I've just discovered a bent part in my thickness planer and I'm wondering if it's repairable.
The part is the slightly orange part, between the blades and the in-feed roller:
As well as having a visible kink in it, it now sits so low it blocks wood when trying to feed it through. Can I do anything about this? Maybe bend it to follow the curve of the cutter head? Any help is much appreciated, thanks!
This looks to be the shroud the helps direct woodchips out of the exhaust port.
My guess is that it either something got caught on it while you fed it through or something hit it from kickback when you were planing.
If you're precise enough with a hammer, you should be able to remove the shroud from the planer and beat it back into straightness. Use a metal vise (or really any semi-robust piece of metal) as an anvil to hit against.
If you don't trust yourself to do this, you might consider taking it to a machinist. They should be able to straighten it out no problem. Otherwise, if you know your make and model, you should be able to contact the manufacturer for a replacement part. Be prepared to pay quite a bit for the part, though.
I am guessing it may have been caused by a kickback at some time. Do you have access to another machine to look at? If so, you may be able to straighten it once you know which way to do it. But, I would bet it would damage the machine with the force it would take if it is left installed. A local machine shop with a press might be able to do it at a low cost
That is a tricky problem. If you start banging away on something like that it will get less straight rather than more straight. It looks to me like the metal has a natural curve to it.
You could try taking it to a blacksmith or somebody who has a power hammer.
