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4 Sided Planer

Started by ddcuning, June 09, 2014, 09:53:04 AM

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Alligator

Quote from: Darrel on July 16, 2014, 02:18:33 AM
Alligator, I cut my planerman teeth on that screw!  I was about 16 or 17'. It was my job to stack the stickers that were in the units of redwood that had been air drying out in the yard for a year or so.  And I had to crank that head out almost every night before I went home.  I finely told my uncle that if I was going to extract the head I was also going to change the knives.  The rest is history.

That is hilarious. I didn't have to do it every night, but 3 or 4 times a week. We didn't run our planer continuously. We air dried everything, so from early spring until late summer, when I was out of or after school it was my one of jobs. I was also the sticker guy. Before we got the unstacker, we had 2 roller beads about 16" of the ground that I had to step over to collect the sticks and put them in the rack. By the end of the summer my shins were purple from top to bottom. I also had to keep a 4x4x6 on the roller bed for the next pack. Funny how the same grunt work falls to the young guy in a sawmill everywhere. When we got the Unstacker I wanted to throw a party,until I realized how quick another layer of sticks fell. You were lucky, your insistence on changing knives propelled you on to be a planer mill man. I was always kept away from the running machinery until I was 18. There was always work though. I spent most summers on a tractor bush hogging the lumber drying yard, so the bottom layers would dry evenly.. That was about 30, half mile rows of stacked lumber.
Esterer Sash Gang is a  Money Machine

Darrel

I didn't get to touch the planer while it was running until I was 18 either, it wasn't too long after I started changing the bottom knives that I started changing the top head too.  My uncle just sat on one of the side head guards while he changed the top knives, but it didn't take me to long to figure out that sitting up there was much more comfortable if put a piece of 2X12 across the void between the side heads and sat on it.

And I know all about those banged up shins too!
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

ddcuning

It has been a rough week at work, working late most nights and garden is coming in so I have been canning green beans and dill pickles so I have not gotten over to the mill this week. With regards to the bottom head, no I have not tried to crank it out. In fact, I don't remember if there is the ability too. The only cranks that I saw were on the side cutters but I will check again. I am still working on issues with the sawmill itself and my attention is currently focused on that. As soon as I get the mill fixed with the new shaft and bearings, I will turn my attention back to the planer. First task on the planer will be to pour the new Babbitt bearing in the lower drive shaft. I have the new shaft but the bearing material is currently deformed. I have the new Babbitt material, some dam putty, a ladle and just got my welding gas bottles filled so I am set for doing the bearing. Now just need the experience to pour it. Good news is, if I mess it up, I can just heat it back out and re-do it.

Dave C
We're debt free!!! - Dave C, Nov 2015

Alligator

I could be wrong, but the two square ended cranks should be the bottom head lock and extractor screw. Don't know which is which.

This is a busy time of year. The veggies won't wait. The planer will be a long term project anyway. You have the foundation, take your time and get it right. Just looking at the pictures, it will take a pretty good amount of work to get her rebuilt. Don't get discouraged.

Things take so much of your time. I am in the middle of re tinning a 60'x60' pole barn/shop my father built 20 years ago. He put used tin and half-a$$ed the 12'x60' shed on each side. I started out assuming that he used a tape measure, WRONG. The trusses are set 11'8"-11'10"-12'4"-11"6"-12'3". That is in order back to front. The 12'4" in the middle really p-s me off. That's about 30 pieces of 14' 2x6s I'm going to have to cut 20" off of. But, he's gone so I can't fuss can't him. Just smile and think about the good times.

Alligator
Esterer Sash Gang is a  Money Machine

ddcuning

Its been forever since I posted about the planer and since staring this thread, I ended up buying another Newman 8B that has already been refurbished so I now have 2. Not sure what I will do with the first one I bought but there you are. My goal is to get both planer and sawmill fully complete this year and I am getting back in the groove of things. The past few months I have been searching for a fan for the planer and this week I hit pay dirt. Didn't need two but when they are free, you take them. Both have really good bearings and seem to be in very good shape. I will use one for the planer and store the other one until I can figure out what to do with it.

Dave C

We're debt free!!! - Dave C, Nov 2015

Darrel

From the look of it, you could take sawdust away from your mill and shavings from the planer all at the same time with just one of those. Great find!
1992 LT40HD

If I don't pick myself up by my own bootstraps, nobody else will.

ddcuning

Could be Darrel. I am going to look up the capacity of these but I think either will do about anything you want. Even the ductwork connection on the suction is 10gauge steel. I will post some capacities once I find out for sure. I will also get a picture of the other Newman 8B that I picked up this winter.

Dave C
We're debt free!!! - Dave C, Nov 2015

Alligator

Just guessing from the size of those fans, if you put enough motor on them they will suck your house off the foundation and blow it into the next county. Two 8bs is not a bad thing. Now you have a parts machine. If they are twins you will find things that will be needed frequently. The sidehead assemblies on our 510 were the same. When you have some free time between rebuilding the carriage, setting it up and checking the heating problem, getting the good planer working, and remodeling the house, between 12 am and 6 am you could rebuild one of the sidehead assemblies.  :) :) Find you a big old used tarp and set it somewhere out of the way you'll need something  off of it eventually. There is absolutely nothing better than a duplicate machine for spare parts.
Esterer Sash Gang is a  Money Machine

Alligator

I found this Newman M510 with a picture of the side heads that show the jointer mounting holes. Also a good shot of how the shaving cowlings attach and swing out. There are some good closeups of this planer. I know it's not the same one, but without a manual, the same manufacturer does the same things in successive machines and change things as well.
http://www.lumbermenonline.com/for-sale/Newman-M510-Planer?itemid=20664

Esterer Sash Gang is a  Money Machine

lyle niemi

I will be doing a bunch of planning this year so I tore into my alco planer to fix a few problems. I have a way better understanding of how things work now. The machine should be up and running by next week if all goes well

ddcuning

Ended up getting the fan curve from Buffalo, looks like at 25hp the fan will do 5,800 CFM, and 18" of static at the speed my engine is running! That will suck some shavings off of the planer! With a slight adjustment in the sheave, I can get 9,000 CFM at 11" of static. Either way, I can get a lot of air and a lot of static out of these fans using only 25hp off of the engine. I think one fan is going to do everything that I need. I will tuck the other fan away for possible future bartering or some other future process if needed.

Dave C
We're debt free!!! - Dave C, Nov 2015

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