Planer tip?

[Roy Turbett]

I was watching an episode of American Woodworker where Scott Phillips was making some flooring and was planing some walnut on what appeared to be a Delta planer with a fixed bottom and moveable cutterheads on the top. He gave a "tip" on how to avoid snipe by lifting up slightly on the piece on the infeed side and again on the outfeed side of the planer. When he got to the table saw, he reminded his viewers to cut off any snipe before installing the floor and then proceeded to cut off about 4-5" of wood to get rid of the snipe to avoid sanding. I've never heard of this "tip". I checked the manual and it simply says to support long stock on each end. Any opinions out there?

[Jerry Miner]

Slight upward pressure--especially at the outfeed end--is a time-honored technique to reduce snipe. Essentially what you are doing is using the outfeed feed roller as a fulcrum to lever those last few inches down tight to the table. Once the end of the board feeds past the infeed roller, there is only the outfeed roller holding it down and it can "spring up" into the knives a bit, causing snipe. A little upward pressure helps to reduce this "springing" effect. Try it for yourself. It's SOP for me.

[Matthew Hills]

It helps with snipe caused from an (otherwise) unsupported board tilting an end up into the cutterhead.

It doesn't help with snipe caused by movement of your cutterhead assembly (this was a problem for me on a lunchbox planer; not on the Parks planer that I use now).
You can reduce this type of snipe by continuously feeding boards through so that they are butted end-to-end.

Cutting off the ends is another option if you have that much to waste and don't want to bother with the other techniques.

Matt

[Jim Finn]

I used thus lifting tip to convince myself how to correct this sniping problem by adjusting the infeed and outfeed tables. No snipe now on my DeWalt planer.

[william watts]

[QUOTE=Matthew Hills;2169984]It helps with snipe caused from an (otherwise) unsupported board tilting an end up into the cutterhead.

It doesn't help with snipe caused by movement of your cutterhead assembly (this was a problem for me on a lunchbox planer; not on the Parks planer that I use now).
You can reduce this type of snipe by continuously feeding boards through so that they are butted end-to-end.

Cutting off the ends is another option if you have that much to waste and don't want to bother with the other techniques.

Matt[/QUOTE

This has been my experiance on my lunch box planer. I have tried all three options. Lifting the ends of the stock just did not work, know I know why. Now I feed the boards end to end or cut the snipe off.

[Joe Hillmann]

On a heavy duty planer supporting the ends of the board may reduce snipe, on cheaper planers the snipe is caused by the head of the planer twisting when the pressure switches from one roller to two and from two to one.

Here is a good explination and a way to prevent it from happening.

http://woodgears.ca/jointer/planer_snipe.html

[Harvey Melvin Richards]

I have always just sent a sacrificial chaser board behind the good board. Any scrap will work for the chaser.

[Bill White]

Been usin' the "lift" process for my DW 733 for a long time. I might miss once in a while, but it sure does help.
Getting the tables set properly is another plus.
Bill

[Roy Turbett]

Thanks for all the replys. I learned something new. My 15" Jet has a fixed cutterhead and moveable table that locks in place so snipe usually isn't a problem. I also use infeed and outfeed rollers.