We started to use the Makita 2030N planer/joiner today and one of the urethane covered (?) rollers that advance the work through the planer crumbled on to the table. It’s 22 years old.
It’s part #114, there’s 2 of them and Makita wants 180$ each for them. Maybe that’s a fair price, but I’m thinking there’s a way around this and I’m throwing this out in case somebody knows what it is. I’m thinking some kind of a sleeve could be glued on. Has anybody had a cost saving brainstorm on this?
Replies
They say that the only substitute is well worn black leather. The best is supposed to be the back a black leather jacket.
just kidding, I dunno what works.
SamT
Anyone who doesn't take truth seriously in small matters cannot be trusted in large ones either. [Einstein] Tks, BossHogg.
Sam,Ya had me on that. I was already imagining rollin' the leather and applying liberal gorilla glue. I thought you had something there, an organic solution at that.
What about that liquid rubber crap in a can you paint on handles that cost about ten bucks a can....even comes in different colors...lol.
"As I was walkin' - I saw a sign there
And that sign said - no tress passin'
But on the other side .... it didn't say nothin!
Now that side was made for you and me!" Woody Guthrie 1956
http://WWW.CLIFFORDRENOVATIONS.COM
if the rest of the machine works great and shows little wear? spring for the new rollers that will fit perfectly at a cost of $16 a year for both. I can see anything else giving you problems.
That's a reasonable perspective alright. I just think it accommodates extortion on the part of Makita. I can see them making some money, sure, but this is in outer space. If there is a way around it might help them get a better perspective.
Google <rubber roller recover> and similar and you'll get lots of URLs for places that do this, possibly close by, and you'll get a choice of materials to use, too. Smearing rubber goo on the roller to build it back up doesn't work....BTDT, peels right off.
Here's a sample URL:
http://www.jet-rollers.co.uk/recovering.htm
THAT LOOKS INTERESTING! Gotta go to work now, I'll look further later. I have a friend that is pretty ingenious that has all the lathe/shop stuff that might have a way to adapt a cover.
Sorry i grabbed a link from the UK, but there are many other places that recover rollers, and i've seen advertisements in Woodshop News for this service. You can also search <rubber roller> on Knots - your topic has come up there fairly often. Here's another URL i pulled from there:http://www.precisionroll.com/Products_Servicesand this discussion:http://forums.taunton.com/fw-knots/messages?msg=3045.1 I have that planer you have. When you pull the rollers, check the blocks that hold each end - they are prone to wearing out of round. The leading blocks wear faster than the trailing ones, so you may only have to replace the first pair, though i recall i had to buy a set of four. In any case, replacing worn blocks adds greatly to your planing results and it sounds like you might be due for a set. I'll prepare you...they're also spendy.
How long have you had your planer & have you had to replace/resurface the rollers? Yeah I wouldn't think the UK was the closest. I'll have to get the roller out and get a measurement. Fortunately we don't need it for a while. Thanks
I bought my planer in 1982, new. I've switched the trailing roller to the leading roller since it wore down farther, but it's seen thousands on thousands of BF of exotics like bubinga, wenge, purpleheart, teak, etc...i just keep buying more blades. I've replaced the bearings twice (there's a Chinese puzzle...), the blocks i mentioned, and threw out the really poor Makita switch for a good one, but i've not been tempted to recover the rollers now that my use is at 'retiree' level.Sometimes people are recommended to clean the rollers with acetone or alcohol. I've never done this, only waxed the bed with paste wax so the rollers don't have to struggle. I've used Trewax and Minwax, never had a problem with finishes sticking. I was thinking today that perhaps someone tried a chemical like brake cleaner or ??? to clean/soften the rollers. Perhaps that killed them off early. You said they crumbled....these rollers here are still soft.If you send the rollers out, it might be interesting to send them as-is, maybe see if the recovery people can make out what happened.
Interesting. I have kept the table waxed. We did quite a bit of teak for a boat deck. We cleaned the rollers with either den alcohol or naphtha - can't remember. A similar thing I have seen happen is the sole of shoes that had "guaranteed" sole - a resilient base and a firmer veneer. I had taken care of the uppers and the sole eventually crumbled. I don't know what I'm going to do about this yet, but right now I'm not in the 350$ mood. The one link contact effort just came back (didn't exist). They must have changed their address.
There are more places to try. Printers go through rollers regularly...not an uncommon business to repair them. Good luck!
I was looking around and see the display #114 but no specific on the roller or the dimension's?
What would be nice if it could just be crossed to a stock roller non Makita 173$.
Here's some round urethane stock? machine and use original bearings and ends or something like it for way cheaper.
Are the ends taper or straight?
This is for 12",24" and 36" round
1....... 1.000 11.70 19.50 27.08
1-1/4.... 1.250 15.36 25.60 35.56
1-1/2.... 1.500 19.84 33.07 45.93
1-3/4.... 1.750 25.13 41.89 58.18
Thanks for digging those prices out - I'm thinking the best way for me to go is the "retread" from the link splintergroupie gave. I just got the rollers out. Here's a shot of them:
Wow thats either bad or good? Good that you got that much work out of em.
Just thinking ? Are there any non makita markings that indicate it's not manufactured by them but just a off the shelf type of roller?
With all the millions of roller stuff I've seen looking around it sure would be nice to just be able to pull a cheape off the shelf.
