Ne probleme pas, amigo. Tried looking in http://www.ryobitools.com/service/manuals.asp?sectionid=2&pageid=30 to find maybe an exploded parts drawing of the thing but alas, not there immediately - use the model # and you may get more than I did. All I could find was the newest model, which isn’t made the same.
On reflection and a little reverse engineering, unless there is some sort of set-screw on the depth adjustment knob so that it can be taken off the shaft, I am thinking there pretty much has to be a return spring in there ( and on the powerkraft too, Keith, this may be a helluva sight easier than I had thought) , such that it may be no more than a matter of putting that lever assembly together, maybe swapping for a lighter return spring and there you are.
A few things:
The lever assembly: I’d use something like 3/16" x 3/4" bar stock, maybe 1/8", if it seemed to be pretty tough stuff. A jig to bend it around, then drill press to punch the appropriate holes in both the lever and the planer body. I would also use a stop on the drill press table so that you can line the holes up nicely and not have anything ‘leaning’ or looking bad. The ‘tool-dip’ brush-on plastic coating would be nice up where your fingertips will go on the lever. Etch it there with a little weak acid so the stuff will stick better. (edit) Duuh - or the appropriate sized heat-shrink wire covering. That, over maybe a little epoxy brushed on or molded and shaped would make a truly Rolls Royce of a lever. Doesn’t seem like much, but if you’re using a tool all day, comfort is a biggie.
The reason I would use 3/4" wide bar stock is so that you can use a nice 1/4" diameter screw to hold it all in place on the planer body. Bigger screw means it’ll pivot better and less likely to break it off, which would get really ugly. Oh, stainless steel screw, too, as I suspect aluminum would break eventually and gall into place permanently sooner than that.
Vibration will be an issue, and you don’t want the screws to vibrate out, get sucked up by the planer and then a fair sized catastrophe of steel and plastic everywhere. Plastic or fiber washers should help that way, besides which they can be ‘tuned’ to give you the right friction so that you’re not constantly pulling agains the spring.
A little of the appropriate Lubriplate grease here and there will make it all go smoother. (edit) Or chain saw bar oil. Stuff sticks nicely, behaves almost like grease. I am finding lots of uses for it of late.
The pin the lever pushes against- I’d use a stainless steel pin/shaft/rod all the way through, epoxy it in place. That’d be plenty sufficient, as I think maybe the vibration will be less problem on the front shoe. Might be you can fake it nicely with a section of boat motor or rudder parts - the shifter lever on an outboard motor springs to mind.
(edit) I’d use a pencil compass to figure your pivot screw location, how much travel the end of the lever would have and so forth, plot that against how much front shoe travel you need/want. For an idea of how much your hand can comfortably do with one of these levers, the newer power mowers with the ‘dead-man’ lever might be of use.
Anywho - that’ll give ya something to play with. And if ya must engrave ‘doc’s modified’ on it, you might want to do it on the lever rather than the shoe. That way if it doesn’t work ya can chuck it without a worry.
hope that’s of use
doc…
