# Ridgid planer is smokin!



## MrRyan (Jan 2, 2012)

Any idea on why? Last few boards I ran through it they really didn't want to go through, I had to help by pushing/pulling. I was taking very light passes and starting to get a LOT of snipe. So I took the dust chute cover off which exposes the blades. The visible blade looked okay. Turned it on, worked okay. Shut it off, turned it back on, had smoke pouring out of the side and wouldn't spin the blades at all.

Anyone have any experiences like this? Hopefully something easily remedied because my wife threw away the box and reciept and I never got it registered for the life time warranty.

I'm far from an electrician or mechanic so for me to take it any further apart is a scary prospect......


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## Dave Paine (May 30, 2012)

If you are getting smoke with no load on the cutter head, and the cutter head is not turning, this is not good news.

You may need to take off the side covers to find which parts are moving and which are frozen.

Too many potential things which could be frozen to attempt a remote and blind diagnosis.

Bad bearings, something caught in the mechanism. The list is too long.

So you need to expand your mechanical skills, or take this puppy to the repair shop. Sorry.


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## MrRyan (Jan 2, 2012)

Dave Paine said:


> If you are getting smoke with no load on the cutter head, and the cutter head is not turning, this is not good news.
> 
> You may need to take off the side covers to find which parts are moving and which are frozen.
> 
> ...


Not cool Dave...you're supposed to tell me nothing was wrong, I just needed to change a belt or something.

Maybe the smoke was because the chute cover was off. THat is supposed to lock the cutter head, and that did happen and then the smoke started. I put the cover back on and now it spins fine, no smoke, but I'm scared to use it. Still unsure why it doesn't want to pull wood through except for super useless light path.......


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## Fastback (Sep 2, 2012)

Sounds like you answered and fixed one of your questions. Make sue you clean the rollers. They get gummed up with sap and dust and then slip. Also make sure you wax the table and beds real good. Use a hardwood floor wax. You should be all set.


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## MrRyan (Jan 2, 2012)

I'll clean them up, maybe that's why they weren't pulling the wood thru.......still wonder what caused the smoke. Thanks for the advice guys....


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## GeorgeC (Jul 30, 2008)

Dave Paine said:


> If you are getting smoke with no load on the cutter head, and the cutter head is not turning, this is not good news.
> 
> You may need to take off the side covers to find which parts are moving and which are frozen.
> 
> ...


A hypothetical question. Just where would you take large woodworking machines to have mechanical work accomplished?

George


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## troyd1976 (Jul 26, 2011)

well id suppose your nearest factory authorized service center. i know we have one in town for dewalt, Ridgid's center is about 45 miles away from here, but as was proven with my R4511 im not sure how experienced they are with the bigger woodworking tools. i saw a lot of cordless tools, generators, compressors being worked on in my 3 visits to them, my TS was the only stationary WW tool i ever saw there.
Talk about an experience. loading that puppy @ 500 pounds in the back of a lifted ranger. the gf at the time was in the back of the truck at the time pulling with all her might while i got under the saw and slid/pivoted into the back of the truck on it's back. Looking back TG my tailgate cables didnt snap!


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## MrRyan (Jan 2, 2012)

troyd1976 said:


> well id suppose your nearest factory authorized service center. i know we have one in town for dewalt, Ridgid's center is about 45 miles away from here, but as was proven with my R4511 im not sure how experienced they are with the bigger woodworking tools. i saw a lot of cordless tools, generators, compressors being worked on in my 3 visits to them, my TS was the only stationary WW tool i ever saw there.
> Talk about an experience. loading that puppy @ 500 pounds in the back of a lifted ranger. the gf at the time was in the back of the truck at the time pulling with all her might while i got under the saw and slid/pivoted into the back of the truck on it's back. Looking back TG my tailgate cables didnt snap!


Marshalltown? Are you saying they are not a good option for repair?


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## Duane Bledsoe (Oct 18, 2012)

Anytime I see smoke coming from electrical tools and no turning of parts that should be, I start thinking motor windings are burnt. With it not pulling wood, this could be a sign of a weak motor, which also could be another indicator that the windings are burnt.


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## Leo G (Oct 16, 2006)

Clean the rollers, wax the table. If it's true that the head gets locked when you take off the cover then by all means don't turn on the machine when the hood is off.

What kind of smoke? Rubber smell like burning belt or electrical smoke like magic smoke.

As you know once you let the magic smoke out of a tool you can't put it back in. The tool is dead without its original supply of magic smoke.


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## MrRyan (Jan 2, 2012)

Leo G said:


> Clean the rollers, wax the table. If it's true that the head gets locked when you take off the cover then by all means don't turn on the machine when the hood is off.
> 
> What kind of smoke? Rubber smell like burning belt or electrical smoke like magic smoke.
> 
> As you know once you let the magic smoke out of a tool you can't put it back in. The tool is dead without its original supply of magic smoke.


Rubber smell. It is true about locking the head with the cover off--there is a lever that the cover depresses when on that unlocks the head.


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## Leo G (Oct 16, 2006)

Well then

DON"T DO THAT :laughing:

Clean the rollers with denatured alcohol or mineral spirits and use bowling alley wax to wax the metal table. Or floor wax, something that comes out of a can like Treewax. Briwax, Johnsons Past Wax etc...


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## woodnthings (Jan 24, 2009)

*sounds like there are 2 separate issues*

1. the rollers were in need of cleaning which caused the board to not feed properly
2. when the cover is removed it locks up the drive roller/cutter head and then the belt slips causing the burnt rubber smell. You may need to replace the belt after all this, which won't hurt anyway.


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## MrRyan (Jan 2, 2012)

woodnthings said:


> 1. the rollers were in need of cleaning which caused the board to not feed properly
> 2. when the cover is removed it locks up the drive roller/cutter head and then the belt slips causing the burnt rubber smell. You may need to replace the belt after all this, which won't hurt anyway.


Thanks guys, this is exactly what I hope happened. Not thrilled about doing the cleaning and replacing in these lovely Iowa temps in my garage...but I suppose it's better than a kick in the head.


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## MrRyan (Jan 2, 2012)

Update, if anyone cares or encounters similar issues.......I cleaned the rollers a bit, cleaned the tables and put johnson paste wax (don't tell cabinet man!)on them and all is well. Thanks for the advice!

Ryan


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## troyd1976 (Jul 26, 2011)

Awesome, it running like a champ again?


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## MrRyan (Jan 2, 2012)

troyd1976 said:


> Awesome, it running like a champ again?


Yup, a champ with slight user induced snipe issues!


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