# Ridgid R4330 planer problem....help!



## Cory (Jan 14, 2009)

I just bought my first planer, a Ridgid R4330 and have run a few boards through it. After adjusting the infeed/outfeed tables to eliminate the snipe, I ran a few maple and purpleheart boards through the planer without any trouble. The lumber came out looking great and it was smooth as glass.

Last night I went to plane some 4/4 maple. I fed the board into the planer and everything was looking good. Then, the board just stopped. The cutterhead was still going and I'm almost certain the feeders were moving, but the board was "trapped" inside the planer. I cut off the power, raised the cutter and removed the board.

There wasn't any damage to speak of, but the whole thing scared me. Did I do something wrong? My first thought was that I was trying to take off too much material….nope. I had it set at 1/16". Then I thought I hit a knot or something….nope. I'm stumped. Hopefully you guys can shed a little light on this for me.

Thanks!

Cory


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

I have this planer, but just got it recently, so I don't have too much experience with it.

Did you try running a different board through it (maybe something softer) after that to see what would happen. At least that will give you a clue as to whether the problem is with the planer, or there is just something about that board.


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## Cory (Jan 14, 2009)

No, I didn't run anything softer, but I did run a small purpleheart board through and had the same problem. I'll try a softer board tonight, though.

Something else I just thought of….would dull blades cause it to get trapped? I haven't put more than a handful of lumber through it, but maybe I got bad blades from the factory?


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

I can't see blades being the problem.

How much of the board was planed before it stopped moving?

If no one here has an idea of the problem, I'd call Ridgid customer service. They're supposed to be pretty good.


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## lew (Feb 13, 2008)

This may be off target but did you try waxing the bottom plate of the planer? I recently replaced my old Bridgewood planer with the Dewalt 735. After planing a couple of boards, the same thing happened. I waxed the surface of the bottom plate and it seemed to fix the problem.


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## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

Another thing I just thought about: This could happen if the board is not entering the planer perfectly parallel to the infeed table. I seem to recall having a situation where I had to just slightly lift the back end of the board and give a very slight push to get the feed rollers to grab.


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## Cory (Jan 14, 2009)

I haven't waxed the table. I guess since it looks so smooth and shiny I didn't think that was necessary. I'll do that tonight, too.

Charlie: I have both the infeed and outfeed table's ends slightly raised to help reduce/eliminate snipe. They're both about 1/16" higher than the planer bed. It's supposed to do exactly what you're suggesting: raise the board a touch. I'm supposed to be getting a Pinnacle straight edge from Santa (via UPS) this morning, so I'll double check that, too.


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## SnowyRiver (Nov 14, 2008)

I think Lew is on the right track. My Dewalt does this from time to time too. I try to keep the table waxed and that seems to help. I have used regular car wax and buff it to a shine. I think sometimes pitch etc gets on the table and it gets sticky.


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## knotscott (Feb 27, 2009)

Be sure the planer was set low enough to grab the wood…keep in mind that the wood thickness can vary before its planed. Clean the rollers with alcohol periodically. Wax the tables with pure paste wax (no silicone)...like Johnson's or Minwax furniture wax. In a pinch, rub a wad of wax paper on the tables.


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## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

have you waxed the planer bed? the extension wings? start with that.

I encountered with a similar case using my dewalt once and it was on a *VERY* humid day. I doubt you have such humidity today, BUT when I checked for the reason the planer would not feed the wood, I found that the planer bed was very tacky (due to the humidity). I cleaned it up with a rag to soak up all the moisture, and reapplied another coat of wax. and it was back to normal.

try that.


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## Cory (Jan 14, 2009)

Thanks for all the advice. As soon as the Man lets me out today I'll implement all of your suggestions and let you know how it goes.

Have I mentioned that this site rocks?!


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

I agree with Knotscott on the planer height adjustment. The fact that no damage was done to the wood probably indicates that the rollers had nothing to grab. On my planer, I have had times where the roller will grab the wood in the beginning, because the front of the board is higher than the middle, and when it hits the middle region, the dip causes it to pause. I have used gentle pressure for the rollers to grab again. Keyword being "gentle."

Good luck and let us know how it works out.

David


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## spaids (Apr 15, 2008)

Cory,

I have the Ridgid planer also. I'm curious how you know how much you are planing. If you are using that built in indicator you should maybe stop. That thing is not very accurate on mine. And when a board is thin on the ends that indicator is definitely going to get you in trouble. What did it sound like when it stopped? I always run my boards through so that the rollers don't quite do anything and then I only trust the handle as to how much I am taking off. You know.. a quarter turn or a half turn on the handle per pass.


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## coloradoclimber (Apr 7, 2007)

Cory,

I have the previous generation of that planer, I like it a lot and have had good luck with it.

Something else to check. To eliminate the snipe on the ends of the board you raised the infeed and outfeed tables right ? That's what I did, I raised both tables and sure enough, no snipe on the board ends.

