Surface Planer

[Stan Thigpen]

I have an older Ryobi AP12 benchtop planer. Recently while planning some pecan, it developed a noise which suggested to me that a bearing was on its last legs. I tried to see which bearing might be the culprit by wiggling each end of the cutter and the rollers. I was unable to detect any seeming loose bearing. I did feel the roller chain which seemed to have a lot of slack in it. Is there supposed to be some sort of idler or follower to take up chain slack in this machine? Does anyone have access to a blow-up of how the planer is assembled?

[Wally Knight]

Did you ever find out the info on the planer?

[Randall Frey]

No manual but maybe there is another way to fix it. Describe the noise you hear. Can you determine the speed of the noise I would think the chain drives the feed roller at a relatively slow rate as compared to the spindle that holds the knives, this might lead you to the problem area. First thing I would do is give it a through cleaning by vacuum followed by blowing it out with compressed air. I would then inspect and check the tightness of every set screw bolt and fastener you can find on it. (don't forget the blade screws). Just some thoughts, good luck.

[Wally Knight]

Here is a link to the parts list. I've been using it to order parts for mine.
http://www.m-and-d.com/pdfs/ryobi_tool/AP12.pdf

There is a lot of slack in one of my chains and I don't know if that's what caused my sprockets to start breaking. I don't see any way to adjust for the loose chains. Only one of mine has what appears to be excess slack.The sprockets are relatively cheap, so if you have to order some, get at least four. The sprocket numbers are different but appear to be the very same sprocket. The snap rings are no longer available, but I found a source and have extras if anyone needs any. They are 10 for $1.70 at Fastenal and are 15mm. Order them from your local store and you won't have to pay shipping charges or I'll send you some free.
After replacing all my sprockets and chains, the darn thing quit again. This time I found a cracked gear case and one of the gears had stripped what I'd call splines. I no longer think it's worth putting another $50 or so into to repair. Guess if I can't find a junker, I'll either part it out, or throw it out.

[Stan Thigpen]

Thanks for your parts list reference. This has been helpful to me.