

Yep, known issue, similar threads:

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/48478

http://lumberjocks.com/topics/26818


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