Help with new to me tecnomax scm fs41 elite planer jointer table alignment

[David Bryan West]

I have just finished getting this machine ready to use, cleaned up a bit and modified my dust hose hookups etc, only to find my tables don’t seem to be co planar. I just sold my beloved from day one, dj20 that was dialed in so nicely recently and I need this to be setup the same way. I just can’t seem to figure out the best was to do it. It’s a 2007 model and it’s in beautiful condition. I mean it looks new. However the tables to have some low spots here and there but not too bad. Worst is .0004 in the middle of indeed table. The longest straight edge I’ve got is the Veritas 50”. It’s what I used to setup my delta and it’s nice. My floor isn’t great though as far as flat and I’ll be moving the planer around a little bit so it will not be in the same place every time. How do I know if the machine is twisted as it sits there? I think I noticed some shims on the hinge side of infeed table. What can I use to shim if I need more? Can I get shim material at Home Depot? I’d love a little help. Thanks.

[Kevin Jenness]

If you look back in the archives you will find a number of threads on this topic. To start with, are you getting accurate results with the outfeed adjusted even with the cutterhead? In that case no adjustments are needed.

Otherwise you will need to start with the outfeed table checking it across the diagonals to ensure it is free of twist, then using shims on the hinge side and-or adjustments to the opposite side supports to get it level with the cutterhead. Then do the same with the infeed table to get its plane parallel with the outfeed. Ideally you will have an accurate straightedge as long as both tables, and you could make one of wood for temporary use.

If you find by results that the machine is twisting when moved, it might be worth investing in a machinist precision level https://www.mscdirect.com/browse/tn/...?navid=2107754. You can get packs of brass shim stock at MSC, McMaster Carr, etc.

[David Bryan West]

Thank you Kevin. Yes it seems that the info is the same. I’ll try to get some shim material at the local suppliers. As tine is of the utmost importance. I wonder if anyone else uses these machines with wheels and the floor isn’t perfect? I mean I’d you roll it around, every time the machine could be twisted? That’s crazy. Machinest levels will help setup the machine each time it is used. Aren’t those very expensive?

[David Bryan West]

On another note, has anyone used retractable casters or anything else that will allow this machine to roll forward and backward and in and out? The mobile kit it came with isn’t useful as you need to use tge wheeled bar and the wheels are sideways. I can’t roll it sideways in other words.

[Aaron Inami]

Generally, the twist in the machine is related to how flat the floor is. If you are working the machine on your brick patio, You can use leveling feet to straighten out the machine twist. However, as soon as you roll it to a different location, the machine will likely be twisted again.

[David Bryan West]

The picture was from the ad that I saw. It’s on my garage floor. But the floor isn’t perfectly flat and level. When you shim the hinge area, does the bolt have to be completely removed in order to get the shim in? Or loosening it is enough to slide shims in. I’ve never had to do this sort Ot thing.

[Bill Dufour]

Shims can be almost anything. kitchen aluminum foil 0.63 mills or 0.93mills for the heavy duty stuff. computer paper 0.004", dollar bill 0.0043. Can you still get cigarette papers, that used to be a standby.
Bill D

[Bill Dufour]

What hinge are you talking about? do you mean the pivot point the gib strip will have over the shim? You get to use trig for this stuff.
You should be able to find a online table or calculator for using a "Sine Plate" that will help a little.
Bill D

[Erik Loza]

It’s extremely unlikely that an uneven floor will affect that particular machine. The table-to-frame ratio is not that great and there are no parallelogram rods to deal with. I had a local customer with one of these, years ago, on a very uneven wood floor. He did not experience any performance issues. Of course, you want to shim the feet so the machine itself doesn’t rock,

OP, have you actually run any wood over this thing yet? I would do that before you start loosening the tables. I think you will find that the factory has already fitted shims to one or both tables. Beyond that, your only adjustment points will be the bolt heads on the “open” side of the hinges. One other thought: Be wary about over-tightening the locking lever on the infeed table. Barely wrist-tight is fine. Due to the camming action of the shaft on the locking lever, it is possible to actually induce some “arch” into the infeed table if you really crank on that lever. Good luck and hope this helps.

