# belsaw foiey planer feed roller repair?



## lick (Jul 2, 2018)

Has anyone an idea how to repair the rubber on the feed roller?


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*you need some "rubber renewer" ....*

With age, rubber dries out and looses it's flexibility. There are dips and sprays that are used for tool handles and spray on truck bed liners or chip protection that MAY work to rejuvinate the rubber.... I donno?

Foley Belsaw may still sell replacement rollers. I bought an extra when I first got my 912 thickness planer. :smile2:
http://www.belsaw.com/PLpage1.html


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## FrankC (Aug 24, 2012)

Are your rolls falling apart or just hard and glazed, if it is the later see if you can get some rubber rejuvenator from a printing shop.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

If the rollers have large chunks of rubber coming off there are places around you could send your rollers to and they will remove all the old rubber and replace it with new rubber.


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## TDHofstetter (Jan 10, 2022)

lick said:


> Has anyone an idea how to repair the rubber on the feed roller?


I know, Lazarus.

Don't even think about fixing them. Just order new replacements from Belsaw at belsaw store.

They're part number 4509062, and they cost $49.95 each.

You'll never get the rubber right. Even if you did,the shafts would still be worn.


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## Builder guy (7 mo ago)

Is the belsaw store still open? I tried calling and can’t even find a good number for them. The online store seems functional but with out having a number it makes me wonder if it’s open?


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

Builder guy said:


> Is the belsaw store still open? I tried calling and can’t even find a good number for them. The online store seems functional but with out having a number it makes me wonder if it’s open?


try this link:





Belsaw Home Page


belsaw planer molder sales parts service woodworking shop equipment



belsaw.com




The number is 
*1-800-468-4449 *


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## Jar944_2 (Oct 30, 2020)

Western roller will re-cover them with polyurethane. I get all my power feeder wheels from WR.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

Jar944_2 said:


> Western roller will re-cover them with polyurethane. I get all my power feeder wheels from WR.


These guys?








Homepage


Western Roller features a variety of polyurethane solutions. From woodworking machinery, newspapers, and commercial web press and mailroom equipment.




westernroller.com


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## Jar944_2 (Oct 30, 2020)

woodnthings said:


> These guys?
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Yes, that's them. 

I through out every rubber feeder wheel and replace with poly as soon as they enter my shop.


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## Builder guy (7 mo ago)

woodnthings said:


> try this link:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


number is no longer in service


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## TDHofstetter (Jan 10, 2022)

Builder guy said:


> Is the belsaw store still open? I tried calling and can’t even find a good number for them. The online store seems functional but with out having a number it makes me wonder if it’s open?


They're definitely still open. I ordered a pair of feed rollers from them not long ago and they arrived just fine.


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## TDHofstetter (Jan 10, 2022)

Jar944_2 said:


> Western roller will re-cover them with polyurethane. I get all my power feeder wheels from WR.


Is their polyurethane as grippy as the rubber rollers? I can't help but be a little skeptical, especially since these planers have no under-stock matching rollers - the workpieces just slide on the (carnauba waxed) cast iron bed and if the bed gets slightly dry (of wax), the workpieces are hard to drive.


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## Jar944_2 (Oct 30, 2020)

TDHofstetter said:


> Is their polyurethane as grippy as the rubber rollers? I can't help but be a little skeptical, especially since these planers have no under-stock matching rollers - the workpieces just slide on the (carnauba waxed) cast iron bed and if the bed gets slightly dry (of wax), the workpieces are hard to drive.


Poly is far more "grippy" than rubber, even fresh brand new rubber.


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## TDHofstetter (Jan 10, 2022)

Jar944_2 said:


> Poly is far more "grippy" than rubber, even fresh brand new rubber.


This I'd have to see. I've seen a whole lot of highly varied polyurethane in my life.

Why don't they make winter tires out of it?


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## Jar944_2 (Oct 30, 2020)

TDHofstetter said:


> This I'd have to see. I've seen a whole lot of highly varied polyurethane in my life.
> 
> Why don't they make winter tires out of it?


Because they would only last a few miles. Poly is a industry standard feed roller material. It's "the" solution for feeding hard to grip material (melamine)

Williams and hussey only uses poly feed rollers. They discontinued the rubber rollers, so any new machine or replacement will be poly.


