Edgebander Knife Not Traveling Full Stroke

Tips on keeping your edgebander tuned so the knife cuts all the way through the tape when it's supposed to. April 4, 2011

Question
Once every 7 to 10 parts passed on the edgebander, the blade is not cutting all the way. Sometimes the blade leaves the lower part of the tape connected and the clamping unit pulls the tape back. I adjusted the blade travel, but it still happened.


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Forum Responses
(Business and Management Forum)
From contributor E:
It looks like your blade is not down low enough. Is the blade somehow tilted? What brand is the bander?



From contributor C:
Our bander did the same thing a few years ago. The electrovalve that was supposed to fire was sticking. Every once in a while we have to open it and clean and lube it. It was a major hassle and very frustrating at first, but now we just look at it as a part of the maintenance schedule. Also, I would look at how sharp your blades are.


From the original questioner:
Thanks. It is a Brandt. What do you mean by electrovalve - the cylinder that fires the blade? Do I have to install a new seal kit for the stroke cylinder, and what type of lube do we use?


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From contributor C:
Follow the hose back from the cylinder to the manifold of electrovalves that control the cylinders in front and back trimmers. Find the valve and remove it from the manifold. It will have a small black or dark colored 24v electro sensor on it. Remove it. It usually has one screw attaching it. Then you can take the actual valve that sends or releases the air to the cylinder apart - it is most likely sticking. I would actually have someone feed boards in and look at the function of the saw - is it smooth or intermittent? This is the telltale - there should be no hesitation in the movement of the cutter at all.


From contributor C:
I use air tool oil to lube it, enough to clean the sticky up. I also add a little grease to the hardened guide ways the cutters run on. The wipers have a tendency to dry them up, so a routine spray on them is just as effective as spray on a slider.