Erik

[David Bryan West]

Okay thank you. And do you have to just loosen the bolts and slide in shims on each side of the bolts or do you need to remove the bolts? Also I just changed my knives and noticed the cuts I’m getting have subtle lines going across the board. Mill marks that I didn’t get before I changed blades. Is it possible the blades didn’t sit properly in the Tersa head due to bits of dust etc?

[Richard Coers]

You can get shim stock on Amazon. I have no idea why Home Depot would carry it.

[Erik Loza]

Okay thank you. And do you have to just loosen the bolts and slide in shims on each side of the bolts or do you need to remove the bolts? Also I just changed my knives and noticed the cuts I’m getting have subtle lines going across the board. Mill marks that I didn’t get before I changed blades. Is it possible the blades didn’t sit properly in the Tersa head due to bits of dust etc?

I would avoid fully dismounting a table “if” shims are needed. The helper springs are very stiff. Also, HOW DOES THIS MACHINE JOINT? Are you able to get a flat board? I would never make an adjustment to the tables (beyond just up or down) unless I was getting convex boards.

Regarding the streaks in the board, it sounds like you knicked one of the knives. It’s virtually impossible to improperly install a Tersa knife. There would have to be some major-level obstruction inside the knife channel for the gibs to not seat properly. You can loosen on of the knives and shift it over by a millimeter or so. That ought to clean up the lines.

Erik

[David Bryan West]

I’m sorry that I didn’t respond sooner as I didn’t know that there was more comments Thank you for helping. The shims I got on Amazon, brass, and I’ll use them if I need to. I have used the new knives only to edge joint on the far side of the table and they cut good and it’s a decently strait board I’m left with. But when I move to the front of the machine, the cut doesn’t make it past the end of a 20” long board. Crazy. I put a pencil line on the board and jointed it five times and it didn’t get rid of the line about an inch from the end. So obviously the front is not right. I’ll have to get the tables situated but at least the back works great. I mean for 70 inch long boards they come out pretty straight. Not perfect but close. Good for right now. I’m wanting to put this machine on casters, mounted on the side. Adjustable machine casters that are super heavy duty. I’m hopeful someone out there has done this? This is so I can move in and out easily with no bar getting in the way. Lol. Oh and I was cleaning my planer table and noticed it was loose. I could move it side to side pretty easily. I tightened the nut on the underside where the skinny column support is because the lock nut was loose and then I tightened the main column nuts and it seems to be better but still there is movement side to side. Anyone see this with their planer tables?

[Jim Becker]

I urge caution on the idea of casters as it reduces the engagement with the floor compared with the normal contact points. Unven floor can also affect performance...when I had my FS-350 in the temporary gara-shop before my new building was completed, cranking the thicknesser table up and down was "tight" due to the uneven floor. Once in the new shop, it was back to normal, easy operation. Cast iron and steel do bend/deflect and these are heavy machines. The OEM mobility kit, despite being inconvenient, never leaves the machines on wheels when you are not making an adjustment to position in the shop. If you truly need it mobile, rather than casters, build or have built or buy a low profile mobile base that engages the floor and keeps the center of gravity as low as possible. When you flip up the tables for thicknessing, there's a big weight shift.

[David Bryan West]

My mobility kit has the wheels in the back always down touching the floor. Is this correct or should they somehow retract so the steel frame touches the floor? So the machine is angled slightly as it’s up on the rear end about a 1/4” or slightly more on wheels. I was going to build something that had the wheels recessed up so the overall height difference would be less than 1/2”. And if anything the center of gravity could be better as the wheels are further out. And with the levelers, it woukd rest on those and not the casters on all four corners.