Can't remove the backing plate

LeMarque

LeMarque

New member
Embarrassed to post, but ...

Santa left me a Dewalt DWP849X under the tree. Came with a hook and loop backing plate and a cheap wool pad.

All I did was thread the backing plate on, (no I didn't cross thread it) attach the wool pad and pose for some short videos of me pulling the trigger and spinning the pad.

When I went to remove the backing plate it wouldn't budge! No matter how much I tried.

Well truth is, I told Amazon it was defective and they sent me another one.

But before I shoot myself in the foot again, thought I'd fess up and see if anyone has had a similar experience :redface:
 
Make sure that the backing plate is threaded all the way on before squeezing the trigger. If their is a little play in the threads it can really torque that thing on their when spin it. Over time the backing plate will tighten/torque. Many times I have spent with a rotary between my lefts, torquing as hard as I can with both arms to loosen a backing plate.
 
Usually there is a thin wrench included with the polisher. This wrench is inserted between the backing plate and the polisher so that it can grab the flats, with this leverage you can usually get one loose.
 
Todd Helme said:
Make sure that the backing plate is threaded all the way on before squeezing the trigger. If their is a little play in the threads it can really torque that thing on their when spin it. Over time the backing plate will tighten/torque. Many times I have spent with a rotary between my lefts, torquing as hard as I can with both arms to loosen a backing plate.
Click to expand...

That may have been it. I just tried the new unit and made sure to snug it up a bit. Ran thru the same routine and, voila! It wasn't bound up.

Thanks for the tip.
 
theamcguy said:
Usually there is a thin wrench included with the polisher. This wrench is inserted between the backing plate and the polisher so that it can grab the flats, with this leverage you can usually get one loose.
Click to expand...

Thanks, but not on this one. It has a spindle lock button.
 
Push down the spindle lock button and turn the plate until you feel the lock grab it, all while holding the machine with your legs or knees (both hands need to be free if its really stuck). When you feel the lock grab, use both hands and break it loose. It becomes second nature after a while.
 
mrclean81 said:
Push down the spindle lock button and turn the plate until you feel the lock grab it, all while holding the machine with your legs or knees (both hands need to be free if its really stuck). When you feel the lock grab, use both hands and break it loose. It becomes second nature after a while.
Click to expand...

^^^^This!

If you can't budge it loose with two hands like this something else may be wrong.
 
When you really get good with one, you can change backing plates on a rotary in about 10 seconds. If you really wanna get fancy when your putting the new one on, you can run the machine for a second, let off, and while its still spinning hold the backing plate up to the shaft. If you do it right it will suck the plate onto the machine. However, this was discovered and mastered out of pure boredom and serves no useful purpose whatsoever.
 
Just a suggestion, unplug the machine if you really have to work at taking the backing plate off. You should see what happens to your skin and clothing if the machine gets wrapped up in it, especially when you have the trigger locked on at 3000rpm when drying a pad. Take it from me and don't learn the hard way. Unplug the machine.;)
 
mrclean81 said:
When you really get good with one, you can change backing plates on a rotary in about 10 seconds. If you really wanna get fancy when your putting the new one on, you can run the machine for a second, let off, and while its still spinning hold the backing plate up to the shaft. If you do it right it will suck the plate onto the machine. However, this was discovered and mastered out of pure boredom and serves no useful purpose whatsoever.
Click to expand...

I used to do this all the time, until I got fancy, spun it at 3k (ya know, just to see how fast I could get it on), let it rip, and torqued the backing plate so hard onto the spindle that it took some spinach to get it off. :rockon Now I throttle it a little and release just before it is fully on, so it glides into place.
 
mrclean81 said:
When you really get good with one, you can change backing plates on a rotary in about 10 seconds. If you really wanna get fancy when your putting the new one on, you can run the machine for a second, let off, and while its still spinning hold the backing plate up to the shaft. If you do it right it will suck the plate onto the machine. However, this was discovered and mastered out of pure boredom and serves no useful purpose whatsoever.
Click to expand...

Style is its own reward.

Gonna try that one of these days...
 
Todd Helme said:
I used to do this all the time, until I got fancy, spun it at 3k (ya know, just to see how fast I could get it on), let it rip, and torqued the backing plate so hard onto the spindle that it took some spinach to get it off. :rockon Now I throttle it a little and release just before it is fully on, so it glides into place.
Click to expand...

Your nuts! You should see the scar I have on my hand from getting it caught in a backing plate! Its nasty deep.
 
I had really long hair back in high school (it was the 90s and I was into the grunge scene lol). Anyway, I wound my hair up in the shaft of an old Milwaukee rotary 2 weeks after getting it caught in the wheels of a creeper. That wasn't a good month for me...
 
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