difalkner Posted September 18, 2017 Report Share Posted September 18, 2017 I bought it new in 1997 and used it off and on for the first 17 years but in the last 3 I have used it a lot, sometimes daily. It has always run fine but today I turned it on and it ran for 1/2 a second then quit. Here's what I know: 1) It is getting power, I even switched to different circuit altogether 2) I pulled the switch out to verify that it is good 3) The brushes, though original, are still 1/2" long and show no signs of chipping or abnormal wear 4) The wires on the brushes are intact and the springs have plenty of tension 5) The motor is easy to spins (took the side covers off to verify) 6) The 18 amp built-in breaker on the top of the motor is in the position it should be in 7) In shining a light onto the commutator I see no chips or bridged arcs between segments I don't really want to spend the money on a new planer and would rather get this one running again. I can order new brushes just to rule that out but again, the current ones look fine to me. Ideas? David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
drzaius Posted September 18, 2017 Report Share Posted September 18, 2017 Get out the multimeter & follow the path. The juice isn't getting through somewhere. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wtnhighlander Posted September 18, 2017 Report Share Posted September 18, 2017 Have you re-installed the brushes and tried it? I have experienced a "stuck brush" that produced similar symptoms. Otherwise Drzaius is right, use a meter and follow the path. It is possible that the built-in motor protection has failed after 20 years, actually tripping but not moving the handke / button. I've seen that in older equipment, too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
treeslayer Posted September 18, 2017 Report Share Posted September 18, 2017 23 minutes ago, wtnhighlander said: I have experienced a "stuck brush" that produced similar symptoms @difalkner, this is what happened to mine, simple fix if that's the problem, good luck Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
difalkner Posted September 18, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 18, 2017 The brushes slide in and out with no problem and the wear is mild with no chipped edges. The commutator is smooth with no wear lines and no bridging, at least that I can see through the brush holes. I took the switch completely out, powered it up with two different circuits, and checked voltage on the leads coming off the switch. I have a full 120 volts coming in and going out. To go further I would have to dismantle the machine and motor. But it hasn't been dropped or mishandled and is in a climate controlled environment so no issues with high/low temps or humidity. This is the position of the breaker switch, looks to me like that's where it's supposed to be. And it doesn't want to move at all other than a slight rocking back and forth but it's always been like that. And it has never tripped. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
difalkner Posted September 20, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2017 I got to thinking that maybe I can see the breaker through the switch opening if I remove the switch and I can see it just fine, no disassembly necessary. And the good thing is that the breaker is closed so I can rule that out. I still don't really have time to break the unit down to get the motor out so that may have to wait. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
difalkner Posted September 20, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2017 I took the time to take the motor off after I figured out that I didn't have to disassemble the entire unit (makes sense that it would come off without that...). So here's what I have: 1) The two white leads in the photo are open and show no value. 2) There is no short or value between either lead and the commutator. 3) I went through the brush openings and checked resistance across the commutator segments 180° apart and all read the same. 4) It appears that going much further in this disassembly may require special tools, puller, etc. I can get the gearbox off but that's not going to do much for me at this point. David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tpt life Posted September 20, 2017 Report Share Posted September 20, 2017 Did you test the receptacle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardA Posted September 21, 2017 Report Share Posted September 21, 2017 Carus, what kind of question is that? Of course he did...... didn't you? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted September 21, 2017 Report Share Posted September 21, 2017 I envy you guys with all of this electronic knowledge, thus I'm not a candidate for suggestions. Good luck with this David! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye Posted September 21, 2017 Report Share Posted September 21, 2017 Coop, I'm with you. If I would have gotten to the point of the last picture David posted, it would be because I'm bored and waiting for my new one to arrive. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marmotjr Posted September 21, 2017 Report Share Posted September 21, 2017 Not sure if you tried it, but see if the breaker itself shows a bit of resistance, electrically speaking. If it's not flowing, it may have tripped without throwing the switch. Probably most likely not gonna happen, but at this point, might as well see. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coop Posted September 21, 2017 Report Share Posted September 21, 2017 13 minutes ago, Woodenskye said: Coop, I'm with you. If I would have gotten to the point of the last picture David posted, it would be because I'm bored and waiting for my new one to arrive. I know that the wide tab on the plug goes into the wide hole of the receptacle and if there's a ground dealy on the plug, my choices are reduced. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post difalkner Posted September 21, 2017 Author Popular Post Report Share Posted September 21, 2017 Thanks to all for the suggestions and help! Yes, I tried two outlets from two different circuits. And I bypassed the 18 amp internal breaker completely - no luck. I even hooked power directly to the motor. I may repurpose this planer; I'll let you know what happens to it but I'm thinkin it would make a good veneer press. David PS - my new 735 will be here Monday 3 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodenskye Posted September 21, 2017 Report Share Posted September 21, 2017 15 minutes ago, difalkner said: Thanks to all for the suggestions and help! Yes, I tried two outlets from two different circuits. And I bypassed the 18 amp internal breaker completely - no luck. I even hooked power directly to the motor. I may repurpose this planer; I'll let you know what happens to it but I'm thinkin it would make a good veneer press. David PS - my new 735 will be here Monday David, I would say you got your money's worth and hopefully the 735 gives you another 20 years. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
difalkner Posted September 21, 2017 Author Report Share Posted September 21, 2017 Well, I thought I was through with this topic but when I saw the blades I had to post a photo. I have not sharpened or replaced blades in the entire 20 years I've had this planer. This is the first time I've even seen them except to take a glance from the working side on occasion. Not too bad after 20 years - David 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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