Hey guys, I shaped a couple boards with my Hitachi P20SB without having it hooked to a vacuum. While shaping, the EPS beads kept sticking to the planer due to static. At some point, beads would get inside the grooves of my belt and started melting between the wheel and the belt. Did this ever happen to some of you and how can I make sure it does not happen. The ceiling is too low to hook up a vacuum so I am not sure if that could be a solution.
Dust getting into tools can be really hard on them. I should spend more time than I do cleaning them out with compressed air.
I think your best bet will be vacuum to keep as much foam dust away from the intakes of the planer as possible.
My vacuum setup is shown about post 36 of the latest ‘what are you working on now’ thread. There are no traveling hoses or wires and the bay is only 2 inches taller than I am. There is a stretchy ‘slinky’ hose and the cyclone is set up to ground static electricity. I may add a few feet of rigid hose to have the slinky hose start above the middle of the stands once I start the next long board.
How low is your ceiling? Shaping in a cardboard box or a hobbit cave? Vacuum is the solution. Ortherwise blow your planer out every so many passes with air.
Vacuum is always recommended for EPS. The beads have a low melting point and will eventually melt onto the motor and destroy it. Switch to shaping PU or set up a vac system for EPS shaping.
Get a vac, also slow down on your mowing. EPS will only melt if it heats up, don’t let it heat up.
Had this happen to me long ago, melted the belt and it broke. It was not a surfboard planer, it was my dad’s and he was a bit upset. You really need to keep the EPS away from the planer. I almost always use vacuum, but I also blow out the planer with my compressor after using it. Blow into the vents and get as clean as you can. The EPS beads can be a real problem.