Motor is throwing huge sparks

[Joe]

My planer was given to me. I am a total novice to this. The fellow who had the planer plugged it in and it shot sparks out up to about 6 inches long. I did not catch the side they were coming from, but I think from the belt side. The belt has been worn in one spot, as if the belt was not turning and the motor was. Where should I start? I think that perhaps it could be the brushes in the motor, but I could not find any brushes online. I also can't read the plate as to whether it is a type 1 or type 2 machine. What effect does that have on ordering parts?

Thanks to any and all who respond,
Joe

[Jerry]

My planer did the same thing. A wood chip or some other foreign matter worked its way under the brush. I removed the brush and blew it out with air. That fixed the problem.

[Jack]

June 12, 2010
While running a board through my planer it suddenly started throwing sparks out of the motor. I immediately turned it off. Inspecting the brushes I found they were badly chipped. Removing the brush holder and inspecting the armature I found one segment badly burned and was protruding above the others. A local motor repair shop advised scrapping the motor. Because of the high price of a replacement motor assembly. I opted to scrap the whole thing. My experience with this planer has not been very pleasant.