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## TDHofstetter (Jan 10, 2022)

Jar944_2 said:


> Because they would only last a few miles. Poly is a industry standard feed roller material. It's "the" solution for feeding hard to grip material (melamine)


So if polyurethane tires would only last a few miles, then polyurethane rollers would only last a few hundred board feet?

We want stuff that will wear for many years like the rubber Foley-Belsaw rollers will. It's not like these things are cheap, after all. I've had one set of F-B rubber rollers that's lasted me more than twenty years.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

I own a 9103 Foley Belsaw planer = 910 Craftsman.
It uses the 45090962 roller which according to this link are NOT discontinued:


910 Parts List


Maybe you can order them online with the part numvber?


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## Jar944_2 (Oct 30, 2020)

TDHofstetter said:


> So if polyurethane tires would only last a few miles, then polyurethane rollers would only last a few hundred board feet?
> 
> We want stuff that will wear for many years like the rubber Foley-Belsaw rollers will. It's not like these things are cheap, after all. I've had one set of F-B rubber rollers that's lasted me more than twenty years.


Buy whatever you want. Poly lasts as long as it needs to to maintain grip. Rubber rollers get hard and loose grip in a few years. It's extremely obvious on a power feeder when that happens. 

Bellsaw/woodmaster/rbi (and the w&h) are a tradeoff. If you want a feed roller to last forever and not loose grip, do what they started doing 160 years ago and use a metal infeed and outfeed roller. The reason the aforementioned machines don't use metal rollers is they were also designed to be moulders. 

Either way western roller will re-cover a rubber roller for anyone who wants it. 

Comatic powerfeeder rollers (60 and 70 durometer)









w&h factory rollers


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## Builder guy (7 mo ago)

TDHofstetter said:


> They're definitely still open. I ordered a pair of feed rollers from them not long ago and they arrived just fine.


good to hear, about to buy a belsaw 910 for between $300-$400 but wanted to make sure parts were available for it.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

In your experience, do the poly rollers require more down pressure than the rubber rollers?
Do you need to change anything after replacing the rollers?
I may have one extra roller for my Foley/Craftsman 13" planer. 
I do have the spray can of roller rubber rejuvenator I recommended in a past post.








Amazon.com: Rubber Cleaner & Rejuvenator, 12.5 oz. can, 1 Count : Automotive


Buy Rubber Cleaner & Rejuvenator, 12.5 oz. can, 1 Count on Amazon.com ✓ FREE SHIPPING on qualified orders



www.amazon.com


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## Jar944_2 (Oct 30, 2020)

woodnthings said:


> In your experience, do the poly rollers require more down pressure than the rubber rollers?
> Do you need to change anything after replacing the rollers?
> I may have one extra roller for my Foley/Craftsman 13" planer.
> I do have the spray can of roller rubber rejuvenator I recommended in a past post.
> ...


No they can get away with less down pressure.

Poly wheels are the solution for making the baby (1/8 hp) feeders work. The problem with the small feeders is lack of downward pressure from the flexible lightweight stands.


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## TDHofstetter (Jan 10, 2022)

Jar944_2 said:


> Rubber rollers get hard and loose grip in a few years. It's extremely obvious on a power feeder when that happens.


That's obviously not true, since the rubber rollers I bought from Foley-Belsaw twenty years ago are still soft and still grip the same way they did when they were new. Rubber car and truck and tractor tires are the same way; I have one tractor tire on my old IHC that is nearly *seventy *years old, yet the rubber is still soft and grippy. The tires on my Tacoma were installed in 2007; they're still soft and grippy. The same is true of the tires on all my old trucks (I restore them), one of which was built in 1968.

You might want to actually try a rubber roller again, testing it head-to-head against a polyurethane one; I don't think you remember the characteristics of rubber friction surfaces as clearly as you think you do.


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## Jar944_2 (Oct 30, 2020)

TDHofstetter said:


> That's obviously not true, since the rubber rollers I bought from Foley-Belsaw twenty years ago are still soft and still grip just fine. Rubber car and truck and tractor tires are the same way; I have one tractor tire on my old IHC that is nearly *seventy *years old, yet the rubber is still soft and grippy. The tires on my Tacoma were installed in 2007; they're still soft and grippy. The same is true of the tires on all my old trucks (I restore them), one of which was built in 1968.
> 
> You might want to actually try a rubber roller again, testing it head-to-head against a polyurethane one; I don't think you remember the characteristics of rubber friction surfaces as clearly as you think you do.


