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pto planer pictures

Started by northernss454, May 20, 2010, 09:59:34 PM

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northernss454

Here are the pictures guys of the planer I was looking at as I mention in my previous post. Looks like alot of moving parts but sure seems to be well build. Is it worth 2000$ or should I offer lower? Also what do u think is the max height for this planer. I have to admit looks like it could be some fun, first thing I would do is get some guards around those pinch points.






fishpharmer

 Now I don't know the first thing about pto planers but to my uneducated eyes it looks like a lot of belts and bearings to mess up.  $2000 may be a great deal on that planer.   Sometimes an old machine get worked on more than work done.  I would want to see it work before paying.  If your not trying to attain high production and like to mess around with machines it may be perfect for you.
Built my own band mill with the help of Forestry Forum. 
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inwoodcutter

Whew! Now that is a set up. The machine underneath all that mess looks like its mucht more than a traditional single surface planer. It looks like a planer/matcher. Capable of dressing all 4 sides of the lumber and even doing some simple mouldings like ship lap and tongue and groove flooring. It's hard to make out much with such small pictures but you can see there are two belts that run in underneath the machine in the center off of the wide pulley on the countershaft. Those two run the side or matcher heads. It's probably a babbitt bearing machine. Nothing I would be afraid of, but I have some 35 babbitt machines. It's also missing the belt for the top head. The belt should run around the large pulley on the countershaft up to the top head then back down going about a 1/4 turn over the other big pulley and then back to the counter shaft.

Can you get a higher resolution picture? Whats the make on the actual planer?

Dan
Dan Warner
"there's money in that slab"

red oaks lumber

just my thoughts... take the money you would spend getting this machine running and buy something newer than the early 1900"s only unless you like frustration. then in that case go for it.
the experts think i do things wrong
over 18 million b.f. processed and 7341 happy customers i disagree

inwoodcutter

With the pictures you sent me it appears to be a Heaps Engineering of New Westminster, British Columbia. A short lived manufacturer dates somewhere between the 1920's and 1940's. Its hard to say cause the info on the company is kinda scant. It does appear to be a ball bearing machine. There also appears to be provisions for all 4 rollers to be powered (as opposed to the more common 2 top rollers power 2 bottom idle). The hydrostat feed is interesting. I could definitely see adavantages for having an infinitely variable feed on a machine like this. Check the machine out well. Make sure nothing has slop or is locked up. What kind of knives does it have? If it is the bolt on slotted knives on a square head you've opened a whole new can of worms. It can be dealt with but the risk goes way up with a square head. The condition and metalurgy of the bolts is very important at that point.

Even with all this the machine looks like is was cobbled together and not well engineerd as a whole. Being a short live company is probably a testament to their quality of machines. I see no provision for dropping the bottom head out of the way. So you always have to use both heads. Also the feed is powered by the same belt as the bottom head also limiting the machine. The home made infeed table will have to go and something better made. There are some poor looking belt tensioners on all the belts which means the owner/last operator didn't know how to maintain a flat belt.

I was wrong about the belt missing. The better pictures do show it.

Dan
Dan Warner
"there's money in that slab"

northernss454

Inwoodcutter, yes it has the slot type knives, now should I run away i am pretty sure I can get it for a grand now. Also not too famaliar with these knives, will newer style knives work,or where do i get knives to make T&G or other faily simple stuff. Thanks again

inwoodcutter

If the side head comes off the spindle then you  can put a modern head on it that uses modern tool steel. You can still buy slotted steel from outfits like Wisconsin Knive Works. The slotted kinves need an special higher grade of nut and bolt as well and they aren't cheap.

Dan
Dan Warner
"there's money in that slab"

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