Powermatic 15HH 15" Planer

Powermatic 15HH 15" Planer

What a beast! This planer has a helical head and cast iron tables. This tool was purchased with Freeside funds.

User's manual

Maintenance

Unplug the planer before performing any maintenance!

Here's a great video describing routine maintenance for the planer.

Monthly

• Drops of oil (3N1 or motor oil) need to be added to the lubrication openings. You may first need to clean them out with something like a toothpick or qtip.
• Check the rollers and clean them if needed. Acetone or Alcohol with a surgical scrubber work well.
• Inspect the bed for:
  • Rust (looks like black spots)
  • Sticky gunk
• Run a scrap through and check for raised streaks. Re-run through different parts of the bed so you can test the entire width of the cutter. This could mean that a cutter head needs to be turned/replaced.

Occasionally

• Inspect the cutter heads for damage and turn them (or replace them). Pay attention to the markings on the cutter head. Convention is to turn 90 degrees and use the next highest numbered fact of the cutter head. (I use a paint marker or sharpie to highlight damaged faces -EZA)
• The cast iron table needs to be cleaned of rust. Degrease and clean, then coat with WD-40 steel wool or a surgical scrubber on any black spots. Wipe the table to be as try as you can, then wax the table.

Rarely

• Remove the front cover and clean off any dust from the roller geartrain. This is tricky! You have to remove the knob from the transmission, the handle for controlling the height, and one side of the chain cover from underneath.
• Change the oil in the case (every 15,000 hours according to the manual)

Here's what it looks like with the front cover off (for cleaning)