Buy whatever you feel appropriate, believe whatever you want to believe. The wood industry has moved from rubber to poly. That isn't an opinion its a fact. 

As for trying rubber wheels, any wheel you can scratch a word into is junk


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

I have two thickness planers, a 13" Foley Belsaw with rubber feed rollers and a 15" Jet with serrated steel feed rollers. I use the Foley 90% of the time becaus i think the rubber rollers are easier on the wood surface. Both have 3 HP motors. The Foley blades can be honed in place for occasional refreshing. I don't know about the Jet's blades and if they can be accessed easily from the top? I keep the rubber rollers free of tar and pitch and do not plane any Pine to speak of, mostly Oak, Maple and Cherry. I just ordered today a different rubber rejuvenator off Amazon, about $11.00 delivered. I'll see how that works.
I suspect that feeder rollers being much less wide than planer rollers, would have a different wear aspect and maybe a different down force pressure, but I could be wrong


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## TDHofstetter (Jan 10, 2022)

Jar944_2 said:


> Buy whatever you feel appropriate, believe whatever you want to believe. The wood industry has moved from rubber to poly. That isn't an opinion its a fact.


Saying that it's a fact does not make it a fact.

Your opinions are obvious, but they aren't necessarily shared and they aren't necessarily right. They're only *yours*.


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## TDHofstetter (Jan 10, 2022)

Jar944_2 said:


> As for trying rubber wheels, any wheel you can scratch a word into is junk
> View attachment 439780


Send me one of your worn-out polyurethane wheels and I'll scratch my initials into any of its unworn surfaces and send it back to you.

Or send me a new one and I'll do it, I'm not proud. I can scratch any pattern into any substance known to man except diamond. So can you. So by your own argument, polyurethane wheels are junk. Hey, don't blame me, you said it.


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## Jar944_2 (Oct 30, 2020)

TDHofstetter said:


> Saying that it's a fact does not make it a fact.
> 
> Your opinions are obvious, but they aren't necessarily shared and they aren't necessarily right. They're only *yours*.


Quick question, other then the feed rollers in your belsaw how many other rubber feed rollers have you personally encountered? 

And how many polyurethane rollers have you used? 

Tractor impliment tires don't count


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## Jar944_2 (Oct 30, 2020)

TDHofstetter said:


> Send me one of your worn-out polyurethane wheels and I'll scratch my initials into any of its unworn surfaces and send it back to you.
> 
> Or send me a new one and I'll do it, I'm not proud. I can scratch any pattern into any substance known to man except diamond. So can you. So by your own argument, polyurethane wheels are junk. Hey, don't blame me, you said it.


If I ever wear out a poly wheel, I'll send it your way.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

Here's how to clean your rubber rollers:


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## TDHofstetter (Jan 10, 2022)

Jar944_2 said:


> If I ever wear out a poly wheel, I'll send it your way.


Go ahead. Put a few BF onto them, they'll wear out.


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## Jar944_2 (Oct 30, 2020)

TDHofstetter said:


> Go ahead. Put a few BF onto them, they'll wear out.


So no expirence with polyurethane wheels then? 🤔


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## TDHofstetter (Jan 10, 2022)

Jar944_2 said:


> So no expirence with polyurethane wheels then? 🤔


How do you infer that?


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## Jar944_2 (Oct 30, 2020)

TDHofstetter said:


> How do you infer that?


1. Your lack of a response to that exact question.
2. Your suggestion that a they will wear out within a few board feet.
3. Your initial question (quoted below) where you seem to have zero exposure to poly wheels.


TDHofstetter said:


> Is their polyurethane as grippy as the rubber rollers? I can't help but be a little skeptical, especially since these planers have no under-stock matching rollers - the workpieces just slide on the (carnauba waxed) cast iron bed and if the bed gets slightly dry (of wax), the workpieces are hard to drive.


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## TDHofstetter (Jan 10, 2022)

Jar944_2 said:


> 1. Your lack of a response to that exact question.
> 2. Your suggestion that a they will wear out within a few board feet.
> 3. Your initial question (quoted below) where you seem to have zero exposure to poly wheels.


