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questions about a three sided planer (pics added )

Started by Quebecnewf, April 27, 2009, 06:47:39 PM

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Quebecnewf

I have a chance to buy a three sided planer from a friend of mine. I have seen the unit a few years ago but I don't know a lot about it. I will go and see it this week. From what I remember the unit is fairly old but in excellent shape. He used to run it with a 9 hp Honda motor. I don't know if he ran the side cutters or not. 9 hp seems like a small motor what are your thoughts. He is asking $4000.00
Sorry if this is vague please feel free to jump in with your input and questions I hope to have more info and pics in the coming weeks

Anyone have any pics of something like this

Quebecnewf

Brad_S.

A 9 horse gas engine couldn't possibly run a decent 3 headed moulder well, IMO.
Speaking about a machine I know nothing about, my gut tells me $4K seems a little steep. With all the wood shops going out of business, woodworking machines by the score are out there to be had reasonably.
Sounds like it might be a Smithway, which usually has a 4" max width. Maybe that's how he is getting by with 9 hp.
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." J. Lennon

Quebecnewf

Like I said I don't know a lot about it at this time but will find out more this week. I tink maybe he just ran the top blades and not the side blades. From what I remember the unit is about 3 ft square and quite heavy.

Where I live even if there was a goood deal on something better by the time I shipped it in here I could very quickly spend a couple thousand on shipping.

My main goal with this machine is to plane up all the waney board that I get from sawing. I would edge them up on the mill air dry them and then plane them. This would be then used for firring strips. I can sell lots of these once they are planned up. The dressed firring strips that I ship in and sell are 1x3 which as everyone knows is 3/4" by 2 1/2" and not good quality.

I also want to edge up some 2x6 plane one side and T&G both edges with a plan to build cabins like this
www.ecoshed.ca

Comments please

Quebecnewf

Kelvin

My thought is that its more like the modern 3 sided Bridgewood, Sunhill type tiwanese machine.  This is a fairly small machine about the size you describe.  Perfect for your furring strips, probably not good for 3 sided log for cabin (if that is what they are) as i don't think the side heads are very large.  Great for flooring too probably.  Something with small sides.  It also has a wide capacity as its just a planer with two heads on either side.  I've looked at this machine in the past.  New i think they are $8k, so $4k is a fine deal.  The gas motor would make it plane away from electricity.  I think it has 5hp on top and side heads.  For large side heads you would need a fairly heavy machine.  The smithway or XL mentioned comes in two sizes 2x4 and 2x6.  The Bridgewood i think is a 12x2 or 12x4 if you were lucky.  I've thought this would be a good machine for a one man shop as the bigger ones would be hard to keep up with.  Let us know what you find.
Kelvin









Quebecnewf

I'm making arrangments to go and see it tomorrow and i will take pics. This is an old planer it is not a bridgewood or sunhill. This planer was in this region for many years and was in use by a guy who had a small diesel set up to run it. He has been dead for many years now and the planer has not been used much since. It was always kept indoors and well looked after.

These old type planers are made to last a couple of lifetimes and can be rebuilt over and over.

Pic to come tomorrow if all goes to plan

Quebecnewf

Quebecnewf

The machine is made by Jos Poitras et Fils in Quebec Canada (go figure). Pic will follow later today. It looks like a nice machine. It is old and needs a bit of work (cleaning and painting) etc.

I am finding more info out as I go along.

Quebecnewf

Quebecnewf

Well here are a few pics have a look and comments are requested
















Quebecnewf

Brad_S.

Interesting looking machine. Looks like a standard planer with some side cutters added on the back end.
"Life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans." J. Lennon

Quebecnewf

I thought that to at first but the machine is made as is at the factory .It is very heavy built.I think the only thing changed on it is going from flat belts to v belts

Quebecnewf

beenthere

Looks like it could be made to do a good job, but for the money would hope that it was in pretty good shape, and already to run. For that money, should have better drive/power system.
Can you get a demo? Seems the single belt is a bit on the weak side for keeping the main cutter head moving in a planing cut.

If bearings are good and nothing broken, then the rest is regular maintenance on the cutter heads and keeping things clean and sharp.

Are the vertical (side) cutters covered (like the top head) ?

Bottom line, appears the price for its condition is about $2k too high. But you may be able to get that back in your neck of the woods with no problem. Sounds like you have a good market for some product that that equipment will produce well.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Quebecnewf

The side cutters are not covered in any way. All the bearings are good. The price is maybe a little high but if I found one any cheaper and had to ship it in it would quickly come up to that price. It is a sellers market. The guy selling is not in need of the money and its a take it or leave it deal..

I am going to go back and talk to him tonight and we will discuss it further. We will be splitting the cost two ways. I really don't need to plane that much lumber and neither does my friend. But for 2000 each we feel it might be a good by. We would set it up near my mill and it would be in its own shed. We have a couple of projects that we would use it for and we feel these alone would pay for the planer.

We would like to use it to produce this for our own use

www.ecoshed.ca

Comments

Quebecnewf

beenthere

Quebecnewf
Those buildings and the material looks great. Should be adequate for some neat shelter.
I can picture one of those out at your logging site. Is that one place you have in mind?

Will be interested in how this product develops further for you.  8)
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

backwoods sawyer

I would keep looking, as it is a buyer's marker rather then a sellers market right now. You can find a much better machine then that for the price. In addition, a little road trip to go get it yourself is not going to cost you a whole lot. If the seller is unwilling to bargain with you, just walk away.
Backwoods Custom Milling Inc.
100% portable. . Oregons largest portable sawmill service, serving all of Oregon, from our Backwoods to yours..sawing since 1991

beenthere

Note to backwoods sawyer...