BUT !! what I got instead was hour glassed boards. Not so much that you would notice just looking but run a caliper on the ends and in the middle and there was actually quite a bit of thinning in the middle of the board. As much as an eighth of an inch thinner near the middle of a 4 foot board.

Couple that thought with my other experience. I resaw using a bandsaw, sometimes good even, consistent cuts, sometimes not so much. I usually joint one face, resaw, then plane the other face. If the resaw was one of the no so straight ones I have seen the planer get part way through and then stop pulling the board when it hits a low spot in the resaw. I fix it by feeding the next board through to push through the first board. Eventually the high spots get cut down and to board feeds smoothly.

So put these two thoughts together and I'm wondering if the board is stopping on the very first pass through the planer or on later passes. Could it be possible you have hour glassed the board with the infeed / outfeed too high and now the low spot in the middle of the board is failing to grip?

In the end for me I lowered the tables back to perfectly (as perfect as my straight edge) flat and live with a small amount of snipe on the ends. It's easier to cut the snipe off the ends than to cut the hour glass out of the middle.

Maybe something to check.


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## JVallario (Oct 10, 2009)

I have the same planner as well - I would tend to suspect the non contact due to height variation as others here have stated. I use a push peice much thinner ( at least 1/4 inch) than the board I am planning when running boards that are uneven in thickness. I make sure my height is set where it just touches the thickest part of the board and make small adjustments after the first cut. I learned the hard way never to try and run the planner without the dust port - it holds down the button which unlocks the cutter head. Makes a heck of a noise too.


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## Cory (Jan 14, 2009)

Coloradoclimber: I took my calipers to the board and it was a pretty close, within a 1/32", so I don't think that was the issue.

JVallario: Thanks for the tip. I have only used it with the dust port and didn't have any plans to use it without. It's amazing to me how much material you generate when you're planing. I've filled up a couple of 5 gallon dust deputy buckets and I haven't even done much!

Spaids: Another good tip. It didn't even occur to me that the depth gauge would be off. It didn't really sound any different, the board just stopped moving. You could hear the cutterhead hitting the board, though. I don't have a lot of experience with the sound of planing, so I'm not sure what I should be listening for. The one thing I am doing (thanks to the advice here) is taking VERY shallow passes every time. Most are 1/16" or less.


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## Raymond (Mar 12, 2008)

I have the Ryobi planer, and have run into the same problem. On the Ryobi if the board you are planning has any dust on the surface and it hits a tough spot in the wood I find that the feed rollers slip. A little pust on the stoct and seams to work fine. I miss my old delta, the feed rollers were almost sticy it never stopped.


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## Llarian (Jul 10, 2008)

I have this planer, the depth gauge is worthless in my opinion, use calipers like you're doing.

If you give the end of the board a little bump towards the planer head, does it start moving again? I see that a lot when I'm just barely skimming the surface, or when I see variations.

Also, I'd reccomend building an MDF extension to avoid some snipe issues. I just have a 4' long piece sized to fit on the planer bed, with cleats to hold it tight to the ends of the infeed and outfeed tables. After waxing that, I've found I get much better travel and a lot less snipe. (You do lose some vertical capacity and completely throw off your depth gauge doing this, but I don't think that's a big deal)


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## Cory (Jan 14, 2009)

I think we've got the problem solved, gents. I thoroughly cleaned the inside of the planer, then waxed the infeed, outfeed, and bed. I can litterally slide a board from front to back now with a little push. I planed some rock maple and walnut without any issues.

I also started to build a planer bed that will be about 4' long, thanks to Dylan's recommendation. The prototype (that's what I call things I either screw up or haven't finished. It just sounds better) produced zero snipe. I used my brand new 38" straight edge from Peachtree to verify its flatness.

Thanks to everyone who helped solve the problem. I REALLY appreciate the help.


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## Cory (Jan 14, 2009)

BTW, I used my digital calipers and tried to get a reading on the accuracy of the depth gauge. It was by no means a scientific or super controlled test, but i think it's VERY close. It might be off 1/16" at most. The test was done a few minutes ago (about 1:00am EST) so I'll try it again tomorrow when I'm a little more lucid.


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## davidmicraig (Nov 21, 2009)

Glad your issue is resolved. And now you can sleep  If you are like me, no rest until that new machine is working like it is supposed to. It just will nag at me while I am laying in bed and then I find myself back downstairs tinkering. Thanks for keeping us updated.

David


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## Llarian (Jul 10, 2008)

Glad I could help! The planer bed has been amazingly useful. Obviously it'll screw up your depth gauge, but its easy enough to offset by 3/4".


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## iamwelty (Nov 14, 2009)

Cory…. Sounds like you are building a nice shop. I have the Ridgid R4511 and love it. Have a Delta planer though… this is a great site… http://www.ridgidforum.com/forum/index.php you may have luck finding the answer there too.


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## PineInTheAsh (Jun 14, 2009)

Cory, 
Why not also call into Ridgid Service to have it as a matter of record?

Peter


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