Don't get too proud of your deductive reasoning and reading comprehension skills, and don't give up your day job just yet. I encourage you to go back, reread, and rethink.

*Or not*.

It's up to you; it depends upon just how accurate, credible. and respectable you'd like to be. If you're quite satisfied with your current level, then just leave it alone and we'll all know a little something about you and your advice.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

TDHofstetter said:


> Don't get too proud of your deductive reasoning and reading comprehension skills, and don't give up your day job just yet. I encourage you to go back, reread, and rethink.
> 
> *Or not*.
> 
> It's up to you; it depends upon just how accurate, credible. and respectable you'd like to be. If you're quite satisfied with your current level, then just leave it alone and we'll all know a little something about you and your advice.


I don't have a horse in this race, so I'll offer my opinion.
I have experience with the rubber feed rollers on my Foley Belsaw planer. They have worked fine with minimal maintenance for 20+ years, so zero cost.
They are not run at production speeds or production durations, just a hobbiest's wood shop.
This reminds me of the debate between the .223 Remington and the 5.56 NATO rounds, which are very similar, but slightly different.
Could the smartest ground hog tell the difference at 300 yards, nope.
It wouldn't matter which he was struck with, the result would be pretty much the same.
I suggest you both have made valid points to support your positions, so let's leave it there and remain cordial.


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## Jar944_2 (Oct 30, 2020)

TDHofstetter said:


> Don't get too proud of your deductive reasoning and reading comprehension skills, and don't give up your day job just yet. I encourage you to go back, reread, and rethink.
> 
> *Or not*.
> 
> It's up to you; it depends upon just how accurate, credible. and respectable you'd like to be. If you're quite satisfied with your current level, then just leave it alone and we'll all know a little something about you and your advice.


Yet you continue to deflect around the actual question (have you ever used poly wheels).

Its a yes or no answer.


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

I took some photos of the Foley Belsaw 9103 planer molder. Notice the 1" wide slot for molding cutters. I don't know how you put in wider cutters unless you remove one of the side gibs. Notice the rubber rollers are still in great shape, still soft and pliable.
I have the original owner's manual on the right and a manual I got off Ebay from Ozarks Woodworker and the accompanying letter:


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## TDHofstetter (Jan 10, 2022)

Jar944_2 said:


> Yet you continue to deflect around the actual question (have you ever used poly wheels).
> 
> Its a yes or no answer.


...except that it isn't "the actual question", it's a silly, irrelevant question because every swinging man jack among us has used poly wheels and rollers. They're under your office chair, they're installed on your vacuum cleaner, every rolling wire rack in the world has them, all Board Buddies use them, they're under every skateboard and skate manufactured in the last sixty years. They're ubiquitous because they're cheap as sin to make but the vendors can charge a premium for them because they're colorful and they've been heavily hyped by people who suffer from brand loyalty and a strong urge to justify their own purchase decisions.

*But*... polyurethane is *never* used for consumer car tires or aircraft tires or police car tires or earthmover tires. *Rubber* is used for all those traction-critical purposes for which a long service life is highly desirable. That, along with the very long service life and excellent friction offered by the rubber rollers on my Foley-Belsaw planers (I have *two*) is quite enough to convince me to keep buying rubber rollers if / when they wear out.

That pair I bought recently wasn't to replace the twenty-year-old set on the first F-B planer I ever owned, after all. Side note: I should probably try to figure out how long I've actually owned those rollers.They're to replace the rollers on the second one I bought, which - I strongly suspect - were the original rollers on that machine and showed signs of tattering because that machine had been left out in the sun for decades. That's one thing that rubber does poorly unless carbon black has been added to the formulation, after all - withstand UV in an oxygen-rich atmosphere. The UV lends energy necessary for the rubber to oxidize. Fortunately, very few of us plane our roughsawns outdoors (or in a mosh pit with black lights and a party ball) with the hood up so our rollers don't see much UV.

I believe I've made all the points I care to and that I'll leave this conversation alone now. Continue if you like, but I doubt that you'll be very convincing in this particular crowd. You won't get any further responses from me.


