Unique Planer

[Deadwood]

I was just curious if anyone had ever seen this type of planer before. I went to a museum recently (Maine Maritime Museum in Bath Maine) where giant 5 masted schooners were once built. Apparently they used this planer to plane huge beams, some up to 53 feet long. The information they gave said the milling head could take off 2 inches at a time and threw them with such force that sail cloth had to be used to protect the workers and the building. It seems the chips actually eroded the wooden beams of the building away they were ejected so hard.

If anyone has any thoughts on this, or has more information, I would love to hear them. I'm harboring thoughts of building one of these planers.


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[MemphisLogger]

I've been shopping for one.

I think they made some for the woodworking industry, but all the ones I've found so far are set up for planing/milling iron and steel.

I don't figure it would be too hard to switch back and forth.  ;D

[Fla._Deadheader]

Scott, got any links or photos ??  Looks like something that would be REAL handy.  ;D ;D ;D

[Corley5]

I'd like to see it in action

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Seems like I saw a show on the tube about that place. They might have run a piece of wood through the planer before filming ??  Never did see the cutter. That's what I'm interested in seeing, up close.  ;) ;D

[GHRoberts]

Some internet wood dealer has a modern plane that works like that. He claims almost no tearout on difficult stock.

[tnlogger]

http://www.bathmaine.com/

there ya go harold
wal now it just so happens that a very good friend of mine and I helping just a little  ;D
made all the hardware for the Mayflower 2 his name is Gerald Galuza and he was at the time one of the top 10 blacksmiths in the northeast. the last I knew he was still making slicks for the museum.
thanks deadwood bring back thoughts of a youth well spent.
On another note his farther Adem Galuza helped in mapping the Apalachin trail and made a wood carving of the whole trail in the earlly 60's 

[Corley5]

What powers it ???  Water, steam, Detroit Diesel, 440 volts ;) ;D

[tnlogger]

greg when i was hanging around there back in the 70's every thing was run off line shafts and they had a big elctric motor running most. they teach boat building the old way lots of hand work

[Corley5]

 8) 8)  It musta been powered by water or steam originally ???

[Deadwood]

The whole milling complex was run by two 40 horspower electric motors transfering power by line shafts. The interesting thing is, this ship building complex had a late start. It began in 1896 and ran until 1925, well after the golden age of sail was gone. In so many ways they still build ships in Bath, Maine, be it Aegis Destroyers for the US Navy.

I got interested in this museum after I learned an old ship that belonged to my ex-father-in-law was built their, the Cora F Cressey, a huge five masted schooner that was sunk back in 1932 so it could be uses as a breakwater to keep the waves down while unloading the lobsters. I'll try to place a picture.


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[Fla._Deadheader]

Very glad you took the time to make this post, Deadwood. Thank you

[Deadwood]

You're entirely welcome. I was going through some pictures the other day on my computer and I forgot I even took these pictures. It was so unique that I thought I would post them here.

As for the ship and stuff, that is kind of neat too. It has a VERY neat history. It hauled a lot of supplies to England during WWi and it once was used as a Liquor ship off the coast of Boston during prohabition, past the 3 mile limit so it was legal. The lower decks was used "for rooms by professional woman" and the ceiling was painted very interestingly along those same lines.

One day I was down to the Lobster Pound chatting with my Father-In-Law at the time and he casually mentioned the old boat shop. He gave me the key to this forlorn building and it was like stepping back in time. It had a huge motor that ran a line shaft arrangment. It had a bunch of old tools, post drill press, bandsaws, hand tools and even it's own forge for making fittings. I don't think it's been used since the 50's at least. Sometimes Gary just does not know what he has...or what it is worth to the right person.

[Ironwood]

Deadwood,

  Swung by there last july 4th. My sis in law lives in S. Freeport. Enjoyed the woodshop although I thought there was a big bandsaw there and here it was down in Mass. somewhere. I was bummed about that but still lots of goodies there! I wish I could tour the bath Iron next door!! The principle of the planer would be very simple to recreate in a modern unit. Something to think about. The original from the shop there was lost and the "new" one is smaller, I thought one might be able to be found down in Cass, WV. at the burned out RxR shop. It is laid in ruins and rusting away. Cass Senenic Railroad.



 

                     Reid

[Gilman]

Most of the old metal planers have been converted to have a bridport mill head mounted to them instead of using the scraper blade.  One shop I worked at made their own flywheel cutter, about 3' diamter out of a aluminum wheel with carbide inserts.  They planed lexan to +- 0.002" for aircraft control panels.  Something about the lights used made the thickness critical.  Oh, almost forgot, that planer also had a vacuum table, you'd seal the edges with masking tape.  Worked really good unless you lost your vacuum.

It wouldn't be too hard to make one, they commonly have the equivalent of square tubing on edge for rails (to get the chips to fall off).  Some where rack & pinion feed while others were fed with a hydraulic cylinder.

Ask Corley if you could borrow his mill for a bit and modify the carriage and build a planing head.  I'm sure he wouldn't mind.

What are you going to be planing Harold?

[Fla._Deadheader]

Table Slabs, what else ??  They use electric hand held planers down here to get a flat surface. They do a good job, but, it's GOTTA be tough. I used one of those hand planers on Ash when I made my wind generator blades. Had to take very light cuts.  : :

  The wood down here is HARD.

[beenthere]

..........  They use electric hand held planers down here to get a flat surface.   The wood down here is HARD.

You just landed, and are already using hand-held planers on HARD wood?  You are a fast one, FDH     How's the island?

[Fla._Deadheader]

Island is great. Just gotta keep an eye out for the sharks.

  I used a hand planer and Fred says the Tico's use them. I KNOW how hard the wood is. I carried a couple pieces home one time and played with them on the flat sander ??

[monte]

Sorry to cut in guys!
but how do you post a image on a reply,like you did at the beginning?
Thanks

[Fla._Deadheader]

  Monte, there are other sections of this Forum. On the main page, scroll down to ''Behind The Forum'' Section. in there, read the post about posting photos. Real easy to understand.

  By the way, Welcome to the Forum.  8)

[monte]

Thanks ;D

[Corley5]

Turn my sawmill into a monster planer  eh?  ;D ;D

[Deadwood]

Dear Reid Crosby,

Nice picture, I was watching the Discovery Channel one day and they did a two part show on how Bath Iron Works builds those Aegis Destroyers. I don't watch TV much, but I watched both shows. The Discovery Channel seems to play stuff over and over again so you be able to catch another episode of it sometime. It's pretty amazing how they can fit 20000 tons of steel and aluminum parts together to make a ship. My Step Father-In-Law retired from there in March after 30 years as a painter and I have another Uncle that still works there as an electrician.

I think it's great that the Maine people are still building ships for the US Navy considering the first ship, Old Ironsides came from here as well. I may be biased but I think we got the greatest shipbuilders in the world right here. I say that with proof through.

As you may know, Bath Iron Works and Ingalls Ship Yard are always locked into bitter competition to win Destroyer Contracts from the Navy. Still, when Ingalls was shut down for a week due to Hurricane Katrina, Bath Iron Workers took up a collection and sent the workers down there over 20,000 dollars to help them get by until they could turn their dry dock into a dry dock again.