Help ! I can't remove my handwheel.

[Allan Speers]

I'm retying to remove the table-height handwheel from my powermatic 100 planer, and am completely stuck. (as is the handwheel)

As best I can tell, there is no set screw inserted. When I shine a light into the hole, it looks clear JUST about down to the spindle, but it's hard to tell. it's possible that the setscrew somehow got stripped, but if so, there is only a few mm of it that is "proud" of where the handwheel meets the spindle. I imagine that the original setscrew would have reached much closer to the outside of the handwheel.

So you would think that the handwheel would come off rather easily, right? - but I've got a wheel puller on it, and have torqured it down to where I'm starting to worry about something ripping apart, and the bloody handwheel won't budge?

Any ideas or suggestions?

[Marion Smith]

Look up the exploded assembly or parts diagram drawings?

[Jamie Buxton]

Two setscrews, in two holes?

[Allan Speers]

Only one set screw, sadly.

The parts diagram isn't very clear. The spec'ed setscrew is 5/16" long, so unless there is a 1/4" hole drilled into the spindle, the setscrew is missing.

And yet the handwheel is firmly attached (it turns the spindle) and again, the bloody thing won't budge,

If there really is a hole bored into the spindle, then the setscrew's head must be totally stripped, but I'm afraid to bore it out, aince f there;s NO setscrew I'll ruin the spindle !



Still hoping for some ideas or advice.

[Phil Thien]

I'd go over and ask at owwm as someone there should know with certainty.

[Allan Speers]

I've been banned from OWWM !

I don't even have a clue why. Seriously.

[Kent A Bathurst]

I've been banned from OWWM !

I don't even have a clue why. Seriously.

Too rich.........I have to resist all the obvious rejoinders.........

We still love you here, Allan......for now, anyway......sort of...........for the most part.......... well, pretty much, anyway.......

You need [a] a bigger hammer, or [b] a pulley-puller. If you are dead-certain there is no set screw impedance, then you just need to use the brute force approach, IMO.

[Allan Speers]

I think I found the problem: (maybe this will help someone else, in the future.)

Somehow I never noticed that the height-adjust spindle is bent. The table still raises & lowers easily, so I never gave it a thought, but it's bent right where the handwheel is. It must have been dropped on its side at some point, which is slightly troubling. Obviously, this is why the handwheel won't pull out.

This is going to be one seriously tricky repair.