I've had both a Skil 100 and a customized Rockwell 653 totally crap out on me after mowing big EPS blanks. I thought they were dead but in both cases I was able to salvage them with a little TLC.
In the case of the Skil, EPS beads got stuck in the trigger mechanism and jammed the mechanism. Disassembling the trigger and blowing the beads out brought it back to life.
On the Rockwell, it started sputtering and finally gave no response to pulling on the trigger. DAMN it!!! I took it apart and the first thing I noticed was the commutator (the end of the armature where the brushes make contact) and brushes appeared 'glazed' - I suspect by melted EPS beads. A little fine sandpaper cleaned things up and it now seems as good as new.
In both cases a little fine mesh gauze, some old t-shirt material or a piece of the wife's/girlfriend's pantyhose taped over the motor vents and trigger likely would have prevented the trouble.
Mr Mellor, interesting turn here. On just about all of my woodworking tools the switch/trigger will begin to fail due to dust build up. It’s a good idea to regularly blow them off with the compressor after removing them from the tool. You don’t have to disconnect the wires, but obviously unplug first.While blowing off, “snap” the trigger several times meaning, pull the trigger and let go rapidly so the action “snaps”. Sometimes in a bind, this will get you through if there is no air hose handy. It also pays to have extra sets of brushes on hand to keep from getting carbon build up. Never thought of foam getting on the armature and melting…NOT GOOD. When you cover the vents, is there excessive heat ?
I have also had some issues mowing a lot of EPS foam - the stringer wood and the eps were clumping together and clogging the exhaust port. I noticed it when my hitachi was getting warm and the dust was not blowing off in typical fashion. Now I shoot some compressed air into the exhaust port and into the blades every so often to make sure to keep things clear. A grit barell would probably help........
"It's a good idea to regularly blow them off with the compressor after removing them from the tool."
Yes - that's basically what I did on the Skil. Inside there was a flap of sorts that trapped the beads which were all jammed up inside. It happened during the shaping of just one EPS board.
I've also had 'chunks' mysteriously bang around and eject from the planers. At first I thought my planer's armature or bearings had exploded. Turned out to be melted EPS beads that had cooled and turned in to a wad of hard plastic. It left quite a divot in my blank.
Not sure about excess heat. They seem to ventilate OK but I suppose the fine mesh could plug up easier than the stock vent slots.
I've never had any of these problems occur while shaping polyurethane foam blanks. Just a heads up.
For one, i dont know the build of a planer! But is it logical that if you blow air into the planer that you blow dust into corners it never goes to without the air? EG: the bearings…? I have never blown off my planer, just made it run on empty. It still goes great. So do the planers of the other guys in our Unit.
Maybe the real numbers could talk here, that would be nice.
Wouter, If your planer doesn’t already have sealed bearings, I’d look into them. The only way to fly. If you have a compressor, blowing off everything is a good habit to get into. What do you do with a finished sanded blank with no air?
I've got a couple thousand EPS on one of my Hitachis, no problems other than usual (brushes wear out, triggers wear out). I'm on vacuum, though, which no doubt helps a lot. I blow the tool off about once a week.
The guy who works on my tools services a lot of planers (lots of shapers in our area and he's #1 service guy). He sees a lot of issues on grit drum tools. Either the weight of the drums or the heat from friction fries a lot of stuff. I use carbide blades and plan to stick with them.