I didn't see any markings. When you look at it close it IS a piece of work with several critical details. I don't know WHY these got hard, but they both are. It was cold last Monday when the pieces fell out, but I have had them inside now for a while and they're still hard. I can't remember what we cleaned them with and I do wonder if we used the wrong stuff. It would have probably been den alcohol or naptha. I'm also guessing we wouldn't have rinsed them off (didn't think there would be consequences). I have never lubricated those little blocks/bearings either. I'm thinking any grease will beat none. By the way, somebody said they put a good switch on this thing. I have always had a problem getting this one to "take". I'd appreciate it if the good one was listed.
Have you got your rollers recovered yet? Those ones you posted don't look anything like my rollers, which are yellow and soft enough to stick a fingernail in them.The "good" switch i mentioned is a heavy-duty toggle switch, a double-pole, single-throw (DPST) one, IIRC. I guess it's not as safe as the Makita switch on with the guard around it, but the darn thing works every time. You can buy toggle switches with guards on them, only i've never seen then except in pictures.No grease on the bearing blocks.
Edited 3/12/2007 12:12 am ET by splintergroupie
I sent them in to precisionroller (link this thread). Turns out the reason I had trouble getting emails back was he was on vacation. I called and everything was lined up - sent them in first of last week. It's supposed to be 3 wk turnaround. 75$ each, no tax. 10$ return postage. I'm happy with that. Thanks for the link. There seem to be a lot of companies doing that. I tried to find that other company but couldn't. I talked to a couple of other roller companies and they wanted a hefty set-up fee. One was 500-1000, the other was about 200. They make sleeves to hold the rod in the center of a tube and pour the urethane in. Possibly precisionroller (Andy Jacobson) is already set up. The company from Tx told me the urethane rollers typically get hard and break down.No grease on the roller block bearings? Please expand on that. Is it because it will attract dust? I hear you on the switch. I have never liked that "magnetic switch". I plan to change that first opportunity.
<<No grease on the roller block bearings? Please expand on that. Is it because it will attract dust?>>Yes. I don't know if they are graphite alloy blocks, but they are made of a much softer metal, to wear before the roller wears; you wouldn't want grit in there. I found a couple places to get the b;ocks online in a recent google: they are about $6.50 each, or even as low as $2-something on another site (which listed "three in stock"...eh?)....not nearly as expensive as i paid some years ago at my friendly, local, over-priced tool purveyors!
Hey splintergroupie,I got the rollers back today - they look great. You saved me 200$ with that advice - Thanks! (See pic)
Aquamarine?!?!?! They're beautiful! Who knew they could be fashionable, too? ;^)
I just heard back from precision roller (the link you gave)and they quoted me 75$ per roller. I requested details - don't know if this is a complete new roller or a re-tread. Here is the address: [email protected]
That's sounds a whole lot better that $180! I hope you report back on how it turns out, both the transaction and the quality of the roller recovery. I've got a couple 24"-wide feed rolls on my drum sander that are on their last legs...be nice if you be the guinea pig. ;^)
Edited 3/1/2007 11:17 pm ET by splintergroupie
I just heard back from Andy at precision roller. I'm planning to send my rollers in. He puts a new surface on them and turns them to size. The turn-around is about 3 weeks. Thanks. I'll let you know.
Coincidence. I spent about 3 hrs yesterday cleaning the rollers on my 2005S (vintage 1972). They were in pretty good shape, but covered with pitch and small wood chips. Looked like they were made of particle board. I used oxysolve blade cleaner, elbow grease and patience. The cleaner did not seem to soften the rubber roller, I made sure to wash it all off with hot soapy water.
Any way to discourage the rollers from acquiring this build up of pitch etc. in future? I plane mostly softwoods, esp. Doug Fir.
Wondering about lube for the roller bearings. These are square blocks, and looked like they have had no lube for a while. Some scoring on the bearing surfaces of the shafts. I used gun oil, thinking it would do short term. The only provision for lube seems to be a small groove in the shaft's bearing surface. Am I supposed to put a bit of grease in the groove befor assembly? What grease would be recommended?
Good luck with your roller refurbishing!
Keeping the bed waxed will do more to save your rollers than anything, so they don't have to strain so hard to pull your pitchy wood through.No oil or grease on the bearing blocks. They aren't exactly sqaure, but they can be flipped 180* if the rollers seem to not be contacting the board hard enough. Otherwise, a new set of four is in order. The bearings are easy to replace, just be careful not to strip the soft panhead screws.
A&D Roller, they will recover yours at low$$ they are in New hampshire, used to be in Ma a nd moved, google them, call w/ dimensions they will recover
I have seen this happen with rubber type products when exposed to high levels of O3... I have an industrial Ozone generator and have to keep it away from tools as it eats the cords.Drew
I'm not sure but post the size of the roller?
How bout a reel type mower, has long urethane rollers?
What about scavenging the rollers from another 2030N?
Maybe a repair shop has one with a blown motor? buic
Edited 2/27/2007 11:19 am ET by BUIC
This might work. Don't know the urethane thickness, but 3/16" is offered.
Edited 2/28/2007 11:34 am ET by cynwyd
I read somewhere on another forum that someone makes an aftermarket replacement for those. I'll have to do some digging and see if I can find it. Gotta be cheaper than OEM from Makita.
Fonz...
I ran into this occasionally in my old business, a large photolab. What worked for me more than once was cutting off the worn out "rubber" part of the roller (after measuring the OD) then miking the "core" and hunting around for vinyl/rubber/etc tubing the right (as close as possible) diameter and slipping it on over the core. You may have to heat the tubing and put the core in the freezer if the fits too tight.
HTH
Paul