Hey everyone! I've got a 13-inch Ridgid planer that suddenly started stalling while I'm working on a project. It seems like something's jammed, but the roller looks fine and the blade is in decent shape. The inside of the machine is clean too, and all the settings are correct. When I power it on, it sounds normal, and it feeds the wood in for about 2 inches before it jams and the blade stops moving. I can raise the blades and get the wood out easily, but the same problem happens every time. Anyone faced this before? I'm hoping I can fix it without taking it in for repairs. Thanks!
2 Answers
I had a different issue with mine, but it was an impeller that was totally clogged and hard to spot until I removed some of the cladding. The symptoms were different from yours, but if you haven’t already, it might be worth disassembling it a bit to clean it out and see if there's anything hiding in there. It wasn’t too tough to get a look at everything once I did!
Have you tried running a really narrow piece of wood through it? If it still stalls, it could indicate an underlying issue. Also, after the blade stops, does it restart fine when you turn it back on? Here are some typical things to check:
1. Clean your rollers
2. Look for dull blades—maybe replace them
3. Try taking shallower passes
4. Wax the planer bed to reduce friction
5. Inspect the drive belt or chain for any issues. Good luck!
Ooh, waxing the planer bed! I thought about that too—it feels like there might be too much friction. Thanks for the tips, they’re really helpful!
That’s a solid point! I haven’t disassembled anything yet, so I’ll definitely check that out. Thanks for the advice!