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## Jar944_2 (Oct 30, 2020)

TDHofstetter said:


> ...except that it isn't "the actual question", it's a silly, irrelevant question because every swinging man jack among us has used poly wheels and rollers. They're under your office chair, they're installed on your vacuum cleaner, every rolling wire rack in the world has them, all Board Buddies use them, they're under every skateboard and skate manufactured in the last sixty years. They're ubiquitous because they're cheap as sin to make but the vendors can charge a premium for them because they're colorful and they've been heavily hyped by people who suffer from brand loyalty and a strong urge to justify their own purchase decisions.
> 
> *But*... polyurethane is *never* used for consumer car tires or aircraft tires or police car tires or earthmover tires. *Rubber* is used for all those traction-critical purposes for which a long service life is highly desirable. That, along with the very long service life and excellent friction offered by the rubber rollers on my Foley-Belsaw planers (I have *two*) is quite enough to convince me to keep buying rubber rollers if / when they wear out.
> 
> ...


A long winded reply and yet, still no actual answer to the question. 

What do chair wheels have in common with feed rollers? You do realize poly is available is different hardness right?


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## TDHofstetter (Jan 10, 2022)

woodnthings said:


> I took some photos of the Foley Belsaw 9103 planer molder. Notice the 1" wide slot for molding cutters. I don't know how you put in wider cutters unless you remove one of the side gibs. Notice the rubber rollers are still in great shape, still soft and pliable.
> I have the original owner's manual on the right and a manual I got off Ebay from Ozarks Woodworker and the accompanying letter:


You shouldn't use any thick molding cutters much wider than 1" with these machines unless you use a special gib for them. You can use cutters that are a *little* wider than 1" by offsetting the big gibs or removing them entirely, but if you offset them, don't move them very far and be sure to rotate the cutterhead by hand for at least one full turn to be sure that they clear the frame. The very last thing you want your machine to do is break a cutter and fling it across the room. Thin (1/8") cutters can fit under the bigger gibs just fine, just like planer knives, but they shouldn't have much stickout and should be run in very shallow passes. Thicker knives are necessary if you need much stickout, like for roundovers and ogees and door cutters... but a router table is the better way to use cutters with those profiles anyway. You can use the ones that require a spindle on a bigger router if you buy a spindle for them. I have one of those spindles, but I don't use it often because I have one-piece router bits that duplicate the functions of nearly all my "shaper cutters".


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## artisan 5.0 (7 mo ago)

woodnthings said:


> try this link:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I have tried this number a number of times 1 800 468 4449 to no avail until today. Is there a number where we can talk with someone


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## artisan 5.0 (7 mo ago)

Builder guy said:


> good to hear, about to buy a belsaw 910 for between $300-$400 but wanted to make sure parts were available for it.


 Have found the feed roll at belsaw


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## TDHofstetter (Jan 10, 2022)

jonazop said:


> I bought a Foley Belsaw planer molder model 984 recently. Runs great, I put some new blades in it but there is a gap of almost 1/4 inch between the knives and the wood. I have checked the feed roller tensions and everything appears correct. If I place a board on the table and crank the table up until the feed rollers contact it, I end up with the 1/4 inch gap. It's as if the cutter head is too high but I can't seem to find any adjustment on it. I checked the knife height when I installed them and those are correct. Any thoughts or ideas would be appreciated.


That is as it should be. The feed rollers won't have much traction when they simply touch the workpiece, they need a fair amount of pressure to give them traction. The cutterhead isn't too high, the rollers are just too low until they ride up on the workpiece and pull it through.

That said... doublecheck your knife height and adjust it so both ends of your knives are the same distance from the bed, as exactly as you can make them. A planer adjustment block is handy there. If you lack one, you can make one by planing a single strip of wood that you can use as a "drag gage".


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## Eastwoodworker (3 mo ago)

I have a model 910 and I have been experiencing two issues I was wondering if you all could help me with. 

My sprocket assembly is fairly loose, meaning some of them move from side to side about 1/4" and I'm wondering if that play is part of the mechanism that kicks the chain out of gear if say the cutter gets bogged down? I have the chain slip off kinda regularly and trying to figure out why. I do get a lot of chatter in the arm with the spring attached to it and when that gets heavy then that is when the chain kicks off. Anyone have this issue at all and found a solution? The board does stop and start every inch or so when thick stock gets to the outfeed roller, and I have to push it through. I did buy some rejuvenator just now after reading the above. 

Pete


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