Quebecnewf is "really" backwoods...have ta get there by boat, as the road ends 150 miles away (if I recall correctly).  ;D ;D

I'm hearing him say just the shipping would cost $2000 for this item. So it is a different buy and sell game there.
south central Wisconsin
It may be that my sole purpose in life is simply to serve as a warning to others

Quebecnewf

I must say I really like the look of this machine. Yes maybe the price is high but that is all relative.There is none like it close to where i live and a cheaper one may be too big or too much of a fixer upper etc etc.

I would like to change out the side cutters and install T&G cutters where might I find these. I have a friend who makes his own for his Craftsman moulder planer out of old truck springs. He goes to the dump saws of the pieces he needs and with file axe saw and rasps voila any profile he wants

Comments???

Another question at what rpm should the cutter head run.

Quebecnewf

Corley5

What brand is it ???  I see a tag and some writing cast into the base  :)  Looks  8)
Burnt Gunpowder is the Smell Of Freedom

StorminN

Any pics of the back? How are those side cutters driven? What size shaft are the side cutter heads mounted on?

-N.
Happiness... is a sharp saw.

Quebecnewf

Look in the first pic and you will see two flat greenish coulored belts that drive of the round steel cylinder. These drive the side cutters. The shafts of the side cutter are about 1" I would say. The pics are not good as the unit was underneath a platform and i could only get to the front.

Quebecnewf

The unit was made in Quebec by Jos Poitras and Sons . They were bought out by General of Drummondville Qc.

I am looking for more info on this machine so any help would be good

StorminN

I see, the green belts twist 90 degrees... interesting.

A little info here:
http://owwm.com/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=642

Some other machines here:
http://owwm.com/mfgindex/detail.aspx?id=642&tab=4

You might contact one of these guys with a similar machine, for info...

-N.
Happiness... is a sharp saw.

Ironwood

I have seen many many machines in my day, and that IS VERY high $$$ for that machine. You could easily buy a much nicer modern (index head) planer and sister up two direct drive vert. spindle shaper motors on "homemade ways", a little metal fabbing and your much further ahead. just my .02 cent.


I  just let a 24" Happy Thought three sided planer, circa 1905 go to the scrap yard. I probably could have retroed an indexable for the square head and , it had belt drive spindles on the outfeed. It would have been good for 2x8 -10- 12 trailer decking. It was in an old Jones and Lauglin Steel mill on the Monogalaha River. I kept the gears (a ton of them), and infeed roller, outfeed table, and logo cast into a part of the base. I will likely make a kinetic wall sculpture from it. I would have been paying a dime a pound for it if I wanted it. FYI.

                Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

Quebecnewf

Thanks for all the replys .

I am doing some digging and have sent e mails to different people who refurbish these types of machines.

I keep getting input that the price is too way high and I can do better. The time is now to send me links  or places i might look to find those (better) deals.

We have the following constrants . The planer will be set up at the mill on the island  (no electricity). It must be three sided. I would imagine given my location that it would have to be located in eastern Canada or the northeast US . Any further away than that and shipping would be expensive.

I'm waiting 

Quebecnewf

Quebecnewf

I keep hearing that the price is too high and maybe it is. There are better and cheaper deals out there.

So here goes. I need a planer about the same as we are looking at here. It must be 3 sided and not too heavy. It must run on a gas motor no electricity. It must I would imagine be located in eastern Canada or NE  US. if not shipping will kill the deal.

If anyone can fill this wish list and has one for sell or knows of one for sale contact me

Quebecnewf



Ironwood

You know, one thought, Grizzley HAS got to be designing SOMETHING like this for future release, I would hold out as long as you can, dig around and try to dig your way into Grizzley to seee if in fact there is something in the pipeline.

       Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

Quebecnewf

Thanks for the reply Ironwood.

Do you have any other info on Grizzley .

What makes you say they are putting something out like this. Do you have inside info we could use

Quebecnewf

Ironwood

"What makes me think they have something in the pipeline"

Because they are NO dummies AND everyone wants a 3-4 sided planing "moulder". The reasonable price is where they could corner the market, they have always responded to market demand and consumer interest. Just look at how there catalog has expanded over the years. NO doubt they could provide one to the market in the $4000 range.

No inside story or connections here but call them and try to wiggle your way up the ladder, call and say that you have an engineering question and then try to ask about retro fitting one of their planers to two shapers.  :D (by the way people have done that) $2500 for the planer (good one w/ insert head), and $900 each for the 5 HP shapers, THAT is still in the ball park of the $4000 unit you were looking at (welding is extra :D).

              Living outside the "BOX" ;) Ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

StorminN

Quote from: Quebecnewf on May 01, 2009, 05:33:21 AMWe have the following constrants . The planer will be set up at the mill on the island  (no electricity). It must be three sided. I would imagine given my location that it would have to be located in eastern Canada or the northeast US . Any further away than that and shipping would be expensive.

I doubt any Grizzly unit - now or in the future - would run on anything but electricity... so you'll need a nice-sized generator, too...

Ironwood, next time you get some old 'arn run by a gas motor, ship it up to Canada instead of scrapping it! (BTW, the guys at owwm.org would think it blasphemous of you to scrap some of this stuff... someone there would probably happily buy it from you...)

-N.
Happiness... is a sharp saw.

Ironwood

Stormin,

I am on that site occasionally, I cant rescue everything. Sometimes I regret scrapping, BUT not usually, I can't do it all. I have photographed some rare or unheard of brands and units for posterieties sake, then SCRAPPED them. Only so many hours in a day.

          ironwood
There is no scarcity of opportunity to make a living at what you love to do, there is only scarcity of resolve to make it happen.- Wayne Dyer

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